It seems that Netflix has been throwing its hat into the ring when it comes to creating feature-length Christmas movies. Some have seen success while others seem to fade into the background. One of the most well-received Christmas movies from the streaming service seems to be a black-led movie musical called Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. Even though this movie hasn’t been around for long, some people are claiming this movie to be on its way to becoming a new Christmas classic. The question still remains, are they right? Or is this a movie that may have too much hype riding behind it?
Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) owns a toy store called Jangle and Things in a small village and has a loving family including a beautiful wife and a daughter named Jessica. However, he is shocked when finds his book of inventions and his latest invention Deigo have been stolen by his apprentice Gustafson (Keegan-Michael Key). Jeronicus, unfortunately, has no proof that Gustafson stole his inventions which leaves Jangles and Things failing in business as Gustfsons toy empire rises. To make matters worse Jeronicus’s wife, unfortunately, passes away which leaves him to break contact with her daughter, leaving her to move away from her own father. Years pass and Jeronicus unexpectedly comes across his granddaughter Journey (Madalen Mills) who is visiting Jeronicus for a while. Can Journey spark Jeronicus’s inventing side again before he drives himself deeper into depression? oh, what do you think?
The story is surprisingly mostly original and the heart and soul of the movie really shine through as this movie has many moments of Christmas cheer but also thought-provoking themes. It's one thing to make just a fun upbeat musical but the movie surprisingly goes a step further to add some complex emotions into the mix to really become a movie that anyone at any age can understand and feel. The only thing I wish could have been done a bit better is the storytelling that can give more background to Jeronicus’s and Gustafson’s relationship to make the betrayal have more weight and understanding. You can tell the people working behind the story wanted to tell a timeless Christmas classic that can live on for generations and the effort really does show.
It’s impressive that the majority of the cast is all black led which is unique and very well needed in a time when most Christmas films star white people. The main relationship between Jeronicus and her granddaughter Journey admittedly is a bit uneven at times but you really feel how their affection for each other grows over time. Buddy 3000 is also a character himself and his way of communicating is adorable to watch as I have a soft spot for adorable robots like Wall.E and Baymax and Buddy is no exception. If I have to be honest though, I did feel like Gustafson is kinda a weak villain. It’s not that he is awful and Keegan-Michael Key is doing his best, but I felt like his line delivery and character progression was somewhat satisfying and I would have liked if he came up with the idea for stealing Jeronicus journal himself instead of having Deigo convince him to do it as it would have made his character all the more interesting.
The cinemotogrpy takes a somewhat different approach when it comes to Christmas movies. The whole look of the film has a very steampunk vibe especially when we enter Jeronicus’s toy shop in the beginning as it’s all magical and mechanical. As the story moves on the shop becomes desolate and grey with books stacked upon one another crowing the whole place. One thing I personally like is when the movie shows off animated CG bits that tell the story with the characters looking like metal toys which are very cool and very artistic. The design of buddy almost reminds me of Wall. E as he is cute and well designed. I also like how he can make himself and other characters float in the air which can lead to some very magical moments. Finally, seeing that this is a musical, the stunts and movements when the movie bursts into song are really fun and the passion and energy match the tone of what the music numbers have to offer.
The music was conducted by John Debney who has scored many family movies in his career including Elf which I consider to be a Christmas classic. The main songs are made by many different artists and needless to say that they are all fun and energetic even if they may not be the most memorable songs you will ever hear in your life. They are all original and each of them is great at moving the story forward instead of halting the movie like a good musical should.
It may take some time for this movie to become a classic, but I can see that this movie has the potential into becoming an annual viewing for families across the world. This is a very infectious movie that has a well-meaning story, likable protagonists, impressive visuals, and fun if yet not so memorable musical numbers and composition score. I still say that this is a very good effort from the streaming service, and who knows, maybe it will only keep getting better and better with every passing year.
(Final Grade: B+)