Jingle Jangle: a Christmas masterpiece

With stunning songs and engaging characters, “Jingle Jangle” is a must watch.



Jeroicus Jangle shows his daughter his newest invention. They are inside his workshop, where he invents unique toys for children.

Ethan King, Staff Writer

“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” is a heartwarming holiday tale about a toy maker and his granddaughter as they struggle to bring life back into toys. With its excellent musical numbers and engaging characters, this movie is exceptional.

The movie follows Jeronicus Jangle, an old inventor, who made toys that brought wonder to all who stepped inside his toy factory. However, his apprentice, Gustafson stole his book of inventions and became an even better toy maker than his master was.

After losing his life’s work, Jangle fell into a deep depression that drove everyone away from him. Luckily, his granddaughter Journey and his new apprentice Edison believed in him. They supported Jangle by helping him create a new toy.

The plot of “Jingle Jangle” is easy to understand and acts as a canvas for the excellent actors, songs, and choreography to paint on. However, what really stuck out to me was the movie’s surprising theme. Rather than the typical “You just need holiday spirit” message, it tackled more complex topics such as perseverance and greed.

In many ways, this movie reminds me of “The Greatest Showman.” It is a family friendly musical that incorporates flashy songs, dances, and costumes to tell an entertaining and amusing story. 

With renowned actors such as Forest Whitaker, Keegan-Michael Key, and Hugh Bonneville this movie was set for success. Forest Whitaker’s performance as Mr. Jangle was the most entertaining as you can see the emotions in his eyes as he talks.

I also enjoyed the use of colors to convey the theme and mood of the movie. The characters all have striking costumes that amplify their personality. Journey wears red which signifies her burning passion for invention, whereas Jangle wears darker colors to signify his lack of spirit. Gustafson can be seen wearing green suits to symbolize his greed and lack of empathy. The bright colors of the set also tie the music with the surrounding setting so nothing feels out of place.

Speaking of music, the songs are excellent. I still find myself humming along to songs from the movie such as “Make it Work” and “This Day”. The lyrics and beats to the songs are catchy and full of life. For instance, “Make it Work” plays while Jangle is making toys and uses the sounds of striking hammers as the beat. The transitions to musical numbers are hardly noticeable and don’t disrupt the pacing of the movie. 

“Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey” is a holiday movie made the right way. From the songs to the actors, every bit of this movie was crafted to be a fun tale for families to enjoy.