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The Little Drummer Boy

Play trailer Poster for The Little Drummer Boy Released Dec 19, 1968 30m Fantasy Animation Kids & Family Musical Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
75% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
An orphaned boy who hates humanity encounters the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Music by the Vienna Boys Choir.
The Little Drummer Boy

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The Little Drummer Boy is a mature addition to the Rankin-Bass catalogue, with a powerful conclusion that compensates for the special's dour storytelling and unpolished animation.

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Critics Reviews

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AV Club Staff AV Club It's a lot like How The Grinch Stole Christmas, in other words, only with a Biblical foundation and not so much rhyming. The special is effective as all get-out, too. Dec 6, 2018 Full Review Michael Booth Denver Post I thought "Rudolph" was the worst animation I had seen, until seeing Drummer Boy again. Aaron the misanthropic drummer, formerly with Metallica, and his animal friends skitter across the Sinai like cockroaches on Red Bull. Dec 4, 2018 Full Review Andrew Ryan Globe and Mail A Christmas children's special that actually depicts events from the Bible? What a concept! Dec 4, 2018 Full Review Rachel Wagner rachelsreviews.net I think it was all handled beautifully. Rated: 7/10 Apr 18, 2019 Full Review Ryan Voyles Paste Magazine Certainly lives up to its reputation as the bleakest of the Rankin/Bass collection. But the 20 minutes of wallowing in misery is worthwhile for the company's best finale ever. Dec 4, 2018 Full Review Matthew Jackson Syfy Wire A tiresome journey to the end. Its heart is in the right place, but it never arrives at a place that's interesting. Dec 4, 2018 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (12) audience reviews
Bryant C One of my favorite movies as a child, thank god for my mother's Christian ways lol Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/07/24 Full Review Russell H I enjoy these old animated ones. I hadn't seen a lot of this one as a kid but worth a watch. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/20/23 Full Review Savannah W One Of Greatest Animated Christmas Movies I Had Ever Seen Growing Up And Still This Movie Does Not Disappoint The Songs Are Great And The Voice Acting Was Great This Is Just A Classic Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/01/23 Full Review Jack's A People seem to go a little too hard on this one in my opinion, sure it is fairly dark and depressing, but that ultimately makes it all the more enjoyable and makes it's climax all the more appealing Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/17/23 Full Review Devils A Due to poor animation, but good music, this short movie does deserve a *3 & 1/2* star review! Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 12/23/22 Full Review Andrew S A nice and sweet film that is a good addition of the Rankin/Bass Filmography Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/01/22 Full Review Read all reviews
The Little Drummer Boy

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Cast & Crew

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The Little Drummer Boy

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Movie Info

Synopsis An orphaned boy who hates humanity encounters the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Music by the Vienna Boys Choir.
Director
Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Screenwriter
Romeo Muller
Genre
Fantasy, Animation, Kids & Family, Musical
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 19, 1968, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 30, 2013
Runtime
30m