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As Christmas is still upon us, I have the pleasure of bearing
any review of any Christmas special that comes to mind. Granted it’s clearly not as much as I usually
review, but to me, any bit of spirit I can spread is commendable. Quality over quantity after all. I will say though that given one of my recent
sets of reviews, the subject of this MC Toon Reviews Shorty was not hard to
figure out. It’s another standalone
holiday special for one of the big shows of Cartoon Network, Ed Edd n Eddy. With the last episode of that show I talked
about having a Christmas cartoon, it’s nice to look at this one as a bit of a
companion piece. This is:
Ed Edd n Eddy’s Jingle Jingle
Jangle
(December 3, 2004)
It was commendable enough that this series had a whole story
about keeping the spirit of Christmas alive at any time of the year. Following four seasons of the series though,
the time had come for the show to go the extra mile with an authentic special
taking place on the holiday proper.
While it may seem that it’s merely doing what’s expected of a Christmas
special solely to please the masses, this special does offer noticeable changes
for the show’s aesthetic. This is the
very first instance of an Ed Edd n Eddy work
that goes beyond the usual summertime setting.
It shows that this world is capable of experiencing more than one season
and subject itself to different traditions and activities. In a way, it paves the way for other events
like celebrating other holidays, and especially going to school, which at one
point is hinted at here. On a side note,
this special also introduces a new look to the visualization with the animation
done digitally like all cartoons are today, but still retaining the usual
quirks. By the latter, I mean things
like boiling lines, extreme gags, multi-colored tongues, etc. As for its status as a Christmas special, you
can’t deny that this special really goes all out with the spirit of the
holiday, right from the start in fact.
The snowy setting, the gentle music, and sights of festive decorations
are a simple yet effective showing. This
feel continues into the special proper.
The main focus of the story is Eddy, known for his impulsive
nature and frequent desires to win big with materialistic goods. To him, Christmas is the perfect time to get
something nice as a gift. His
determination for such goods is so big, he goes above and beyond the usual
deviant practice of tracking down Christmas presents and sneaking a look at them. When his parents are out, he poses as an
undercover agent and finds their Christmas stash hidden stealthily under
a floorboard.
The discovery of what the actual presents are ends up driving
Eddy’s actions for the entire special.
It’s a major sign that his parents really don’t get him as all of his
gifts turn out to be nothing but clothes.
Not only that, but they’re largely unappealing clothes based on what’s
seen like a drab sweater, cutesy reindeer socks, pink footy pajamas, and a
dickie. While at my age, clothes for
Christmas can be quite useful, it’s just torture for someone at Eddy’s age. At the same time, it feels like without a
single other gift that fits his interests to balance the practicality of the
clothes out, his family life is a sorry sight.
In addition, it’s a smart confirmation of his complaint about Christmas
way back in Season 2. He said all he
gets for Christmas is clothes, and now that concept is brought to life as well
as how he really feels about it.
Legitimately sorry excuses for gifts are a solid motivation
for Eddy’s actions for the rest of the special, even if at the same time, you
know he’s in the wrong. His plan to make
up for his lame gifts is to go around the cul-de-sac, and join one of the kids
for Christmas. Basically, Eddy is setting himself up to be a total mooch, but thanks to the weight of his motivations, you can understand him and see how he's partially at fault all at once. Benefitting the story is
how each place Eddy explores has some of the best examples of Christmas spirit
I can think of. Each cul-de-sac kid has
a variety of holiday traditions that express a lot of creativity in how they
celebrate and exemplify how the main setting of this series is brimming with
personality. Putting them all together,
and it’s perfectly shown as opposed to told that different families have a variety
of ways to celebrate the holidays making for a major highlight.
Jonny and Plank for instance go all out with their love for
nature by bringing in snow from the outside into their home. As someone who rarely gets a White Christmas,
I see this as the best way to take advantage of when that does happen. It’s also highly impressive to see how everything
in Jonny’s home lends itself well to the snow from a design perspective. Additional touches include presents frozen in
ice, and an intricate ice slide that’s used to get rid of Eddy. At the same time, you get the impression that
it could be used for purposes much more fun than kicking unwanted Christmas
crashers out.
Even more outrageous is how Rolf celebrates Christmas,
feeling like a perfect tie to his usual outlandish foreign customs seen
throughout the series proper. However,
how crazy his celebrations are make his my favorite of what Eddy explores. Dressed as a lamb, he decorates his place not
with baubles, garland, and lights, but a vast assortment of meat. Also rather than wait for a fat man who
delivers presents, he waits for a bearded troll called Yeshmiyek who delivers
meat and prepares a holiday feast. The
thing that really makes the tradition stands out though is an elaborate musical
number that never lets up on high energy and charisma. It’s just another imaginative showing of what
goes into Rolf’s foreign customs. At the
same time, there being no presents is a notable contradiction to the show’s
last Christmas story. There, Rolf did
have a good idea of presents at Christmas and played a role in getting the
cul-de-sac into the spirit in July by offering the kids gifts. I guess Yeshmiyek is not connected with the
Sow of Christmas Past, so presents automatically aren’t on the mind. Plus, Rolf’s traditions do explain why he was
surrounded by a bunch of meat when the Eds came to carol for him.
Anyway, Nazz’s traditions have some of the least creativity
put into them, just seeming to consist of a nicely decorated setting with a lot
of presents and plenty of eggnog to drink.
Not to mention, the way she dresses for Christmas is sure to be
attractive to any boy if Eddy’s anything to go by. Plus, as simple as her low-key Christmas is,
its lack of outlandish elements is understandably perfect for someone like
Eddy. It’s like the ideal Christmas
celebration he seems to never be able to get from his own family.
He probably would have enjoyed it immensely too if he didn’t
end up spitting eggnog all over Nazz.
That said, other acts that get Eddy kicked out of alternative
Christmas traditions are not so accidental.
Next up is crashing on Jimmy’s Christmas which utilizes the usual
scamming nature. With cardboard angel
wings taped to his back, Eddy convinces Jimmy that he’s lucky enough to get
himself an angel to spend the holiday with.
The scene is highlighted even more with Jimmy’s sheer charisma over the
celebration whether it’s over being greeted by an angel, or what he’s crafted
for the holiday. Something about him
going over the details of his gingerbread Christmas village is somewhat
charming to see.
It also makes for an
effective mood swing when he goes from energetic host to completely frantic
when Eddy has the gall to eat the village up.
Then again, it would probably be hard for you to not give into that
temptation too. Since Eddy feels no
remorse for this though, he’s all set up to get thrown out of Jimmy’s, courtesy
of Sarah of course.
At this point, so many failures lead Eddy to the Christmas of
the cul-de-sac kid he likes the least, Kevin, who just seems to spend it snowboarding like an egotistical dude. He practically has to admit that he just
wants Kevin to adopt him for Christmas, and even Kevin finds Eddy
pathetic. I would mark that against
Eddy, but this is a natural thing to happen after acting on a lost cause for so
long.
As for presents obtained out of this attempt, all Eddy gets
from Kevin is a fist.
During Eddy’s quest for a good Christmas, there are a few
outlying subplots that offer different perspectives on the holiday, yet end up
tying into the main plot too. One
involves the other Eds in the group. Ed,
further continuing trends set by that one Season 2 cartoon, is over the moon
excited for Christmas. Now that it’s the
holiday proper, his Christmas customs are on a much grander scale. He moves the chimney to his room,
has Santa drawings and festive decorations decked all over, and even shows
legit concern over Eddy’s plan. However,
his concern is nowhere as prominent as Double D’s. He’s very vocal about the holiday’s meaning
of goodwill, peace, and the special feeling in one’s udder heart. Still, he has hope that Eddy will come to his
senses about Christmas, as if to say he believes that goodwill exists in
everyone. It even gets to the point
where the special taps into Christmas’ religious side, which is rare to see as
prominently as this in a serialized holiday special. Double D and Ed put on an act where they
enact the events of the first Christmas with Double D as an angel and Ed as a
shepherd. Given that Eddy’s angel scam
for Jimmy happens after this, you can tell this goes nowhere.
Speaking of religious, another highlight of this special
surprisingly belongs to the Kanker sisters, showing potential for appeal when
they’re not after the Eds. A reflected
flashlight glow Eddy inadvertently sets off at the beginning creates a star
that attracts their attention. Like the
three wise men, the Kankers are inclined to follow it dressed in simple cloaks
and paper crowns that came from Christmas Crackers.
Along the way, they find random signs in the form of gifts to
bring someone in various places, a sandwich of mold, wieners and pennies, and a
fur coat. It amounts to a comedic take
on the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh if you think hard enough, but the
atmosphere of the scene makes this sequence a standout. Even when clearly parodied, the visuals,
majestic traveling music, and the scenes of the Kankers following that star
creatively convey the true meaning of the holiday. This may just be a result of toning down
their typical problematic qualities.
All of these vastly different Christmas events come together
nicely in the special’s last few minutes starting just after Eddy has failed to
join all the cul-de-sac kids for Christmas.
He proclaims that all he wants is a good Christmas, further speaking
volumes about his disdain of the gift discovery that started it all. You feel that Eddy’s actions were about more
than just presents, and that he just wanted to experience the goodness the
holiday promises his own family probably does not bring. Considering what’s revealed about his brother
in the series finale movie, this theory would explain a lot.
Anyway, with no Christmas
to join in, there’s an emotional scene where Eddy is all alone in the snowy
cold. Sights of Christmases he’s shut
out of, and nothing but his figure against a void of snow brilliantly reflect
this feeling. Then he finds a lone
Christmas tree that’s expertly staged to look like it’s in the middle of
nowhere even though it's actually in the playground, and he sees a lightbulbs going out. Conveniently, Ed had placed a bulb in Eddy’s pocket earlier,
and once Eddy notices this, he replaces the burned out one with it. 
This allows the Christmas tree to be the beautiful sight it
was destined to be and it attracts all of the cul-de-sac to bask in it, and it
was all because of Eddy. As Double D
points out, showing concern for the burned out bulb on the tree shows that Eddy
does have a capacity for giving. This
explanation even seems to get to Eddy who gets to thinking that Christmas
really isn’t all about presents after all.
The act of giving may not have been big, but the sight of everyone
taking in something legitimately beautiful shows that even a little generosity
can go a long way. Because of Eddy's small and simple efforts, he had created something meaningful and impactful for the masses.
On the matter of presents though, Eddy does end up getting some
out of this when Santa happens to fly by, and his sack of presents drops for
all the kids. On a side note, this event does make the series notable for also being the only time an adult is seen in this series ever. Talk about a milestone. Now inside the sack are presents
addressed to all the cul-de-sac kids, and this apparently includes Eddy.
The great display of heart and Christmas cheer for the
special ends up becoming majorly quashed as a result of this sack falling. Eddy takes the whole thing for himself and
locks himself in a shed, and it’s here where
the special really starts getting concerning.
I know that Eddy is jerky by nature and this action is appropriate to see since
he’s likely to go back to his old ways once Christmas is over. Still, there was legitimacy to what he
learned, and it kind of hurts to see him completely ignore it, and now any
sympathy from his desires for a good holiday is completely nonexistent.
Then comes the real final scene where circumstances lead
Santa’s sack to go back to the kids with Eddy in a manger, angel Double D over
him, and shepherd Ed by his side. The
Kanker sisters end up following the makeshift star to them, and finalize the
events of the first Christmas by offering the Eds their gifts. As Double D says, the scene does convey the
true Christmas spirit, further creatively bringing this religious event to
modern serialized life. This great
moment also ends up quashed as the Kankers then partake in their usual
discomforting harassment that’s expected of them. After the beyond uncalled for stunt Eddy
pulled, he at least deserves it, but why do Double D and Ed also have to
suffer? How is it fair that when one Ed
is out of line, all Eds must go down with him? Plus, aren't they in the same position as the other kids since Eddy took their presents too?
Even the last scene of the other kids caroling while ignoring the Eds’
cries for help is concerning where it seems nice, but context makes it rather
discomforting. As you can see, this
ending scene finalizes my point that this special does not have the same strong
Christmas spirit as the earlier short cartoon.
Ending notwithstanding, this is still a very admirable Ed Edd n Eddy special. The atmosphere is expertly crafted and
wholesome, the characters are well-defined, the traditions are creative, and
some moments stand out with various takes on the holiday. Had it not been for botched morals and that
unfair ending, this would probably be perfect.
Nevertheless, it’s probably the very way you’d expect an Ed Edd n Eddy Christmas to go; not
perfect and has a high chance of going wrong, but still has a lot to walk away
with.
Highly Recommended
Stay Animated Folks,
And Merry CHRISTMAS!
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