GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

rdoyle29 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.

Scarecrow-88 Cute, lesser known Rankin/Bass animated Christmas special has Art Carney narrating the tale of a sailor sent to fetch a pine tree from an Irish island which broke apart from its native country thanks to an earthquake. It has a leprechaun named Blarney Kilakilarney (voiced also by Carney) who has been away from his wife for far too long due to his insistence on keeping his gold stash from the clutches of a hideous witch (called a banshee) that shrieks and always cries tears. She must get her hands on the gold before Christmas day or turn into tears and through whatever tricks or spells she can muster will attempt to do so. Dinty Doyle, the boy sailor (voiced by Ken Jennings), is told he is in possession of all the gold when Blarney is able to outsmart Old Mag, the Hag's (Christine Mitchell) enchantment (a "generosity spell" she calls it)…she intended for him to give it all to her but Dinty thankfully was in the same vicinity. So Mag sets her sights on tricking Dinty and might just get the gold she has so coveted…like she did against Faye (Peggy Cass), the wife of Blarney (causing their estrangement), through the transformation into an angel, Mag will turn into a shipwrecked girl in the hopes of fooling Dinty into granting her his gold for a special Christmas island celebration. Good natured and sweet, The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold should be a perfect addition to the many Christmas animated specials that makes the cut during the holiday season. A few songs, the typically fine stop motion you are accustomed to for a Bass/Rankin production, and some memorable voiceovers provide a nice little short to enjoy each December. Dinty was responsible for accidentally releasing Mag from a trap concocted by Blarney and a wizard using the aforementioned pine tree, noticed by Dinty's captain on board their ship, adding a bit of irony to the entire short. Will Dinty be able to help stop her from seizing upon the gold?

Angel Meiru 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 SPOILERSMan, 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!

Templeton Moss 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."