Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey

TV Movie
1977
TV-G
30m

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

2.6K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

3,156

548

Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)

Stop Motion Animation Animation Drama Family Fantasy Musical

An outcast donkey in Roman era Judea with overlong ears finds his destiny on the way to Bethlehem.An outcast donkey in Roman era Judea with overlong ears finds his destiny on the way to Bethlehem.An outcast donkey in Roman era Judea with overlong ears finds his destiny on the way to Bethlehem.

Directors
- Jules Bass
- Arthur Rankin Jr.
Writer
- Romeo Muller
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

2.6K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

3,156

548

Directors
- Jules Bass
- Arthur Rankin Jr.
Writer
- Romeo Muller
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos21

+ 14

Top cast8

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Roger Miller

Speiltoe
(voice)
…

Brenda Vaccaro

Tilly
(voice)

Paul Frees

Santa Claus
(voice)
…

Don Messick

Roman Soldier
(voice)

Linda Gary

Nestor's Mother
(voice)

Iris Rainer

Young Donkeys
(voice)

Shelly Hines

Young Donkeys
(voice)

Eric Stern

Nestor
(voice)

Directors
- Jules Bass
- Arthur Rankin Jr.
Writer
- Romeo Muller
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Features multiple non-speaking cameos from characters from other Rankin-Bass specials, including Jingle, Jangle, and Mrs. Claus from The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), the Three Wise Men from The Little Drummer Boy (1968), and Rudolph from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) and other productions.

Goofs
The Roman guard pays Olaf the donkey dealer with a 20th-century American nickel. The nickel is upside-down and the viewer can see the outline of Thomas Jefferson's home "Monticello." However, the resolution of 1977-era television was poor compared to that of later decades. The signal was analog, there were no "flat screens," LCD panels or High Definition Television (HDTV) sets. The viewer watched TV on a cathode-ray tube (CRT) display. All this said, in 1977, the viewer would not have been able to discern that the coin was a U.S. nickel.

Quotes
Speiltoe: For Santa's donkey, it's sort of a night off. What? You never knew Santa had a donkey?

Connections
Featured in The Rifftrax Yule Log (2018)

Soundtracks
Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
Written by Gene Autry, Don Pfrimmer, and Dave Burgess
Performed by Roger Miller

User reviews43

Review

Featured review

Nice to see a movie with the true meaning of Christmas.

I had never even heard of Nestor The Long Eared Donkey until today. I was just about to change the channel when my wife came in and said we might as well watch it. She had never seen it either. It was a cute little story about a donkey who finds his entire existence hopeless until he is chosen by Mary and Joseph to carry Mary into Bethlehem. This is one of the few mainstream Christmas specials that actually acknowledges the birth of Christ, the true meaning of Christmas. That could very well be the reason it has gotten so little airplay over the years, networks fear it might be too religious. As a born again Christian, I was delighted to see it. The writing is not great, and the story of Nestor mirrors that of Rudolph a great deal. I agree with the previous reviewer that it might be much better if it were longer. It is a nice little Christmas story with good animation and can be enjoyed by the family during the holiday season.

John 3:16 ><>