Wednesday, December 13, 2017

'Toon Reviews 10: Rankin/Bass Christmas Specials Part 12: Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey


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
  1. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  2. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
  3. The Year Without a Santa Claus
  4. Frosty the Snowman
  5. The Little Drummer Boy
  6. Rudolph’s Shiny New Year
  7. Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
  8. The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow
  9. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
  10. Frosty’s Winter Wonderland
  11. The Little Drummer Boy Book II
  12. 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.

No comments:

Post a Comment