It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Blistering performances.

I am in my mid-twenties and was recently talking with two co-workers of around the same age about this song. I mentioned that it was only recently that I was able to appreciate it, as the Christmas special I watched every year as a child terrified me so much and rather traumatized me. My co-workers both emphatically agreed. It reignited my curiosity, as I haven't seen it since I was about ten or so, and I watched it this afternoon. As soon as I hit play, I remembered exactly why it had scared me so much -- parents being killed, a little boy being kidnapped by an evil man, a lamb almost dying... I read on some boards here some people rather belittling the opinion that the special can be disturbing for kids, so I just wanted to counterbalance it and say, yes, it can be disturbing, enough so that 15 years later I'm still transported back to being a child and being terrified of it. This isn't to say it's not a wonderful story, and that it does show the meaning of Christmas and adds a story to a beautiful song...but I definitely don't think it's appropriate for all children.

I love this Christmas special from Rankin/Bass. It has excellent performances by the Vienna Boy's choir. I found the music angelic and very touching; not to mention the narration by Greer Garson. I do remember watching it TV, but they don't show it anymore. But I was lucky to bought it on DVD. The show is about a boy and his "magic" drum, who hated people because his parents were killed and farm destroyed by bandits, and how he learned to love. Another thing that I love about Rankin/Bass is the memorable characters (like Aaron and his animal pals) and music too; I love the song "Why can't the Animals smile?" I found it was sad, when little Bubba the lamb got hit by a Roman chariot, until Aaron played his drum for the baby Jesus: the gift of song. It also that thought him a lesson about love andgenerosity.

I hadn't seen this in years and watched it recently since I now have the Christmas DVD collection. It never occurred to me until now, as an adult, that this brings out the true meaning of Christmas. It is such a simple story yet touched me in a way no other 'Christmas special' (as others are so loosely called) has. It puts Christ back into Christmas and as far as I'm concerned, and in that sense, it's the best special ever created. As an added bonus, the choir music is angelic and very touching. It is a shame that in this day and age, nothing comes close to stories like these any more. Our country is slowly and methodically being turned into a God-less society and it's quite apparent in the media. I hope many of us will take a stand again and return to the simple morals and values that were once mainstream.

There are other productions in the Rankin-Bass library that may be more endearing (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, foremost probably), but this one from 1968 has the most emotional punch, delivers the most goods in telling what Christmas is really about. Aaron, the titular drummer, wanders about the desert with a hate filled heart until circumstances guide him to the stable in Bethlehem, where lies in a manger the embodiment of love and hope. Ted Eccles voices Aaron, Jose Ferrer is Ben Haramed, June Foray and the eternal RB player Paul Frees are on hand and are all at the top of their game; and Greer Garson's narration is on-spot. The climax in Bethlehem is a heart-wrencher. This is the only animated film that can reduce me to tears. Santa? Rudolph? George Bailey? No sign of 'em--this is what Christmas is all about.