Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020) Review

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (2020) Review 

Dir. David E. Talbert 


Netflix Christmas Musical is a Magical Surprise





From the songwriter behind the recent hit The Greatest Showman, Jingle Jangle is a brand new Christmas film and musical coming to Netflix in 2020. Starring big names like Forest Whittaker and Keegan-Michael Key, Jingle Jangle exceeds expectations and ends up being a heartwarming and very welcome addition to the Christmas movie hall of fame. 


Set in a magical Victorian fantasy town, Jingle Jangle follows a sullen and world-weary former inventor, Jeronicus Jangle, as he is forced to rediscover his magic by his young granddaughter. Full of foot-stomping modern theatre tunes and adventure galore, Jingle Jangle is a pleasant surprise for anyone who expected a cheap, seasonal cash grab from Netflix. 


The first thing that stands out is the music. It took very little time for me to realise the connections to Greatest Showman. The mix of modern up-tempo ballads and a Victorian setting never fail to compliment each other. The songs are catchy, well written and hit all the beats you expect for a musical theatre extravaganza. The film seems to know exactly how saccharine the premise is, yet takes you on the journey with glee. I found myself smiling throughout at the heartwarming earnestness in the production quality, performances and songs. No one is calling it in. This is a passion project through and through. 


Jingle Jangle is sugary sweet in all the right places. There is a Disney-esque sense of whimsy to the story and characters that I haven’t seen outside of an animated film in many years. Despite its seasonal connections and heavily Christmas themed marketing, Jingle Jangle isn’t overly reliant on being a Christmas film. It’s not shoving messages about the holidays and presents down your throat like any straight to Netflix December RomCom. Instead, its themes are an embodiment of the Christmas within; family, magic and belief. It’s more subtle and clever in that regard than many may give it credit for. 


As for the cast, the real stand-outs are the musical theatre actors. There’s not a single untalented performer in this whole film. The stand out is young debutant Madalene Mills, who plays Jangle's granddaughter Journey. She is a talent to watch for the future. So young, yet she carries entire musical numbers in this feature film all by herself. Her song, The Square root of impossible, is one of the highlights of the soundtrack. Forest Whittaker also surprises, being humble and endearing, but also managing to hold his own in the singing department with passion. 


There is a strong sense that Jingle Jangle lacks a proper climax. It has a convenient but effective emotional climax, as stories and character beats all get their deserved resolution, but it does feel as if the movie needed that one last adventure set-piece to create a natural climactic feeling. Then again, it does feel like that’s the point- to focus on the characters rather than the spectacle. 


I really hope Jingle Jangle gets the love it so deserves. I do feel the movie has been under-marketed and many, myself included, assumed that it was yet another yearly Christmas schlock-fest. Instead, it’s a magical experience, cute and joyous and without a bad-bone in its body. What it lacks in consistency and narrative weight, it makes up for in joy and rhythm. 


Jingle Jangle is a welcome layer of sweet icing on top of what has been a rather airy and inconsistent year of movies. It feels apt that 2020 be the year we get an uplifting Christmas film like this. We needed Jingle Jangle. 



7/10


Review by Elliott Thomas Griffiths 


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