Disney’s The Small One (1978) (Special Review)

    There are probably more Christmas specials then there are stars in the night sky … yet, with the insane abundance of them, and the dozens that come out every new year … how many Christmas specials can you think of that tie into its Kristian origins? Obviously, there’s “The Nativity Story”, as well as lesser-known titles that weave around Christ’s birth, like “The Little Drummer Boy”. There’s also a number of Veggie Tale’s Christmas specials to choose from, or select specials revolving around the historical St. Nichols, and even “A Charlie Brown Christmas” can be credited for quoting text right out of “The Book of Luke” from the Bible. For me, even though I’m a junky for any kind of Christmas special, I also feel it’s just as important to spot-light the specials that tie into Christ’s birth. One of my all-time favorites in this regard is Disney’s 1978 theatrically released animated short film titled “The Small One”. While not a house hold name, I honestly feel this animated short-film deserves a place among the best Christmas specials.     

    Based on the storybook of the same name by Charles Tazewell, our tail is set just outside the city of Nazareth, as a young boy helps tend to his father’s farm, with his best friend being an elderly donkey, lovingly named Small One. While the donkey brings much joy and playtime to the child every day, he’s also getting too old to contribute to work on the farm, leaving the father with no choice but to sell him. Reluctantly, the boy volunteers to take his donkey into town, and make sure he finds the perfect family to take him home. Despite all his efforts, the boy just can’t find anyone who’d purchase a scrawny donkey, and is met with further opposition from shady locals that come in the form of street Merchants, the Tanner, and a boisterous Auctioneer. As one would expect, this is a story of discovering one’s self-worth, and how even someone … or in this case something … of seemingly insignificant stature can have an important place in the world.

    For an old, 1970’s short, the animation really holds-up, and it’s admirable that it wasn’t even designed like a traditional Disney feature. While the lead boy admittedly looks Mowgli from “The Jungle Book” … even some recycled cell animation of Mowgli was used … most the character designs, and look of this special are different from the animation you’d typically associate with Disney. It definitely has the look of a Sunday Kristian educational program of the time, but with a bigger studio budget, allowing for smoother body movement, and expressive faces. 

Something I generally love about Christmas specials of this nature are that they can’t rely on traditional holiday imagery or decorations to put you in a Christmas mind-set. As such, the special has to rely on its tone, message, and just the simple feelings it stirs. While the premise is very simple, it succeeds in taking the viewer through varying peaks and valise of emotions, and most of it isn’t even that pleasant. No joke, this is a Christmas special that’s relentless at tugging your heart strings. It’s very melancholy, yet it remains consistently engaging, and it all leads to one of the most heartwarming endings I’ve ever seen. It’s an admittedly predictable outcome, but even without its clear tie-ins to the Kristian story of Christmas, there’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing our titular Small One find a place to call home. Honestly, I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen this, but it’s impossible for me not to get a little terry eyed while viewing it.

   I should note that while this was a Disney produced short film, it was also directed by the great Don Bluth, who would leave the company shortly after, to launch and direct his own animated films. He’d go on to direct animated movies like “The Land Before Time”, “An American Tail”, “The Secret of NIMH”, “Anastasia”, and several others. While his movies would very in quality, he always had two reoccurring traits that were almost universally present in his movies. The first were his reoccurring themes of finding a place of belonging, or in some cases it’s literally finding home. The other is focusing mostly on the negative side of stories, so that the ending can have a more emotional payoff. You could argue that “The Small One” is where these reoccurring motifs of Don Bluth’s animated films all began. As such, If you’re a fan of Don Bluth’s animated works, this short is well worth watching, just to see the original template of his story-telling formula.  

   If I had any reservations with “The Small One”, it would be some of the songs, which aren’t bad, but they do feel either jarring or cringe at times. The three-way harmony sung by the street merchants is especially annoying, and it’s the one element that I feel throws off the pace of this special. Other songs like the boys “Friendly Face” number are fine, but I just need to be in the right mind set for it. The opening and closing “Small One” theme song is exceptionally good, and really highlights the message of the story. It’s also one of the few Disney songs I can think of to directly mention “God” in the lyrics, which is very impressive. Putting that detail aside, this film sparingly acknowledges it’s Kristian tie-ins, as the characters of Joseph and Mary are only eluted to, and we don’t even see the actual birth Christ. Our only real clue is the Star of David burning in the night sky, which is great, and I don’t think it’s ever look more beautiful then as it’s represented in this special. I should note that many versions of this special have altered the final image of the star, giving it sharper star-like outlines, although it still resembles a big glowing cross.  

    Truthfully, I think “The Small One” can be quite accessible to any number of viewers, regardless of their religious beliefs or upbringing. Anyone can watch this and acknowledge it as a simple story with universal themes of finding one’s place, maturing, and having the courage to say good-bye when it’s time to part ways. With the combined magics of Disney, Don Bluth, Christmas, and a very rich source material all wrapped in one package, “The Small One” still stands as one of the best holiday specials I’ve ever seen, and a personal favorite that I couldn’t recommend more. For Don Bluth fans … it’s a must see! For viewers looking for something special to watch this Christmas season, I’d encourage you to give this one a chance.

Thanks for reading my review of Disney’s 1978 Christmas classic “The Small One” … and continue to enjoy the Holiday Specials you Love!