Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey is a 1977 Christmas animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. It premiered on ABC on December 3, 1977. The story is based on the 1975 song written by Gene Autry, Don Pfrimmer and Dave Burgess.
Plot Santa Claus's donkey Spieltoe details his duties at the North Pole and tours the stables in which his reindeer (including Rudolph) reside. Spieltoe also tells the story of Nestor, his ancestor who lived in a stable during the days of the Roman Empire.
Nestor is teased by other animals and mistreated by Olaf, the stable owner, for his unusually long ears. One night, when Roman soldiers come to the stable to buy donkeys, they dismiss Nestor as an imperfect misfit and leave him behind while taking all the other donkeys for free. Enraged, Olaf casts Nestor out into the frigid cold. Nestor's mother finds him and shields from the harsh weather with her own body, only to freeze to death as a result.
The next day, Nestor meets a cherub named Tilly, who says that they need to travel to Bethlehem. When they reach the outskirts of the town, Tilly returns to Heaven, instructing Nestor to wait. When Mary and Joseph are expecting Jesus, they take Nestor because of his "gentle eyes", but are caught in a sandstorm.
In the midst of the storm, Nestor hears Tilly's voice, but recognizes it as his mother's, and she tells him to follow the voices of the angels. Nestor guides Mary and Joseph through the storm while wrapping Mary in his ears to keep her warm. They arrive in Bethlehem to find the stable where Mary gives birth to Jesus. Nestor finds his way back to his home stable, where he is hailed as a hero by Olaf and the other animals.
Back in the present, Spieltoe, Santa, Mrs. Claus, Rudolph and his fellow reindeer, and the Christmas elves gather around the Christmas tree, which features a carving of Nestor. Tilly is briefly shown again as Nestor states "Merry Christmas".
Cast
Roger Miller as Spieltoe Erik Stern as Nestor Brenda Vaccaro as Tilly Paul Frees as: Olaf the Stable Owner A donkey dealer Santa Claus Linda Gary as Nestor's Mother Iris Rainer and Shelly Hines as Nestor's friends Don Messick as a Roman soldier Taryn Davies as Mary Harry Maurice Rosner as Joseph
Crew Produced and Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass Assistant Producer: Masaki Iizuka Written by Romeo Muller Based on the Song by Gene Autry, Don Pfrimmer and Dave Burgess Additional Music and Lyrics by Maury Laws and Jules Bass Design by Paul Coker, Jr. "Animagic" Supervisors: Akikazu Kono and Satoshi Fujino Sound Recorders: John Curcio and Joe Jorgensen Music Arranged and Conducted by Maury Laws
Production In addition to Akikazu Kono, this is Rankin/Bass' second and last "Animagic" stop motion puppet production to be supervised by another Japanese animator, Satoshi Fujino, who also previously worked on The Little Drummer Boy, Book II.
Home video The special was released in 2000 with The Year Without a Santa Claus. It was later included in The Complete Rankin/Bass Christmas Collection DVD in 2022 and Blu-ray in 2023.
See also List of Christmas films List of Rankin/Bass Productions films
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