Tinkerbell (2008)
The Tinkerbell movie tells the fascinating and heart-warming tale of the eponymous title character as she grows up in Pixie Hollow. This is where the fairies create and improve the four seasons before delivering them to the mainland.
Soon after her birth, Tinkerbell (affectionately known as Tink), discovers that she is destined to be a Tinker Fairy – that is, a fairy whose job it is to invent gadgets in order for other fairies to do their jobs.
Tink, though, is not a hundred percent satisfied with this calling, and constantly yearns for a more important job. She attempts to do something she has limited knowledge of in order to better herself, and makes rather a hash of it.
The upshot of this is that she creates an impending disaster that threatens to delay or cancel the onset of Spring, and only her strength of character and beliefs can lead her to save the season for the good of everyone.
The beauty in this movie is the CGI clarity – the images are clear and constantly defined, and the animation, although not exactly breathtaking, is slick and smooth. The view of the movie is seen from the fairy’s point of view, and therefore is a good imagination booster for young children.
And kids really do love it. The characters are obviously aimed at younger girls, but children of both sexes will b able to identify with the general tale of the movie – the triumph over adversity and the knowledge that not everything you do will be fantastic.
The voices also add to the movie – Mae Whitman, Jane Horrocks, and the Disney staple voice of Anjelica Huston really add to the overall quality.
The extras are also pretty slick, and surprisingly multiple for a DVD aimed at the younger generation. Disney has also come up trumps by making the extras more interactive – The Tinker Trainer, for example, encourages the kids to hone their skills as a fairy.
Alongside the Making of Pixie Hollow feature, the pick for me is the Ever Wonder extra, displaying how the Fairies add the “wonder” to natural aspects. It cleverly combines the CGI effects with real live action: for example, showing how the grass grows in cracks in the sidewalk.
It’s really a great movie for the kids, not just because of its heartwarming style and polished quality, but also because of the tale it tells, and the clever way it encourages younger children to use their imaginations.
