EssenceStory Well Deserved Praise

Blucher One of the worst movies I've ever seen

Skunkyrate Gripping story with well-crafted characters

Celia A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Christmas-Reviewer I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 400 Christmas MOVIES.BEWARE OF BOGUS REVIEWS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I AM HONEST! I REVIEW Christmas MOVIES AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN!The Little Drummer Boy, Book II is a Christmas television special produced in stop-motion animation by Rankin/Bass. As the title suggests, it is a sequel to the 1968 special The Little Drummer Boy. Originally broadcast on NBC on December 13, 1976, it is notably the only Rankin/Bass special to receive an Emmy nomination; it was nominated for the 1977 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program.This special however is not based on the song "The Little Drummer Boy" but it is an original story all on its own! However the story doesn't work all that well. The special also borrows lyrics from two other Christmas Carols one of them being "Do You Hear What I Hear". That history of that song is actually more interesting that "The Little Drummer Boy Book 2". The song "Do You Hear What I Hear" is a song written in October 1962, with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne Baker. The pair, married at the time, wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Regney had been invited by a record producer to write a Christmas song, but he was hesitant due to the commercialism of the Christmas holiday. It has sold tens of millions of copies and has been covered by hundreds of artistsNow the special in general is worth watching but I highly doubt most people will go out of their way to see it again upon their initial first viewing. It is however a great tool to use to help introduce children to the events after the birth of Jesus,

Horst in Translation ([email protected]) 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.

TheLittleSongbird 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

Michael_Elliott Little Drummer Boy Book II, The (1976) *** (out of 4) Eight years after the previous film, Bass and Rankin came back with this sequel, which is once again narrated by Greer Garson. This time out the drummer boy Aaron is rejoicing the birth of Jesus but soon he must try and protect some Silver Bells from falling into the hands of the Romans. While this film doesn't reach the levels of the original, it remains an entertaining film but I do think that less would have been more. I think the biggest problem with the film are a few of the musical numbers, which just don't come off too well. 'Money, Money, Money' is one of the songs performed that just doesn't take off and it really takes away from the actual story being told as well. I would also say that some of the vocal work in the film isn't nearly as impressive as in the first film but the one exception would be Zero Mostel doing the voice of Brutus. Once again the animation is certainly the high point as it looks even better and I was impressed by the way Bass and Rankin were able to make the film look as if it was filmed at the same time as the original. The story itself is a pretty good one with the obvious messages thrown in for kids.