Nestor the
Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
Told and
Sung by Roger Miller
Original
Airdate: December 3, 1977
Airs annually on AMC’s Best Christmas Ever
Available as a bonus special on The Year Without a Santa Claus DVD and Blu-ray
If you think the Little Drummer Boy specials are the only Rankin/Bass specials to focus
on the religious side of Christmas, just check out this special. It's about a donkey
with long ears who guides Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. At the same time, it also turns out to be one
of the heaviest and emotionally-gripping specials we’ve gotten from the company
in a while.
This is largely due to the hardships the titular donkey has
to face because of his huge ears. It’s
not enough that everyone mocks them for how strange-looking they are and his
stable owner mistreats him. They’re a personal hindrance when he’s
constantly tripping over them. Not only
is this another long, harsh look into the social issue of prejudice, but it’s
even more unforgiving that the ears are a burden to Nestor himself. The only being who gives Nestor any love is
his mother, and even that can’t last long.
When Nestor is finally thrown out of the stable for causing Roman
soldiers to take all the donkeys for free, Nestor’s mother breaks
out to keep him warm from the bitter cold. That’s when the most tragic moment of all
comes when the mother ends up freezing to death, leaving Nestor alone in the world. As heartbreaking as this moment is, it does
its part to make you want Nestor to find happiness in a life of endless
tragedies. In fact, the first act filled
with tragedies is nicely balanced out by the rest of the special that
capitalize on how Christmas reminds us that God helps guide us to peace. With the help of his guiding spirit, a cute
and inspiring, yet soft-spoken cherub named Tilly, Nestor travels to Bethlehem. All he has is hope that
he can find his place and his ears can be helpful to someone like his mother
was to him. He's still mocked for his
ears by more stable animals for a while, which is unsettling to come right
after a song about how laughing at someone can be hurtful. Then Nestor is selected
for the important task of transporting Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. During this trip, Nestor’s traumas are
appropriately blessed, so to speak, when he finally puts his long ears to good
use. Their sensitive hearing, something mentioned throughout the story,
guides them all through a sandstorm by listening to the guiding whispers of
angels. It’s certainly a rewarding
moment after so much suffering Nestor was put through, but this feel doesn’t
stop here. His donkey instincts also
lead to why Jesus would be born in a manger in Bethlehem when there’s no room
in any inn. This concluding moment of
Nestor’s story is a grand moment and a satisfying payoff coming in ways you
wouldn’t completely expect. You do have
to wonder why he returns to the stable where he was mistreated though. I know some of the animals apologized for
mocking his ears earlier, but he’s clearly better staying with Mary and Joseph,
so why go back to where he began? Well,
aside from that point of confusion, what we have is still an inspiring story of
how God is with us even in the darkest times, one of the biggest things
Christmas stands for.
The whole story is inspiring and engaging for how much the
main protagonist has to get through to prove himself, and also has a pretty
interesting way of telling itself. As
Nestor goes through his story, there’s a part of his title song sung in a
country western style that ties into what goes on. I enjoy this on a personal level since I like
country music, though I have to admit that it doesn’t feel like a good fit for
the beautiful biblical event the story is set against. Plus, when it plays while Nestor goes through
an emotional moment like his constant teasing, the verses of the song feel too
happy which is certainly not appropriate.
I also have to give credit for how the special shows that even in modern
times, Christmas’ meaning is respected. The religious event that started
the holiday is told in the present by a donkey Santa happens to own who Nestor
is an ancestor to. Admittedly, it’s kind
of forced to have a donkey associated with Santa since they can’t survive in
the North Pole as the death of Nestor’s mother proves. Also, there’s no reason
reindeer can’t do the chores he’s assigned to do. For the basic idea this
framing device conveys, I can forgive this.
It may not be perfectly constructed or always convey the appropriate
tone, but I still give the way the story’s told credit for uniqueness.
This is another good contender for a Christmas special set
against the event that invented it to check out. It’s a classic story of a troubled soul who
suffers endlessly, but with God watching over him, gets an amazing payoff. Standing out with lovable characters and an
upbeat ballad to illustrate what happens, this is up there with the stronger
Rankin/Bass works.
Highly Recommended
The Ranking
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
- The Year Without a Santa Claus
- Frosty the Snowman
- The Little Drummer Boy
- Rudolph’s Shiny New Year
- Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
- The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow
- ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
- Frosty’s Winter Wonderland
- The Little Drummer Boy Book II
- Cricket on the Hearth
Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next special where Rankin/Bass finally tries their hand at adapting A Christmas Carol with their musical special, The Stingiest Man in Town.
If you would like to check out other Rankin/Bass special reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.
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