Tinker Bell
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Movie Reviews of Tinker Bell
Movie Review: All we are saying is, give Tink a chance...
Summary: 5 Stars
DVD Review: TINKER BELL
It would be very easy for traditional Disney fans to dismiss a direct-to-video, CG-animated feature in which the iconic Disney character talks. As a matter of fact, it's been dismissed months before the film came out in some circles. Come to think of it, there were probably many traditional champions of the original James Barrie Peter Pan play that had a problem with Walt Disney's vision of the fairy (I recall one snarky critic referring to her as being "too long at the sugar bowls." Reee-err!
Put that all aside, watch this Tinker Bell feature, and you may be pleasantly surprised. First of all, the art direction is so strong the entire feature really should have been released in theaters. This was not a hastily-made, get the money and run movie slapped together by hacks, it was clearly inspired by people who loved the source material. (And according to some reports, it was a long and bumpy road getting the little sprite to the direct to DVD screen, with scripts and careers scattered along the way.)
The story is simple. We see how fairies are born -- when a baby first giggles -- and how Tink finds herself in the fairy pecking order. We meet her cohorts and of course, she learns a lesson. The sweetest moment comes at the end, when she brings the music box... no I won't spoil it, but it was nicely handled. The Peter Pan story lingers in the background with subtlety rather than it being reduced to the sitcom levels we might have seen in decades past.
Mae Whitman is a marvelous choice for Tinker Bell's voice, your garden variety Disney lady, and the cast is also well suited to their roles. It's especially nice to have Angelica Huston bring stately grace to the Fairy Queen. My wife was especially delighted to hear Loreena McKennit as the narrator and singer at the opening. The score, by the way, has a light Irish folk lilt that won't quickly date in the years to come.
I can appreciate the challenge of bringing such a beloved character into a new "franchise" and admire how satisfying it turned out -- and the next one looks promising too -- my kids can't wait.
The DVD release is not brimming with extras, making me wonder if a "special edition" looms ahead, but there is one short feature well worth mentioning. I don't know if it was made for the DVD or perhaps created as a "sizzle piece" to create the mood for the Disney Fairies marketing initiative. No matter why it was made, it was a gem in which children and adults find magic and wonder in little things like a rainbow in a lawn sprinkler or grass growing between sidewalks, as the fairies linger in the periphery.
To me that little film captures what I remember about being a kid. You can live in the suburbs, the city, the country, wherever, but kids can find wondrous things anywhere if their imaginations are cultivated. It's why, when kids are surrounded by their newly-opened presents, they often play with the big cardboard box they came in. I was happy to be reminded of that fact.
Movie Review: A good, nonviolent children's movie
Summary: 5 Stars
"Tinkerbell: The Movie" (Disney, 2008)
With this film, Disney is trying to bridge the gap between younger girls, who love the princess stories ("Cinderella," "The Little Mermaid", etc.) and older, 'tweener types who are now into edgier material, such as the Bratz and Hannah Montana franchises. The group this movie is aimed at, five-to-eight year olds, have been tilting towards the teen-oriented material, and this is an effort to bring them back into a younger mindset.
It's a welcome effort, certainly for many parents who may feel their kids are "growing up too quickly," exposed to sophisticated or violent material that isn't really appropriate to their age groups. "Tinkerbell" is a good option, one that both parents and kids will welcome: it's wholesome, formulaic, cloying at times, but generally enchanting and refreshingly nonviolent.
The story is simple... Tinkerbell the fairy is born out of a dandelion seed, and learns about her life in the bustling fairyland of Pixie Hollow (based on the extensive Pixie Hollow book series). There are plenty of magic sparkles and dazzling magical lights, a full contingent of friends -- both a set of supportive gal pals and a couple of nice, nerdy guys that she works with in the tinker shop -- and a few benign but slightly intimidating authority figures (the tinker shop boss, the fairy queen and the duke in charge of the annual spring celebration). There's only one "bad guy," a mean girl who is jealous of Tinkerbell and tries to undercut her successes, but no real violence or menace -- no one gets hit, or shot or physically menaced, and the mean girl gets her comeuppance in the end.
The story revolves around Tinkerbell's efforts to fit in. She is klutzy and insecure, yet also rebellious because she doesn't accept her role as a tinker (mechanically-inclined fairies who fix things around Pixie Hollow) and she also doesn't accept the limited role that other fairies see for the tinker group. With her natural talents and undying optimism, Tinkerbell eventually wins over her critics -- and even her own self-doubt -- and manages to win the day. Her problem-solving skills and positivity make her a welcome role model for little girls (and boys, too, if they're into fairy stories...) and bode well for a continuation of this new Disney franchise.
The 3D-ish CGI animation is reminiscent of the "Shrek" films, with a few extra sparkles and sequins thrown in for good luck... It's not quite as dazzling or satisfying as the hand-painted masterpieces of the Disney classics of the 1940s and '50s, but it's still pretty captivating. And while the music is a bit more contemporary and pop than I'd like, it's okay. Much of the score has a Celtic twist to it, in the pop crossover-y Mary Black/Capercaillie/Clannad style, and that may be of interest to families with folk music/Ren Fair leanings... Overall, it's a pretty nice film. I'm glad we got it for our little girly-girl to enjoy. (Joe Sixpack, ReadThatAgain children's media reviews)
Movie Review: A Dazzling, Stupendous New Disney Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
I just watched the new TINKER BELL movie with my family, and I must say that we are all enormously enchanted. Do you know how fairies are born? (Do you remember from Peter Pan?) Do you know how and why our special friend is named Tinker Bell? Do you know where Tinker Bell got her signature green dress? All of these questions, and more, are very satisfyingly and entertainingly answered in Disney's new animated film, which, IMHO, is destined to become a classic. This is by far one of the best films, animated or not, to come out of the Disney Studios in a long time.
In TINKER BELL, a new fairy is born and has to find her way in Neverland (although it is never called Neverland, it MUST be...the movie makes it clear that the fairies live "second star to the right and straight on `til morning..."). Along the way she makes new friends, many mistakes, and discovers who she is. TINKER BELL has a clear and important message for all children, and adults, everywhere: be happy with who you are; each one of us is special and unique, and that is a very wonderful thing. TINKER BELL ignites the imagination, and leaves you full joy and happiness.
The animation is breathtakingly lovely. The colors are rich and brilliant, the action smooth and pure, and the characterizations are charming. You can easily fall in love with every one of the characters. The voice talent was cherry-picked from some of the best. Mae Whitman, who voices Katara in the AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER series, is a perfect choice for Tink. Sweet and ingenuous, she is conveys Tinker Bell exactly as you imagine. The talents of Kristin Chenoweth, America Ferrera, Lucy Liu, Anjelica Huston, Kathy Najimy, Raven-Symone, and a host of others add to the delight of this film. As an added bonus, there was nothing scary in TINKER BELL; nothing to frighten or upset children. No one dies; no one is particularly evil. A little self-centered, yes, but that is the worst of it. This is quite simply a sweet, charming, enchanting tale that will please children of all ages for many years to come.
The ending made both my husband and me "laugh-cry" with delight. (You know what I mean, the tears were flowing, but we were laughing with glee at the same time.) At the end of the movie, Tinker Bell returns a very special object (that you just might recognize) that plays a very special song to a very special child. It made me very happy, gooey, and sentimental, and that is a wondrous thing. I am going to have this smile on my face for many days to come. And my family and I will be watching this again, very soon - a sign of a truly excellent film.
Movie Review: The dust she sprinkles still has great potency
Summary: 5 Stars
J.M. Barrie first created the character Tinker Bell to appear in a play (Peter Pan) and then in a novel (Peter and Wendy) but her worldwide popularity is no doubt largely the result of her appearance in the Disney film that first appeared in 1953, Peter Pan. Tinker Bell later became the official Disney "mascot" in versions of the television series variously known as Walt Disney Presents, Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color, The Wonderful World of Disney, and The Magical World of Disney. The point is, she has been a major entertainment figure for more than 50 years and, at one point, was so popular that she received more fan mail than all others, including Marilyn Monroe.
Of course, children could not care less about her history but they continue to be delighted by her charm and energy. Tinker Bell is by nature a creature whose greatest talent is to "tinker" with whatever needs to be repaired; rather than pots and pans, she uses fairy dust that enables children to fly. Children love to explore secret places as when following Alice down a rabbit hole, or Peter Pan and the Darling children through an open bedroom window and then high above London at night, sailing with Geppetto, Figaro, and Cleo into Monstro's stomach, or visiting Pixie Hollow where Tinker Bell and the other fairies live. As in countless other Disney features, the production values in this film are outstanding, the music is seamlessly integrated with the plot developments, and the humor is appropriately playful. Also, I think the running time (78 minutes) is just right for younger children.
No need to list the special features. Others have listed them and they do add substantial value, although the younger grandchildren with whom I see them seem interested only in the games whereas I much prefer the background material. Some animated features (including the Disney classics as well as several produced by DreamWorks and Pixar) have an almost unlimited shelf-life, retaining great appeal throughout and among various age groups. I doubt if that will be true of Tinker Bell or, for that matter, Peter Pan. However, that said, I think that those who have seen it, as they grow older, will still enjoy seeing it again and again with younger companions if only to observe their delight. For me, the fairy dust has lost none of its potency after all these years...and never will. How wonderful!
Movie Review: TinkerBell and friends delight in this visual spectacle!
Summary: 5 Stars
My 3.5 year-old daughter loves Tinker Bell and all things to do with fairies. When I heard Disney was releasing a Tinker Bell movie, I was very excited and after viewing it today, we are both delighted and happy with the movie.
The story's premise is quite simple - Tinker Bell's origins are shown [and yes, she speaks here], and she finds that her talent is to be a tinker fairy. But, Tinker Bell[Mae Whitman] doesn't take to her talent with much enthusiasm - she feels her other fairy friends such as the water fairy Silver Mist [Lucy Liu], animal fairy Fawn [America Ferra], garden/flower fairy Rosetta [Kristin Chenoweth], and light Fairy Iridessa [Raven Symone] have 'real' talents and she is also upset that the tinker fairies aren't allowed to accompany the other fairies when they take Spring to the Mainland, i.e. London. Thus begins Tink's adventures in trying to adopt the other fairies' talents, until she eventually comes to the realization that being a tinker is what Tinker Bell does best.
The story itself has a good lesson underlying it, but what's truly wonderful about this production is the beautiful animation. Though it's CGI - the fairies don't exactly come across as wooden characters - the main fairies seem truly 'alive' and their facial expressions and voices make this one of the more appealing straight-to-DVD Disney releases. It definitely makes repeated viewings a likelihood.
I also loved the extra features on the DVD:
There's a Tinker Trainer - a DVD-ROM activity
Magical Guide to Pixie Hollow - where viewers get to see different parts of the fairy world with Tinker Bell and Queen Clarion acting as guides.
Ever Wonder - discover how fairies put the 'wonder' in natural wonders, a visual delight indeed.
An all-new music video performed by Selena Gomez
Creating Pixie Hollow - see how the filmmakers created the magical fairy world
Deleted scenes
The approximate running time is 78 minutes, just long enough that little ones don't start getting squirmy:)
All in all, both my daughter and I were delighted with this latest Disney production and look forward to a future installment with Tinker Bell and her friends from Pixie Hollow!