Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977) Review
Rankin/Bass Productions was responsible for a number of
stop-motion Christmas classics. The most notable ones are Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman (though the latter is one of their animated
features), but instead of talking about the ones everyone knows about, I’m
going to take a look at ones that haven’t remained as prominent over time.
First up, this odd little tale of the most-famous Christmas ass since Dominick
the Donkey, which probably isn’t saying a lot.
The story takes place in the Roman Empire. Nestor is a young
donkey with really long ears, and he gets made fun of all the time, much like
Rudolph with his red nose. Nestor’s
mother gets him socks to keep his ears warm during the cold winter nights.
After a mix-up with some soldiers trying to buy a bunch of donkeys from the
stable in which they live, Nestor and his mother end up alone in the middle of
a blizzard. Nestor’s mom shields him from the snow, and she promises everything
will be fine.
Well damn, guess what? Everything won’t be fine. THE MOM
DIES. What kind of a cheerful Christmas specials is this?! It isn’t cheerful,
it’s the darkest thing to ever happen in any Christmas show, I reckon.
With his mom dead, Nestor is guided through the desert by a
Cherub, and arrives in Bethlehem, where he is purchased by Mary and Joseph. He
helps them get to the stable where Jesus is born, even wrapping Mary in his
long ears to protect her. I don’t think bible thumpers consider this story
canon.
Besides having an extremely unexpected and depressing moment
halfway through, Nestor the Long-Eared
Christmas Donkey is an average Christmas program. It’s short and (mostly)
sweet, but isn’t that tightly focused on Christmas until the end, and lacks the
whimsy of the best Rankin/Bass productions. Still, if you like donkeys and
Christmas, then this brings them together in likely the best way possible.
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