Today’s quick review: Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker), a brilliant inventor, loses everything when his jealous apprentice Gustafson (Keegan-Michael Key) steals his work and uses it to make a fortune. Years later, Jeronicus has fallen into debt and depression. But a ray of hope enters his life when his granddaughter Journey (Madalen Mills) comes to visit just before Christmas.
Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is a family Christmas musical about a dejected inventor and his precocious granddaughter. Refusing to take no for an answer, Journey picks up her grandfather’s abandoned work and tries to rekindle his love for invention. Jingle Jangle has a colorful fantasy world, a crisp soundtrack, and an emotional arc with a lot of potential. However, an unfocused story and a lack of standout songs end up holding the movie back.
Jingle Jangle’s main problems are structural. The heart of the movie is the relationship between Jeronicus and his family, with Journey bridging the gap between him and his estranged daughter Jessica (Anika Noni Rose). But instead of focusing on this, the movie splits its time between Jeronicus’ debts, the schemes of his apprentice, and a magical robot that Journey gets working, leading to a jumbled story that can’t capitalize on its best ideas.
Jingle Jangle fares somewhat better with its music. The songs are passionate and forceful, with impressive group dancing and elaborate costumes and sets. Unfortunately, the songs are better individually than as part of a whole. Their lyrics are not specific enough to anchor them to the story, and the tunes are enjoyable but forgettable. Moreover, none of the musical styles match the flavor of whimsy the rest of the movie aspires to.
Give Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey a shot when you’re looking for a family-friendly musical with lots of fantasy. Jingle Jangle has the makings of a much more touching story than what it actually delivers, but for all of its faults, it’s still an enjoyable watch. If you’re willing to overlook its cluttered story, give it a shot. If you’re looking for a deeper story or more memorable music, look elsewhere.
For a Christmas fantasy adventure with similar plot elements, try The Christmas Chronicles: Part Two. For a richer Christmas story with some of the same themes, try Klaus. For a fantasy adventure that offers a fuller take on a similar conflict, try The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. For an animated sci-fi adventure about family and the joys of curiosity, try Meet the Robinsons.
[6.5 out of 10 on IMDB](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7736496/). I give it the same for a promising setup with mixed execution.