The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold

I say this not because I dislike the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials- I actually love them- but because when people talk about the specials(on IMDb and off) The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold has often been described as their worst. While there is a few I still have to re-watch and while it is not as terrible as others have said, I do have to agree that generally The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold is a lesser effort of theirs. Of course it has its redeeming qualities. I do think the visuals, a mix of conventional animation and stop-motion puppetry, are terrific, with great detail and some good atmosphere. The music is not the most inspired of the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials there is(overall Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer has the best songs), but the scoring has some nice amounts of whimsy and the songs are memorable particularly Christmas in Killarney. Golden Gold of Ireland is also quite rousing. Art Carney does a wonderful job also as Blarney, joining the vast list of big Hollywood names filling the narrator roles for a Rankin/Bass Christmas special. Where The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold doesn't score so favourably is in the story. I do think the length was far too short to begin with, but as well as feeling rushed the whole time, the story does suffer from trying to cram in too much, under-developing what's there and from a lack of heart, feeling too mean-spirited sometimes. While I admired the animation, the camera shot quality on occasions doesn't give us enough time to breathe and really take in what we're seeing. The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold does have some of the least inspired writing of the specials, it lacks the poignancy of Little Drummer Boy, the charm of Frosty the Snowman and the wit of Santa Claus is Coming to Town, in short it just felt too bland and drab. The characters didn't engage me, the banshee is unbearably annoying and the leprechauns are characterised in a very stereotypical and potentially offensive way. Of the voice acting, only Carney really makes an impression, the others don't really distinguish themselves. Overall, didn't hate it but for Rankin/Bass an unfortunate disappointment. A fellow Rankin/Bass fan said that St Patricks Day and Christmas don't mix together and after seeing The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold I can see where he was coming from. 4/10 Bethany Cox

Blarney! Watch out for the harpies and banshees, and hold on to any gold you have. Here is a wonderful holiday story which takes place in the Emerald Isles. Even though the song, "Christmas in Killarney," was performed in this Rankin-Bass holiday special, too bad Bing Crosby wouldn't heard singing it. My favorite song, next to "Christmas in Killarney," would have to be the one about "The Golden Gold of Ireland." So put on your best pair of Killakillarney shoes and enjoy this Irish tale of Yule tide warmth. Don't to forget to watch more great holiday specials from Rankin-Bass. One of wich I also recommend is Pinocchio's Christmas.

A young Irish sailor sees a fir tree growing on an island and goes ashore to retrieve it and use it as a Christmas tree. When he digs it up, he frees a banshee that was trapped under it. He meets some leprechauns who explain to him that banshees need to get gold before Christmas or they die. The leprechauns give him the gold to hide, but like a complete moron, he's tricked by the banshee into giving her the gold. The later, less well-known Rankin/Bass specials tend to be obscure for good reason. This one features a bunch of leprechauns hording piles of gold for themselves for no good reason. They need to keep it from a banshee who needs it to survive because ... because banshee? Factor in the fact that the hero is a complete moron, and it's hard to get on board with this uncomfortably weird blend of Irish folklore and Christmas.

This is a cute movie about friendship and loyalty.

One does have to understand the myth and history about the Banshee to understand that the leprechaun can not give her the gold. It takes a brave man to stand alone while others turn their backs on you. This movie has a great moral to never give up on ones self and ideals just because the crowd is telling you to doing so.

My family and I enjoyed the songs and made a night out of watching claymation Christmas movies. This was a great one to laugh at and enjoy. Other movies that a person may enjoy are Rudolh the red nose reindeer, Santa Claus is coming to town. The year Santa Missed.

Simple cabin boy Dinty Doyle is sent by his captain to retrieve a pine tree for Christmas on an uncharted island. He discovers that it's populated by leprechauns. He's the first human on Tralee in two centuries. When he digs up the tree, he unleashes a banshee named Old Mag the Hag. She needs the leprechauns' gold before Christmas. After a storm, Dinty follows a rainbow to a cave of gold guarded by Blarney Kilakilarney.

This is another Rankin/Bass stop-motion animated Christmas special. It goes too far trying to connect Christmas with leprechauns. Who knows if this is some kind of Irish folklore but it doesn't connect. The stop-motion still has its charms but the plot is bland. It's more exposition than thrilling adventure. I wonder if somebody pulled leprechauns out of a hat.