n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.
... View MoreWhile it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
... View MoreAll of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
... View MoreGreat movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.
... View MoreInteresting 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
... View MoreRankin/Bass sequel to their 1968 classic The Little Drummer Boy. Greer Garson returns to narrate the story, which has the little drummer boy tasked with rescuing some important silver bells from greedy Roman soldiers. As is usually the case with Rankin/Bass, the stop-motion animation is the best part. It's a lovely-looking special. The voice work and music are also very good. The songs are nice, including "Do You Hear What I Hear" and "The Little Drummer Boy," which plays throughout in the background. There's also a catchy song about money that has the Roman soldiers singing and dancing. Greer Garson recites "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day." It's a decent sequel. Not as powerful or moving as the original, but pleasant and enjoyable for what it is.
... View MoreLittle 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.
... View MoreThe 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.
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