The Little Drummer Boy Book II (1976)

Interesting sequel but the original is a bit better in my opinion.No offensive but the only song worth watching in this special is Money Money Money, It's very catchy and cute. It's a different version of the story of the Little Drummer Boy and I personally like it.Aaron returns in this sequel with one of the three kings Gasper to help a bell maker Simeon retrieve some bells from some evil Romans and their leader Brutus. The good guys get the bells back and Simeon plays his bells for all to hear.Since this is a sequel it is good and cute, I recommend it if you are a fan of the original7/10

The title already gives away that this 22-minute Christmas movie is the sequel to the original "Little Drummer Boy" from almost 10 years earlier. And while that one did not receive any awards recognition, this one here was nominated for an Emmy. Still, it is not as good as the original and not even close in terms of Christmas donkey Nestor, who was released slightly as the 3rd entry to the franchise. I am generally not too big on the animation style of Rankin/Bass and this may be one of the main reasons why I did not enjoy this one here that much, despite Academy Award winner Greer Garson who does a solid job with the narration. It is not a failure, but I did not find it (the film and most of the music) particularly moving, sweet or memorable compared to the other entries. Thumbs down unfortunately, hoped I would like this more and the Roman soldiers certainly did not help.

The Little Drummer Boy is one of Rankin/Bass' best, and my contender for the most poignant of their specials. So this sequel had a lot to live up to, and while it is not as great it is still pretty good. Much better than Cricket on the Hearth(by far their worst) and The Leprechauns Christmas Gold. The high point is definitely the visuals, which not only look beautiful but are even more accomplished than the original's. The voice acting is also great, Paul Frees is missed but Greer Garson still brings sincerity and warmth to her narration part and Zero Mostel sounds as though he is having a ball as Brutus, who is even more of a villain than Ben. The characters are engaging, and the score is whimsical and fitting with the mood. The writing has heart while not feeling mawkish or over-simplistic. The message is a good one and is affecting. I wouldn't go as far to say actually that there is anything disastrously wrong apart from the pacing being a little on the slow side sometimes, but there were a couple of areas that gave me a mixed reception. A couple of the songs are memorable and well-meaning, but others especially Money, Money, Money don't really do all that much to move the story forward. The actual Little Drummer story is great, and the basics of the story here are fine. It's some of the subplots that don't always seem very focused or entirely related to one another. In conclusion, pretty good, lacking compared to The Little Drummer Boy but a long way from Rankin/Bass' worst. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The sequel to 1968's "The Little Drummer Boy",picks up where the first one left off. In this exciting continuation of the story,set in ancient times,six-year-old Aaron returns to undertake an incredible journey with one of the wise men,Melchoir-to find a man named Simeon who has constructed a set of Silver Bells to be rung to herald to birth of Christ as Aaron struggles to protect the bellmaker's Silver Bells from being seized by Brutus and his Roman Soldiers,who makes their lives difficult and who ends up capturing Aaron and his animal friends in the process. However,it is up to the Aaron and his friends along with one of the wise old man,to save the Silver Bells from the evil Brutus and to help ring in the birth of Christ before its too late.This half-hour animated special originally aired on NBC-TV as a network special presentation on December 13,1976. This "Animagic" special was produced by Arthur Rankin,Jr. for Rankin-Bass Productions,who were also behind the creation of such perennial holiday favorites as "Rudolph,The Red Nosed Reindeer","Frosty The Snowman",and so forth. Featuring the voices of Broadway actor Zero Mostel,along with the talents of Allan Swift,Ray Owens,and Robert McFadden. Again,Greer Garson narrates the story.