Like the Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, The Little Drummer Boy Book 2 is another underrated Christmas Specials. It has it's flaws but it also is cute and is a sequel to the original Drummer Boy movie.
I prefer this one pretty much than the first because they have different voice actors voicing the king. In the original Little Drummer Boy, Paul Frees (a famous voice actor) voiced all three kings, Ali Ben Haramed's sidekick and Aaron's father
The film starts out with the Narrator voice by Greer Garson, The Little Drummer Boy named Aaron is approached by one of the kings who explains he has to travel to Jerusalem to seek out the bell ringer Simeon and tell him the news of the coming of a king. It is revealed Simeon made some bells out of silver just for that occasion.
Unfortunately Simeon looses the bells when the Roman soldiers arrive to collect his taxes. The leader Brutus takes the bells and leaves Simeon distraught.
Aaron and Casper arrive at Simeon's house and learn the bells have been stolen. They go out to search for it and stumble onto Brutus camp, Aaron tells Simeon and Casper he will go and distract the soldiers while his animal friends carry off the bells. After a hilarious song Money and then the reprise Brutus tells his henchman to start a fire and get the bells melted. The wood is all wet so Brutus takes Aaron's drum and two sticks and starts a fire with that.
If you didn't watch the original, Aaron's father and mother gave him that drum as a birthday present (it's thru a flashback) before they were killed by bandits who stole the family sheep. While Aaron weeps over the drum, Aaron's animal friends sneak into the camp and steal the bells back.
Of course Brutus finds out, but by then Aaron and the animals have escaped. The good guys hide the bells in sand dunes so the Roman soldiers can't find the bells. Later back in Jerusalem Simeon rings his bells and a song plays Do You Hear What I Hear. Aaron is gifted with another drum, which he uses to play with Simeon following him back to Bethlehem and he plays his drum to the baby Jesus.
Like the former, this is almost rarely played during the Christmas season, It's pretty sad they choose the original version compared to this. Whatever though. It's not my problem.
Check this classic out, it's on DVD on the Rankin Bass Holiday Favorites DVD with Pinocchio's Christmas, Leprechaun's Christmas Gold and The Stingiest Man In Town all three I will be reviewing this December
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