Wednesday, December 02, 2020

The visual magic of "Jingle Jangle" – and Forest Whitaker's smile

"Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey" is a visual extravaganza, from the costumes by Michael Wilkinson and sets by Rob Cameron to the cinematography by Remi Adefarasin and the beautiful puppets throughout the film (but who made them?). That's in keeping with its story about the inventor Jeronicus Jangle (Forest Whitaker) and his rejuvenation by his grandaughter Journey (Madalen Mills). But one of the film's most wonderful moments is entirely human: when Jeronicus finally smiles – because Forest Whitaker's smile, like his voice and the way he moves, is as moving here as it is in "Ghost Dog" or "Smoke", just to name two movies that were also graced by his sudden beaming. (Andrew Shields, #111words, 2 December)

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