JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY (2020) FILM REVIEW

****

PG, 120 Mins

A toe-tappin’, swingin’ and shakin’ treat.

The annual Christmas holiday movie has come early and it’s a treat. ‘Jingle Jangle’ (2020) has all the toe-tappin’, swingin’ and shakin’ song n’ dance numbers we’ve grown to love from Disney until recent years. It has colour blind casting, a heart-melting Forest Whittaker performance and a pantomime boo-hiss baddie to scare kiddies s**tless. Released onto Netflix, I almost wish I could have seen this on a big, juicy cinema screen over Xmas weekend.

Forest Whitaker is eccentric toymaker Jeronicus Jangle. He’s a hurting man decades after his apprentice Gustafson (Keegan Michael-Key) betrayed him, stole his book of inventions and sentient matador doll Diego (Ricky Martin).

Jeronicus has grown estranged from his daughter Jessica (Anika Noni Rose) in the 30 years since his equipment was stolen. She now has a child of her own in the ridiculously sweet Journey (Madelen Mills). Journey shares Jeronicus’s passion for inventing. How perfect then that Jessica should send her daughter to stay with her grandad until Christmas.

Meeting Journey changes Jeronicus’s life. He now has inspiration and creativity and also help in proving Gustafson stole his work…

What I love most about classic Disney productions is the songs. ‘The Circle of Life’ in ‘The Lion King’ (1994) wouldn’t be complete without Elton John on the vocals. Meanwhile I don’t know how many times I’ve blubbed listening to ‘Beauty and the Beast’ (1991).

‘Jingle Jangle’ has all the singalong tunes to keep families on their feet. And it’s particularly uplifting that this movie about inspiration and creativity should celebrate the power of music and its ability to unite people in the darkest circumstances. Something we all need right now.

I especially loved the opening dance number ‘This Day’ with Usher belting out syncopated rhythms and blues. This song plays out against the highly decorative backdrop of Jeronicus’s toy factory. A location that just explodes with glitz and glitter - much like ‘Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (2007).

As Jeronicus, Forest Whitaker gives one of the most heartfelt performances of his career. This is not serious, solemn Forest that we’re used to seeing in movies like ‘The Last King of Scotland’ (2006). Nor does he have a silly accent like in ‘The Crying Game’ (1992). His character here just oozes positivity and paternal love.

Frankly, Whitaker would steal the show if it wasn’t for Keegan-Michael Key who is a fantastic baddie. Clad in a green 18th century suit with golden shoulder pads, the actor chomps up the snowy scenery with finger-licking relish. You’ll find yourself booing when he does something bad and screaming “HE’S BEHIND YOU!” when he sneaks up at the back.

The biggest beauty of this film is its approach to colour blind casting. A vast majority of the cast is non-white. The music features numbers from a selection of prominent black artists such as Usher and Bisa Kdei. And the toyshop singalong to ‘This Day’ is a duet between Justin Cornwell and Sharon Rose.

There’s never any reference to skin colour and so there shouldn’t be. Like in Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ (2020), characters are cast because of their fitness for the role. Not simply for the sake of a political statement.

With cinemas currently closed, watching ‘Jingle Jangle’ on Netflix was the first true reminder I’ve had of what it’s like watching a blockbuster at the pictures. Sure, the recent ‘The Witches’ (2020) had lots of special effects and Anne Hathaway as a witch, but was about as big of a dud as you can get.

In the case of ‘Jingle Jangle’, I couldn’t quite shake the feeling of “why am I not watching this in the cinema?”. It would’ve been the perfect family evening out.

Whether on a big or small screen, though, there’s no question that this is top quality Christmas entertainment. A movie that just brims with optimism and positivity. It will become a Christmas classic in the years to come.

‘Jingle Jangle’ is on Netflix now.