The Small One (1978)

Great Film overall

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM HONESTWe all grew up loving all the Rankin-Bass Christmas Cartoons. Every year I still love to watch "Rudolf" "Santa Claus in Coming to Town", "Frosty the Snowman" as well "The Grinch". Well here is a lesser known Animated Christmas Cartoon that in reality is a true "Christmas Story"In this special Outside of the city of Nazareth, a young boy and his father own four donkeys. Three of these donkeys are young and strong. The fourth donkey, Small One, is old and weak, but the boy loves him anyway. Every day, the boy and the donkey play together before they go to work, helping the boy's father to collect wood.The boy and his father take the donkeys to work one morning, as they always do. Many times, the boy loads Small One with small sticks, since Small One can't carry heavy loads any more. Small One even has trouble carrying stacks of small sticks and the boy helps to carry them for him.That evening, the boy's father tells the boy that he has to sell Small One. Devastated, but understanding, the boy asks if he can be the one to sell his best friend. The father agrees and tells him that he has to sell him for one piece of silver. That night, the boy comforts Small One and promises to find him a gentle and loving master.The next morning, the boy takes Small One to the market in Nazareth. Unfortunately, nobody wants an old weak donkey but the tanner, and he only wants to kill Small One to make leather out of his hide. After failing to find another buyer, the boy and his donkey return to the tanner's shop. The boy weeps, and Small One, accepting his fate under the tanner's knife, tenderly consoles the boy.Don't worry there is a very happy ending. This should be seen by everyone. The makers of this should be proud. There is not a false note in this.

This little Disney movie is advertised as a holiday classic, but a person who does not know the Christian story will probably not notice the connection to the traditional tale. Even for those who know the story, it is not clear until the end how it connects.The animation is well-done, and there are many nods toward the complexity of life. The young boy looks just like Mowgli, of "The Jungle Book," but has a completely different mien (and personality). He is loving and caring, especially toward an old donkey that has outlived his usefulness in the family business.There is a change I noticed in one of the songs from the original version on VHS to the DVD version. Where crooked bankers sang, "We simply cheat a little if we must!" on the VHS version, it has been changed to "We work a little harder if we must!" on the DVD version. (I prefer the original...)

I watched this cartoon on Video and I loved it. I'm serious, this is a really great cartoon! This cartoon is a story about a boy and his donkey named Small One. After Small One was unable to carry a load of sticks, the boy's father decides that his son should sell Small One for a piece of silver. Although the boy and Small One try to find a new owner for the donkey, nobody wants the poor donkey. Small One nearly gave up his life for the boy(Small One was almost sold to a tanner and nearly gets crushed like a grape by a rather sinister auctioneer). However, in the end, Small One was given to a kind man whose wife is ill(or something like that). That was one ending I'll never forget. The theme song makes me want to cry. Why? Because it was beautiful. Don Bluth, who was behind Dragon's Lair and Space Ace, not only directed this cartoon, but he also wrote the lyrics of the theme song. Perfect for the holidays, "The Small One" is a cartoon you'll neither forget nor regret watching. A grade-A holiday classic!

The cover clearly states Holiday Classic. I just wanted to say that if you don't want to see so called "Christian Propaganda", then why are you watching Christmas movies? The whole point of Christmas is based on the Christian religion anyway. So worrying about whether a Christmas movie has Christian context is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. I am not saying that there is anything wrong with having different religious veiws but if you are involving yourself with subject matter based on certain things, why question why those things are evident in the subject? I am sorry to be so negative in my post but it irritates me to hear someone delve into something that makes no sense. It is a good movie that highlights the reason we celebrate the season.