Highly Unexpected Yet Delightful Surprise

My girlfriend and I just purchased the Mickey's Christmas Carol DVD online, looking to finally obtain a viable copy of that classic which I'd enjoyed very much in my youth, a simple, concise yet entertaining rendition of the tried and true Dickens Christmas Classic. It did not dissappoint on that endeavor and I got to indulge in some Christmas time nostalgia.

We then saw that there were 3 other shorts on the DVD, the next of which was The Small One. In all my many years of being an afficianodo of Christmas specials, I'd never heard of it, never seen it, never heard of anyone I know seeing it. We both kind of said "What the eff is this?" and decided to give it a watch (Mickey's Christmas Carol being much shorter than remembered). I was especially excited to see Don Bluth's name attached as Director, being a huge fan of "The Secret of NIMH", so encouraged, we delved into this tale.

30 minutes and a flood of tears later, we were both floored. As sweet and endearing as any tale, simple and nebulous enough to let the viewer fill in the gaps (the boy and his father's name are never mentioned), and an incredible plot twist at the end that ties into the truest spirit of Christmas which brought a great smile to my face at how clever and refreshing of a resolution to the tale was.

Contrary to other reviews and reports, this is one of the gentlest reminders of the religious foundations of the Christmas Holiday, never heavy handed nor sanctimonious. I am somewhat remiss that I'd never seen it before, something over 30 years in existence, but thrilled to have it in my library now. While a tearjerker because of the boy's having to say goodbye to his friend, its a good one to watch with kids to learn about sacrifice and separation and working towards a greater good, that goodbyes can be sad but at the same time rewarding in knowing a soul you care about is going on to do great things, the kind of goodbyes kids have to make as they grow up and see friends go to differing schools, college, work, the military, etc. Its just so simple yet so powerful, and one of the best pieces of animation I've had the privilege to see.