Originally planned as a stage production, this Christmas musical fantasy flew under my radar when it was released on Netflix back in 2020, and I’m sad it did. This is a wonderful movie filled with fun and magic that completely captured me.

Written and directed by playwright and filmmaker David E Talbert, the film is a fairytale about an inventor named Jeronicus Jangles whose toys border on magic to the children of the town where they live. When his apprentice Gustafson betrays him and steals his book of ideas, Jeronicus is left broken. Gustafson uses the book of ideas to become the greatest inventor in the world and crush Jeronicus. Years later, Jeronicus, now played by Forest Whitaker, is a broken man. His shop of wonders is now a pawn shop. His wife has passed away and his daughter is a stranger. When his granddaughter, played by an effervesant Madelen Mills, comes to visit for Christmas Jeronicus is forced to open up and see the possibilities of brighter future and maybe create a new invention that could save his shop.

Theres so much good here. Starting with the aesthetics, the costumes are beautiful. Bright bold colors and patterns are used to bring a vibrance to every character. The styles are mainly turn of the century top hats and waistcoats which look fabulous.

The sets are all perfect. I love a good soundstage production. This was originally conceived as a stage production, which would be perfect. I’d love to see this as a big broadway musical. That style really lends a lot of character to the story. Every frame is just full of lovely detail.

The songs are all solid. Written by John Legend, the music is propulsive and energetic. The choreography is fun especially in the small moments. I love the snowball fight that Journey and Jeronicus get into that is puncuated with dance breaks when each side gets a few good shots in.

The story is just a fun and delightful fantasy with strongly relatable characters. Jeronicus is the classic distracted inventor, and Whitaker gives him so many delightful nuances, like his stammering line delivery, and his offhand way with Journey at the beginning.

Journey herself is a wonderful protagonist. She isn’t the modern child character who is snarky and sarcastic and snotty with the grownups around her. She is a girl who knows she’s different. She loves math and making inventions and wants to find someone who will understand her and share her passions. She is just an honest and openhearted girl, and I loved her character.

Keegan Michael Key plays Gustafson, and he brings a vulnerable menace to the part that I just loved. He is an imposter, and he knows it. And his anger and villainy all clearly stems from that knowledge. It’s a well written part, and he plays it nicely.

The film also goes out of its way to tell a complete story. It has a big special effects spectacular chase sequence finale that would serve as the ending to a lesser film, but it doesn’t. It goes on to give us an emotional climax as well as the special effects showcase we all expect. Toward the end Journey needs to escape from Gustafson’s factory and rides a cart while a fire blazes behind her could’ve been the big climax, but the film is smart enough to know that the real story isn’t about chase scenes. It’s the emotional reconciliation of father and daughter, and the relationship between grandfather and granddaughter. The emotional stakes are clear and the tension of the potential reconciliation is played perfectly by the actors.

The movie totally go me. It rung tears from me during two poignant moments. I was so invested in the story of these characters and chamred by the production. I wish I had seen this back in 2020 when it first came out but that’s streaming for you. Good movies get shoved onto the streamers and forgotten. Do yourself a favor and give this one a chance this holiday. It’s perfect for the family. It’s a family Christmas musical fantasy that will satisfy the whole family.

It is my cup of tea. A