Seizing his chance, Ben greedily attempts to perform for the Magi Melchior, Casper, and Balthazar, but they are uninterested as they try to make haste to get to the star's destination.

Later Aaron and his two remaining animal companions Samson and Baba escape, climb the tallest hill and join up with the Magi as they follow the star and then journey toward Bethlehem.

The site's critical consensus reads: "The Little Drummer Boy is a mature addition to the Rankin-Bass catalogue, with a powerful conclusion that compensates for the special's dour storytelling and unpolished animation.

[4] In 1998, a restoration of The Little Drummer Boy by the company Classic Media was hindered because the film's original 35mm negative went missing, according to Rankin/Bass historian Rick Goldschmidt.

[7] In this sequel, written by Jules Bass (under the pseudonym Julian P. Gardner), Aaron and his animal friends team up with Melchior, one of the Magi, to protect silver bells, made to ring for Christ's arrival, from a band of greedy Roman soldiers.received a rare approval rating of 0% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on thirteen reviews.

The site's critical consensus reads: "The Little Drummer Boy, Book II is even more adolescent than its predecessor, with one of the most dire problems in writing, and the animation is way inferior.