The Little Brown Burro (1978 TV Movie) User Reviews

Another Cartoon about the Donkey

[Christmas-Reviewer · 7/10 · 29 April 2017]

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 . I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.

There is 3 cartoons that tell the story of the donkey that carried Mary to Bethlehem. There is "Nestor the Long Ear Christmas Donkey", The Small One: and now "The Little Brown Burro"

This is not the best of the three but "Christmas Burro" is still worth watching. The Little Brown Burro (also sometimes titled The Little Christmas Burro on DVD releases) is a 1978 animated television special. It tells the story of the little burro who was chosen to carry Mary to Bethlehem, where she would give birth to Jesus.

There is tons of Christmas cartoons and this is one of the better ones. Family safe. The hidden message in this film is "All of us want to matter". Not to be missed.

Wow, What a greatly written story (spoilers)

[christmasdonkeyemail · 8/10 · 13 February 2008]

Even though Nestor and Small One made it to DVD's they couldn't stop the story that might as well connect them. A very small donkey finds he is unwanted in the world and runs from place to place searching for a home. After meeting a mouse they venture together and become part of a carrying party. The young donkey then is sold to someone who tries to sell him for higher price, but doesn't succeed. The small burro is sold at the market to Joseph who takes him home but then takes him on the journey that will soon be the first Christmas.

My rating is 8. The story could've been longer but is still great. Now I need to watch the three over. Nestor, The Small One, and The little brown burro.

So which donkey was it? I MUST know!

[BachOmega · 6/10 · 22 December 2007]

This cartoon is seen in compilation DVDs and videos of public domain Christmas cartoons, sometimes under the alternate title of "The Little Christmas Burro" (for some reason, IMDb wouldn't let me add that information). Like the commenter below said, it's the cute story of a little donkey who's too small to do any work and is made fun of by the other animals. Cold and rejected, he is finally sold to a kind man (Joseph) who needs a gentle donkey to carry his pregnant wife Mary to Bethlehem.

I think I would have enjoyed this cartoon more if I hadn't seen two other Christmas specials with the exact same premise first, namely "Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey" (Rankin/Bass, 1977) and "The Small One" (Disney, 1978). Considering this special was made in 1978, I guess the late 1970s were a popular time for Nativity donkeys. So which donkey WAS it?! The little brown burro, Nestor, or Small One?! ;) Anyway, as cute as this special is, those two have it beat for sheer tear-jerking and better songs. I suggest you check out and compare all of them.

Movie Info

[lord_voldemort_rules · 10/10 · 2 December 2006]

The Little Brown Burro a.k.a. The Little Christmas Burro is a wonderfully touching tale about the struggles of a small donkey who finds his place in the world and makes a great contribution to history. Narration by Lorne Greene adds just the right touch to this adorable Christmas legend. I own a copy of it on DVD and I watch it every year with my nieces and they really get to understand how it was for the donkey that carried Mary through the desert to the City of David so she could have her child. I think that if more people could see this movie they would agree that it is a true Christmas Classic and it really helps young children know more about the Christmas Story. It is nice to see that the cartoons that I grew up with as a child is now being brought out on DVD.

Sweet and beautiful Christmas classic

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 25 February 2011]

I am very fond of anything Christmassy, and The Little Brown Burro fits the bill perfectly. It is a little too short perhaps, but it is sweet, beautiful and heart-warming.

The animation is very nice especially in the backgrounds, there is nothing groundbreaking, but it doesn't try to be and it didn't need to be either. The music is good too, with beautiful incidental music and sweet songs.

The writing is strong and never loses focus, the pace is spot on and the characters are engaging especially The Little Brown Burro who is adorable and never fails to warm my heart. And the voice acting particularly from Lorne Greene is sensitive and ideal. What really wowed me over though was the story, it is such a beautifully written and heart-warming one and made me feel warm and cuddly inside.

All in all, a sweet and beautiful classic. If you love this, I also recommend The Small One and especially Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey, both have beautiful stories and characters and are very touching emotionally, just like The Little Brown Burro. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Perfect for Christmas

[didi-5 · 17 December 2009]

This cartoon, also known as The Little Christmas Burro, is about a small and weak little donkey who nobody wants - that is until a mysterious stranger about to travel on a long journey finds a piece of silver.

Given that a child is born in a stable at the end of this cartoon, you can guess who the stranger was - but this cartoon is beautifully done, with good narration by Lorne Greene from Bonanza.

This story of an almost Disneyesque burro, with songs, has all the elements you would expect over a 25 minute running time, including a comedy sidekick character - in this case, one who hates water. The burro himself is adorable and this cartoon is watchable, if not groundbreaking.