The Little Drummer Boy, Book II

The Little Drummer Boy, Book II is a 1974 Rankin/Bass Christmas special. It is the sequel to the 1968 special The Little Drummer Boy. As of 2011, it has yet to be released on DVD, but it airs annually during the Christmas season on ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas.

Synopsis
The special picks up where The Little Drummer Boy left off-- at the little stable in Bethlehem, shortly after the birth of Jesus. Melchior, one of the three kings from the first movie, invites Aaron to travel with him to see his friend, an elderly bell-maker named Simeon who plans to make a very special set of silver bells to honour the birth of Jesus.

Meanwhile, a group of tax collectors-- led by Brutus and his dimwitted lackey, Plato-- break into Simeon's home. Simeon cannot pay his tax, so to compensate, the tax collectors decide to take the silver bells.

Melchior, along with Aaron and his animals, arrives shortly thereafter, and they all take off to the tax collectors' camp, planning to take back the silver bells. However, this proves to be one of the most challenging tasks Aaron has ever faced-- and things are soon to get ugly when the tax collectors have their eye on Aaron's beloved drum.

Songs

 * The Little Drummer Boy
 * Money, Money, Money
 * Do You Hear What I Hear?

Trivia

 * This is the only Rankin/Bass special to receive an Emmy nomination.
 * This is the only Rankin/Bass sequel that does not involve Rudolph or Frosty.
 * The characters Brutus and Plato bear similarities to Ben Haramed and Ali, from the first movie. Ben and Brutus both harboured a thirst for money that caused much of the conflict in both specials; Ali and Plato both played the role of the 'idiot lackey', and both were called "fools" by Ben and Brutus, respectively.
 * The ominous background music during the scene where the tax collectors break into Simeon's house was later recycled in The Story of the First Christmas Snow for the scene where Lucas is searching for his sheep in the woods.