The Small One

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The Small One
Original one-sheet poster for The Small One
Directed by	Don Bluth
Produced by	Don Bluth Ron Miller
Written by	Charles Tazewell (book), Vance Gerry, Pete Young
Starring	Sean Marshall William Woodson Olan Soule Hal Smith Joe Higgins Gordon Jump
Music by	Robert F. Brunner Richard Rich
Studio	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	Buena Vista Distribution
Release date(s)	December 16, 1978

The Small One is a Christmas animated short film created by The Walt Disney Company and was originally released to theaters in the United States by Buena Vista Distribution on December 16, 1978, before the 1978 re-release of Pinocchio. It started off as a children's book, by Charles Tazewell, which became a popular radio story in the 1950s-60s. Looking for an experimental plot to create into a cartoon, Disney came upon the story and brought it to vivid life. It was an experiment for the newer and younger animators, including Don Bluth.

The short is a story of a young boy, outside of Nazareth, who must part with his best friend, an old donkey named Small One. He brings it to market, but no one is in need of a "scrawny donkey", save for a tanner. And when things look bleak, Small One leads his friend back to the tanner's, ready to give his life. But new hope comes along, in the form of a gentle man, who buys Small One for his blessed wife. It is often considered by some to be the Walt Disney Company's most religious based animated feature and possibly, the most poignant.

Plot summary

Long ago, there was a boy who lived outside of Nazareth. His father owned four donkeys. Three of these donkeys were young and strong. The fourth donkey was old and weak, but the boy loved him anyway. The old donkey's name was Small One. Everyday, the boy and the donkey would play together before they went to work, helping his father to collect firewood. The boy and his father took the four donkeys to work one morning, as they always did. Many times, the boy loaded Small One with small sticks, since Small One couldn't carry a heavy load unlike the other donkeys. Small One had trouble carrying stacks of small sticks and the boy helped carry them for him. That evening, the boy's father told the boy he had to sell Small One. Devastated, but understanding, the boy asked if he could be the one to sell his best friend. The father agreed and told him he had to sell him for one piece of silver. That night, the boy comforted Small One and promised to find him a gentle and loving master. The next morning, the boy took Small One to the market in Nazareth. In town, the boy could never be able to find a good home for Small One. Nobody wanted the weak animal except for the tanner who only wanted Small One for his skin. After a terrible day of failure, Small One led the boy back to the tanner's shop. As the boy wept, Small One tried to comfort him, knowing what awaited him inside the tanner's shop. Just as everything looked bleak, a kind man came up to the boy and asked if Small One was for sale. Friendly and kind, the man needed a gentle donkey to carry his pregnant wife. The boy sold the kind man his beloved donkey for a piece of silver and watched them make their way to Bethlehem, Mary, riding on Small One's back, Joseph, leading him away.

Characters

• The Small One: He is a gentle donkey past his prime. Long years of working hard have made him weak. Though he eats as much as the other donkeys, he cannot handle the same loads. His right ear never likes to stay straight up, giving him that "Disney cuteness" rating. He has strong feelings for the Boy and would give his life to help him, as he almost does at the tanner's.
• Boy: He is about ten years old, roughly. Although he takes care of all the donkeys, Small One is his favorite. When his father tells him to sell Small One, the boy is devastated. Soon he accepts it. Though he loves the donkey, he accepts what his father tells him. He reassures Small One will have a gentle and loving master and he does.
• Father: The boy's father is not seen much at all. He is the one who sends the boy to sell Small One. He loves his son and deep down, he loves Small One too, but he knows they cannot afford to keep a donkey that cannot carry a large load.
• Three Merchants: These three men, one tall and skinny, one medium and skinny, and the last short and round, walk around the marketplace taking money from people, "for the bank". They are the ones who point the boy to the auctioneer.
• Auctioneer: He auctions horses in the market. At first he is angered that the boy brings Small One onto the stage and slightly embarrasses him, but when the boy tells him what Small One can do, the man decides to have some fun. He mocks and almost injures Small One with his weight. But when Small One sees his best friend pushed aside, he regains his strength and throws the man off of his back. The auctioneer chases them away.
• The tanner: Obviously, he does not care for animal's lives, since he wants to make leather out of Small One.
• The three donkeys: Small One's barn mates. They seem jealous that the boy spends more time with Small One than them.
• Joseph: His name is never mentioned in the entirety of the film, but you can pretty much guess that it is him who buys Small One in the end. The line "I need a gentle donkey to carry my wife to Bethlehem" says it all.
• Mary: You only see the silhouette of her riding on Small One, with Joseph leading him away, towards Bethlehem.

Film Credits

• Story Adaptation: Peter Young, Vance Gerry
• With the Voice Talents of Sean Marshall, William Woodson, Olan Soule, Hal Smith, Joe Higgins, Gordon Jump
• Supervising Animators: John Pomeroy, Gary Goldman, Ron Clements, Cliff Nordberg
• Animators: Lorna Pomeroy, Heidi Guedel, Linda Miller, Emily Jiuliano, Jerry Rees, Bill Hajee, Chuck Harvey, Ron Husband
• Effects Animators: Ted C. Kierscey, Dorse A. Lanpher
• Assistant Animation Supervisor: Walt Stanchfield
• Assistant Animators: Dan Kuenster, Skip Jones, Dave Spafford, Kevin Wurzer, Vera Lanpher, Bill Berg, Tom Ferriter, John Musker, Dave Suding, Chuck Williams, Leroy Cross, David Molina, Terry Shakespeare
• Layout: Dan Hansen, Sylvia Roemer
• Backgrounds: Jim Coleman, Daniela Bielecka
• Ink and Paint Supervisor: Becky Fallberg
• Film and Sound Editing: James Melton
• Music Editor: Evelyn Kennedy
• Production Manager: Don Duckwall
• Assistant Director: Richard Rich
• Music Composed and Conducted by Robert F. Brunner
• Executive Producer: Ron Miller
• Produced and Directed by Don Bluth

Walt Disney's Classic Cartoon Favorites: Volume 9 - Classic Holiday Stories DVD cover

DVD release

On September 27, 2005, Disney released this short for the first time on Region 1 DVD on Volume 9 of the Walt Disney's Classic Cartoon Favorites line, titled Classic Holiday Stories. This DVD also featured Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) and Pluto's Christmas Tree (1952). The DVD is edited in two places:

• The star at the end has been given more lines to look less like a cross.
• The song the three merchants sing has had a lyrics change. The lyric "We never, never fail when we go to make a sale, we simply cheat a little if we must" was changed to "We never, never fail when we go to make a sale, we just work a little harder if we must." The reason for these edits is not known; but it may have to do with the merchants being "Jewish" stereotypes.

This short is also scheduled to be released on Walt Disney Animated Classics: Vol. 7: Mickey's Christmas Carol. This is scheduled to be released on September 29, 2009.

External links

• The Small One at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• "The Small One" at The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts
• The Small One DVD Review at UltimateDisney.com
• Detailed Info on The Small One including Don Bluth's involvement
• The Small One at the Internet Movie Database