I recently saw the film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey. It tells a story about an inventor and toymaker Jeronicus (Forest Whitaker), whose inventions got stolen by an apprentice. Some years later, his granddaughter Journey (Madalen Mills) visits and changes his world forever.
Listening to the songs in the movie makes hearing a different experience. The musical clips complement the story nicely and give it depth. Having listened to the soundtrack before watching the film, I appreciated the songs even more.
Sharon Rose & Justin Cornwell sang at the beginning of the film the song This Day. That sequence nicely showed the love story between Jeronicus and Joanne Jangle. Their parts in the movie were brief but had a deep meaning to the story. Extra dancers accompanied the couple in the musical performance.
Another person who performed one was Ricky Martin in the voice of Don Juan Diego singing the tune Borrowing Indefinitely as he tells Gustafson (Keegan-Michael Key) to “borrow” Jeronicus’ inventions. There was Latin/Spanish dancing, suitable to the character.
Magic Man G, Keegan-Michael Key’s musical bit in Jingle Jangle, shows with an intricate choreography his “success” as a toymaker by demonstrating a new toy. The performance ended in disaster when the gadget broke apart.
Madelen Mills as Journey, the film’s main character, sang two significant songs of the movie Not The Only One and Square Root of Possible. The tunes expressed the little girl’s perspective, innocence, and love for her grandfather and life in general. In the Square Root of Possible sequence, she dances all over the shop and storage, then the outside with hope and passion. She captures the beauty of Christmas beautifully in her singing.
Forest Whitaker, as Jeronicus, sang his songs with feeling and depth, which were Over and Over, and Make It Work ( a duet with Anika Noni Rose). Over and Over shows the flashbacks of Jeronicus’ past, showing happier times with his daughter and late wife, while looking at his latest invention. The Make It Work duet with Anika Noni Rose is a beautiful one as it shows a rekindled father-daughter bond after years of being apart. There was heart and soul in this musical number.
After everything resolves, the movie ends with a reprise of This Day by the Jingle Jangle Choir. The film gave life to the songs and a visual take of mini-stories within a bigger one.
I enjoyed this movie! I recommend it as one of your Christmas movies to watch this year and for many to come.
Happy Holidays!
