There are some things that I think get kind of lost in the track of memory or time. This time I want to talk about a Disney animated special called "The Small One" , I've kind of wanted to talk about this special for sometime, I never got to it though. I found out that this year is it's 40th anniversary , so I thought this would be a good time talk about it. The special comes from a book of the same name and was dircted by Don Bluth. It came out as a short with Pinocchio when that movie was re-released in theaters (something done before home sales were a thing). Here's our look at this special.
It's a 26 minute in length special meaning that people most likely watched this while waiting to see "Pinocchio" (imagine that). It takes place in countryside near Nazareth during biblical times of course. There's a donkey named Small One, who is beloved by a boy named , uhh, Boy. Small One is getting older and weaker and past what his purpose is at a farm that needs donkeys for plowing and etc. There's a montage of the father noticing this about Small One, especially when Boy chooses do some of the donkey's work. His father tells him that Small One can't do work enough to pay of his food so, it's time to sell him.
A Boy and his donkey , to be separated by circumstance /Copyright Disney
That brings us the main plot of the special. Boy is unhappy that Small One has to go. Boy decides that he should be the one to take him, his father says yes but he has to be sold. Boy promises that he will find Small One a good , gentle, and kind owner. The next day, they set out to the city to see who wants a donkey. The city guard recommends someone who turns out to be a tanner meaning that he wouldn't want S.O as a friend. They have to go find someone else who doesn't want to make the donkey into a car seat, or whatever people did with leather then. Another montage of people not really wanting the donkey.
Does it look like I want a Donkey?/ Copyright Disney
Oh there's some music in the special as well. One song is Boy telling Small One that he'll find a kind gentle owner. Also, a song with some merchants or whatever who cut a long a song with Boy singing "Small One for Sale". I think they help him by saying he should go the auctioneer instead. This doesn't help because nobody wants the scrawny donkey and also not a horse. The auctioneer decides to spend his time making fun of the donkey and keeps pulling his tail but when he pushes Boy the donkey gets angry and pushes the auctioneer of the platform.
You mess with the small one, you get kicked by the donkey/Copyright Disney
While the two of them spend their time dejected a man talks to him. The man offers him a coin and promises that he will have a good home. Boy and Small One part their ways and the man takes him. The purpose the man has for the donkey is to take his wife to Bethlehem. It ends with a shot of the famous Christmas star.
You could probably presume that the man was Joseph and his wife would be Mary.
I don't why this special really hasn't been 'loved' by Disney. Now, first there are ways to get this you can buy it on prime video (when this post was written) and some other streaming formats. Maybe Disney will put it on their own service when that comes out. (This is really going to date this post) They have it on "Mickey's Christmas Carol" DVD as well. It hasn't aired on TV though, in the United States not on Disney Channel, Freeform, Disney XD, Disney Junior, ABC , Toon Disney (when that existed), Soap net (when that existed) , anywhere. I don't now why really. Before someone says well it's relgious, I would like to add that Freeform has aired Rankin Bass' "Nestor, the Long-Eared ,Christmas Donkey" which has a similar story about a donkey that end up being Mary's riding donkey. They have also aired "The Little Drummer Boy" which also has a religious tone to it.
I think this special , I think it paces pretty well. I can feel the boy's pain and struggle when he's trying to figure out the right person for Small One, you can see that he's trying hard to see if he can help. He wasn't being immature trying to keep the donkey he understood that since the farm uses donkeys as work animals for their lively-hood he knew he had to give him up. He also could have just given his donkey to the first person but, he really felt that Small One deserves something better I think that his decision to do the hard thing both times really shows something in his character. I do tear up at the end watching when the two of them separate.
That's our lookback , tune in next time when we find a Christmas special that has a boy having to give up his cow for the greater good.
