The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold (1981 TV Movie) User Reviews

Slightly Overdone

[Christmas-Reviewer · 6/10 · 11 July 2019]

Review Date 7/11/2019

I have Reviewed OVER 500 "Christmas Films Christmas Television show episodes and Television Specials". Please BEWARE Of films and specials with just one review! For instance When "It's a POSITIVE" chances are that the reviewer was involved with the production. "If its Negative" then they may have a grudge against the film for whatever reason. I am fare about these films. I am on a mission to watch every Christmas Movie ever made. Since 2014 I average 100 a year.

I never heard of this until it was included in a dvd set I bought that had "Year Without a Santa Claus" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas".

In this film a sailor in search of a Christmas tree, lands on a mysterious, uncharted Irish island where he accidentally releases a bad-tempered banshee from her pinetree prison. Leprechaun Blarney Kilakilarney knows that in order to survive, the banshee will try to swipe his clan's pot of Christmas gold. With some magical assistance from Lord Patrick, the king of the wee folk, the sailor and Blarney make a plan to outwit the gold-hungry hag before Christmas morning dawns.

More plot than needed. This cartoon to me was most likely going to be an hour but for some reason the producers went to a 30 minute version. The story is okay but in reality there is not a since of awe and wonder that you come to expect from Rankin/Bass.

Leprechauns, Gold, and Christmas Oh My!

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 8 December 2018]

Simple cabin boy Dinty Doyle is sent by his captain to retrieve a pine tree for Christmas on an uncharted island. He discovers that it's populated by leprechauns. He's the first human on Tralee in two centuries. When he digs up the tree, he unleashes a banshee named Old Mag the Hag. She needs the leprechauns' gold before Christmas. After a storm, Dinty follows a rainbow to a cave of gold guarded by Blarney Kilakilarney.

This is another Rankin/Bass stop-motion animated Christmas special. It goes too far trying to connect Christmas with leprechauns. Who knows if this is some kind of Irish folklore but it doesn't connect. The stop-motion still has its charms but the plot is bland. It's more exposition than thrilling adventure. I wonder if somebody pulled leprechauns out of a hat.

Much better if thought of as a St Patty's Day special

[josephbrando · 7/10 · 28 March 2019]

This odd little special from Rankin/Bass mixes a little Christmas in with a bunch of Irish shenanigans! Though filmed in the same stop-motion puppet animation style of their classics "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus Is Comin To Town", this feels entirely different in tone from those snow-covered merry escapades. Gold and shamrock green colors burst from the screen in a cute little story on an Emerald Isle involving leprechauns, banshees and gold - the Christmas part really just seems like an afterthought. But it's still got that great R/B style with charming set designs, cute puppet characters and bouncy happy music. So, with the wealth of other holiday options from Rankin/Bass, why not save this one for March when it will bring out the merriment of that season, as the others do for Christmas.

an ugly little Christmas special

[CineMage · 6 November 2003]

**DEFINITE SPOILERS AHEAD**

A few people have mistakenly claimed that this ugly little Christmas special reminds them of Irish folktales. Having taught such folklore as a university professor, I can reassure people that this story with its shallow references to good and evil is nothing like the authentic tales, and any genuine fan of Irish and/or Celtic stories and myth will be disappointed by it -- and more than likely offended by the cod Irish "begora" stereotypes (despite affection for the voice actors themselves).

The tale centers on a stereotypically-Irish leprechaun whose life is centered around his hoard of gold. The most important of his gold is his Christmas gold, gold made on or for Christmas. A banshee needs to obtain his Christmas gold in order to keep from dissolving into salty tears or seafoam, i.e. dying.

In almost every other Rankin/Bass specials, so-called monsters are dealt with in a fashion befitting the Christmas season: redemption. The Abominable Snow Monster, Eon the Terrible, The Winter Warlock, et al. are brought to redemption despite their original status as 'monster', but not in this tale. The Banshee does nothing halfway as horrific as the Snow Monster's efforts to eat Rudolph's mother or Eon's kidnapping of an infant; outside of her trickery in her effort to save her life by obtaining his gold, no reason is given for labeling The Banshee as 'monster'. Yet the leprechaun in this tale has no interest in redemption, only in destruction.

Rather than charitably sacrificing his gold as a life-giving measure of Christian generosity, the leprechaun keeps it to himself for no other reason given than *because* *it* *is* *his* -- even knowing this selfishness will cost the banshee her life.

It takes a spell to get him to overcome his greed enough to give away anything he owns, and even then he manages to arrange things such that the banshee dies.

A Christmas tale which valorizes greed, selfishness, and a self-righteous enjoyment in seeing one's opponent die? This is a far cry from the moral underpinnings of "Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman" and other Rankin/Bass Christmas specials!

Rankin/Bass has produced a plethora of delightful children's specials with genuine heart, but this is one of the two worst Rankin/Bass specials made (the other being "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus").

A Wee Christmas Miracle.

[ExplorerDS6789 · 7/10 · 5 December 2013]

Did you know the leprechauns celebrate the Christmas season too? No? Well, laddy, do pull up a shamrock and open your ears as Blarney Kilakilarney tells us the tale of how they brought Christmas gold back to the Emerald Isle. It was all thanks to a man named Dinty Doyle, a good-natured young cabin boy on the good ship Belle of Erin. Before they set sail home to Dublin on this fine Christmas Eve day, the captain wanted a Christmas tree on the ship, so he sends Doyle to a nearby uncharted island, on which he spots a pine tree, and tells him to dig it up. Unfortunately, Doyle discovers the hard way that one cannot pull up a tree with his bare hands. However, he was determined to prove that theory wrong. From nearby, a group of leprechauns spot him, knowing the dangers that await should he unearth that tree. Tis true, for when Doyle finally pulls out the tree, he unleashes an unholy banshee who casts a violent storm over the land. Suddenly, a rainbow appears in the sky. Doyle follows it to the end, to reveal a treasure in gold hidden beneath a patch of clovers. Begorrah, it be the leprechauns' gold! Guarding it was ol' Blarney himself, but when he sees Doyle didn't mean him any harm, he tells him a tale about his clan, the Kilakilarneys and how he hasn't spoken to them in over a century. So, our story within a story commences.

Blarney and the missus were a happy couple, living amongst the other wee people who spent their time mining gold, buildin' shoes and growin' potatoes. There was one big problem, however, as their gold attracted rainbows, and where there rainbows, there were evil banshees, such as Old Mag. These were deceitful creatures who could change their appearances at a whim, but could always be spotted by the tears that were always flowing down their cheeks. Apparently, Old Mag has to get gold every Christmas Eve or...she melts away, or something. She can't steal it, as it only counts if it's given freely. So, Mag gets to Blarney's wife and convinces her to tell Blarney to give away his gold. He tells her she was bamboozled by the banshee, but she doesn't listen. They have a great big fight, and both declare their marriage kaput. Blarney next found himself to be the only gold miner left, as the others had become shoemakers. Oh...no? Mag corners him and demands the gold, when suddenly there was a violent earthquake that shook their patch of land right off of Ireland, thus making it its own little island. What to do about that pesky banshee? The Lord of the Leprechauns saves the day by convincing the banshee to show him how she can turn into tears. Yes, apparently banshees are made of tears and if they don't get gold on Christmas, they turn back into tears. What you be smokin' there in that pipe there, Blarney? However, the ruse worked. Rookie mistake, Old Mag. She turns to water and sinks in a hole, into which Blarney plants a pine cone, and from that pine cone, a pine tree did grow. So now all was well...until some bumbler dug up the tree and freed the banshee! Old Mag spikes Blarney's tea to make him turn over his gold to her, but she underestimated the wee man's intelligence, and so he gives the gold to Doyle. Old Mag vows vengeance. Well, Doyle may be rich, but he's up to his haunches in bad luck, for his rowboat was missing, stranding him on the island, and he meets a shipwrecked lass, all alone on the beach. She convinces him to give the gold to her so she can have the leprechauns build them a ship. He falls for it like a ton of bricks, for this is no lass. It's the banshee! As a way of thanking the stalwart lad, she puts him to sleep for 100 years. What happens next is nothing short of a miracle: Blarney and his wife make amends and love each other again, thus casting a magic rainbow in the sky that awakens Doyle, and just as Old Mag tries to claim her ill-gotten gains, the sun rises. She turns back to tears and is washed away by the tide. What's more, the Belle of Erin is right there on the shore! So Doyle and all of his new friends, all their gold and all their shoes set sail for Ireland. I wonder how he convinced the captain to bring on all that extra cargo? Probably just had to say "gold" and he was sold.

This was one of the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials I hadn't seen before, so I decided to sit down and watch it all the way through for the first time, and I thought it was pretty good. Not as memorable as Rudolph or Frosty or the Miser Brothers, but it's still pretty decent. A few good songs and a good story. Art Carney is our storyteller and he was very good as Blarney Kilakilarney. So, again, not one of RB's best, and it came out in the era where they were really winding down. The following special, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus in 1985 was their last. I guess they figured they'd told all the good Christmas stories by then and decided to stop while they were ahead. This Christmas, I suggest you check out The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold, it be an entertaining ride for all people, wee and big alike.

Christmas in Ireland

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 17 December 2015]

In this 25-minute short film from the holidays almost 35 years ago, you don't get any snow, but you get lots of green fields, funny little gnomes, not so funny evil creatures and lots of gold. "The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold" is another Rankin/Bass movie and writer Romeo muller should also be known to animation lovers for his contributions to Christmas-themed films. I thought the movements in here were sometimes a bit abrupt and this film did not flow as smoothly as I hoped, but it's still a decent watch. The story is okay and the animation is as well once you got used to the style. And it's also maybe worth a watch for being pretty different compared to other Christmas cartoons from around that era. Actually, you can watch this one very nicely in the other months of the year too. I recommend it. No greatness, but solid from start to finish, liked the Irish accents too.

Not as terrible as I expected, but my least favourite of the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials

[TheLittleSongbird · 4/10 · 1 February 2013]

I say this not because I dislike the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials- I actually love them- but because when people talk about the specials(on IMDb and off) The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold has often been described as their worst. While there is a few I still have to re-watch and while it is not as terrible as others have said, I do have to agree that generally The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold is a lesser effort of theirs. Of course it has its redeeming qualities. I do think the visuals, a mix of conventional animation and stop-motion puppetry, are terrific, with great detail and some good atmosphere. The music is not the most inspired of the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials there is(overall Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer has the best songs), but the scoring has some nice amounts of whimsy and the songs are memorable particularly Christmas in Killarney. Golden Gold of Ireland is also quite rousing. Art Carney does a wonderful job also as Blarney, joining the vast list of big Hollywood names filling the narrator roles for a Rankin/Bass Christmas special. Where The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold doesn't score so favourably is in the story. I do think the length was far too short to begin with, but as well as feeling rushed the whole time, the story does suffer from trying to cram in too much, under-developing what's there and from a lack of heart, feeling too mean-spirited sometimes. While I admired the animation, the camera shot quality on occasions doesn't give us enough time to breathe and really take in what we're seeing. The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold does have some of the least inspired writing of the specials, it lacks the poignancy of Little Drummer Boy, the charm of Frosty the Snowman and the wit of Santa Claus is Coming to Town, in short it just felt too bland and drab. The characters didn't engage me, the banshee is unbearably annoying and the leprechauns are characterised in a very stereotypical and potentially offensive way. Of the voice acting, only Carney really makes an impression, the others don't really distinguish themselves. Overall, didn't hate it but for Rankin/Bass an unfortunate disappointment. A fellow Rankin/Bass fan said that St Patricks Day and Christmas don't mix together and after seeing The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold I can see where he was coming from. 4/10 Bethany Cox

A bad movie Christmas classic for me!

[debotoys · 9/10 · 17 December 2022]

I agree with many of the other reviews, if you're looking for something up to the quality of other Rankin bass classics this is not the special for you. However, as a lover of bad media, this short TV special has become something I watch every year. Firstly, it's only 25 minutes so it doesn't overstay its welcome. For one thing, the Christmas aspect of this special is completely tacked on and unnecessary. Secondly, the main character is an absolute idiot and causes every problem in this special and doesn't solve any of them. Third, the villain banshee is a whiny hag, who none of her plans work. I won't spoil the ending but it's also weird and entertaining. If you're looking for a so-bad-it's-good Christmas special... this is the best I've found.

What a load of crap

[rdoyle29 · 4/10 · 23 August 2017]

A young Irish sailor sees a fir tree growing on an island and goes ashore to retrieve it and use it as a Christmas tree. When he digs it up, he frees a banshee that was trapped under it. He meets some leprechauns who explain to him that banshees need to get gold before Christmas or they die. The leprechauns give him the gold to hide, but like a complete moron, he's tricked by the banshee into giving her the gold. The later, less well-known Rankin/Bass specials tend to be obscure for good reason. This one features a bunch of leprechauns hording piles of gold for themselves for no good reason. They need to keep it from a banshee who needs it to survive because ... because banshee? Factor in the fact that the hero is a complete moron, and it's hard to get on board with this uncomfortably weird blend of Irish folklore and Christmas.

Great Irish Christmas Tale

[jia · 10/10 · 14 December 2004]

This is a cute movie about friendship and loyalty.

One does have to understand the myth and history about the Banshee to understand that the leprechaun can not give her the gold. It takes a brave man to stand alone while others turn their backs on you. This movie has a great moral to never give up on ones self and ideals just because the crowd is telling you to doing so.

My family and I enjoyed the songs and made a night out of watching claymation Christmas movies. This was a great one to laugh at and enjoy. Other movies that a person may enjoy are Rudolh the red nose reindeer, Santa Claus is coming to town. The year Santa Missed.

Sure now, a fine tale

[Bondorf39 · 6 December 2003]

One of the more unsung Rankin/Bass stop-motion features, the story revolves around an Irish sailor who meets a leprechaun named Blarney Kilakilarney one Christmas Eve. After unwittingly setting a banshee free, the sailor learns that the monster's object is Blarney's Christmas gold. Together they thwart the wicked banshee and save the gold for the leprechauns, not to mention Blarney's marriage.

Those who love Irish folklore and charm will enjoy this enchanting film. Though not as bright and cheery as its cousins, (it gets a litle dark, as most Irish tales do) it has the typical happy ending. And the highlight of the special is the performance of my personal favorite Christmas song, "Christmas in Kilarney."

A delightful holiday tale with Irish background.

[Mark-AA84 · 8/10 · 24 December 2023]

Blarney! Watch out for the harpies and banshees, and hold on to any gold you have. Here is a wonderful holiday story which takes place in the Emerald Isles. Even though the song, "Christmas in Killarney," was performed in this Rankin-Bass holiday special, too bad Bing Crosby wouldn't heard singing it. My favorite song, next to "Christmas in Killarney," would have to be the one about "The Golden Gold of Ireland." So put on your best pair of Killakillarney shoes and enjoy this Irish tale of Yule tide warmth. Don't to forget to watch more great holiday specials from Rankin-Bass. One of wich I also recommend is Pinocchio's Christmas.

Rankin Bass, why?

[Angel_Meiru · 2 June 2004]

Why do you make a HORRIBLE christmas special like this? After good works like "Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" and "The Last Unicorn", you finally stoop low to swill like this?

SLIGHT STORY SPOILERS (like you care)

The plot begins with a clumsy sailor crashing on an island full of Leprechauns with fake Irish/British accents and tells him not to cut that tree down, ya know, the one the sailor crashes into. But does the saliro listen? No, of course not, he "knows" better. After cutting down the tree, he releases a Banshee and the Banshee wreaks havoc to the world with her annoying voice. So it is up to the Leprechauns to protect their gold and kill the Banshee.

END OF SPOILERS

Man, if this cartoon did not give you a headache already with plot holes and the Banshee's annoying voice (the moment I saw her, I wanted to beat her up for myself!), you are one brave soul (or sado-masochist).

If you want good claymation specials or animated movies, look elsewhere!