Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

Curt Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

rowell-michelle-r 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...)

TheLittleSongbird The Small One is so sweet and charming, that for instance it brought tears to my eyes with the boy being so tender towards Small One the Donkey. I love this, and think it is underrated, and I watch it every Christmas. The animation is beautiful, and just adds to the beauty of the film. The story was simple and gentle, demonstrating you can't have everything to meet your own needs, even if it means losing a friend. What made me cry as well as the relationship between the boy and Small One was the title song. So haunting and even heart-rending, with meaningful lyrics. I will say that I never was a fan of Sean Marshall's singing voice on Pete's Dragon, and while it was an improvement here, I still didn't like it that much. But compared to the overall beauty of the film, it is a minor criticism. I thought Small One was adorable, and I did feel angry that anyone would want to kill an innocent donkey. I loved the ending, the character of Joseph was so well-spoken, kind and sensitive, that it warmed my heart. Overall, a really sweet film. 9/10 Bethany Cox.

Atreyu_II The cover line «A new animation featurette destined to become a Disney Holiday Classic» suits perfectly on this Christmas tale. This short is considered an experiment, reuniting the talents of Don Bluth and the artists from the Walt Disney Company, as much as it is a quality Christian propaganda mini-film.It's a nice cartoon. The story is touching, the artwork is excellent, the animation is great and the whole thing runs on a perfect pace. But, back to the artwork, for those who are familiar with Disney's "Aladdin", the artwork here and even the sceneries give a certain "déjà vu" feeling.As for the characters, the boy looks almost identical to Mowgli from Disney's "The Jungle Book", but he's much better drawn and not as slim as Mowgli. Plus, this boy is kind and very humble, while Mowgli is stubborn and often challenging to deal with. Curiously, some of the animation of the boy is identical to Mowgli's.The donkey is precisely named Small One, which is ironic because he's such a large donkey. Big, yes, but as gentle as a lamb. The boy's father is a nice guy and Joseph (the donkey's buyer) is very kind.About the characters I don't like, they are obviously the guard, the tanner, the 3 merchants and the auctioneer. Curiously, the auctioneer almost looks like Stromboli from Disney's masterpiece "Pinocchio". But although I like Stromboli, I dislike the auctioneer.Our story takes place in Israel, outside of Nazareth. The story focus on the friendship between Small One and the boy, but also on the boy's attempt to sell the donkey for a piece of silver. They both live an awful day but the ending is happy. The donkey is sold to Joseph, who needs a gentle donkey to carry his wife Mary to Bethlehem. The ending has a strong magical feeling because of its excellent artwork and especially because of that sparkling big star.The voice cast does a good job, including Sean Marshall as the boy (which is obvious, because his laughter is very Pete-like). Sean Marshall was not only a very talented young actor, but also a wonderful singer. If there's any doubt about that, he is very good as Pete in "Pete's Dragon" and he sings beautifully in that movie. In "The Small One", he demonstrates again his acting skills (in this case, vocal) and sings very well either. I wonder what happened to him and where is he now.So, in conclusion, it's not an animated short without faults, but it's quite good and deserves more credit than it gets. It's really pitiful that such a trashy and gross movie like "Grease" has much more success, popularity and recognition than this nice little story (which came out in the same year of 1978).The number of animated shorts, animated films and even live-action films made by Walt Disney Company doesn't stop to surprise me. Anytime I think there won't be more or that even more would be impossible, I keep getting surprised.This should definitely be on Top 250.

MadoriaFen I am a person who is not usually moved by films, especially cartoons, but this one brings tears to my eyes even now as I write this review. I can remember watching it in fourth grade, bawling my eyes out, and I still cry every year when I watch it. It is a classic film that is a must-see for all ages. It transcends religion and is truly a story about friendship and sacrifice. The Small One is a film that can teach everyone its simple lesson.