Monday, November 30

Tinkerbell Movies

I know those Tinker Bell fans and parents to little girls already seen these films, but for others that haven't, I thought I'd write a report on the two films, as they both have aired on the Disney Channel. The two TinkerBell films: Tinker Bell and Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure are not bad at all. While they had production problems, fixed by John Lasseter of Pixar--Brittany Murphy was the original voice but with stopping production on one story [which was going to be a trilogy with the male fairies living separate]. I like the final product, it has good storytelling. It has nice and simple arcs. The big plot is that Ms. Bell accepting who she is and her life talents.

When her fairy friends were introduced--and that they each have an element [water, flowers, etc.], I thought they were lame and just cookie-cutter. But the movie introduces them well. The fiaries are in charge of the four seasons and male and female fairies co-exist, just like any other tribe. They are equal in fact. There are 'Season' ministers, two of which are male--Fall and Spring. Tinker Bell's 'love interest' or just friend, Terrence is a fairy dust keeper played by Jesse McCartney. They ration out the fairy dust. Tinker Bell can get carried away, she often learns her lesson after stating it to someone else and realizes her downfall. I hate when young heronies break down and cry at any sight of trouble, she does, but briefly. She is a strong character, she makes mistakes and is not 'perfect' or like Snow White, she's much like a 90's disney cartoon heronie, like Gadget of "Chip & dale's Rescue Rangers" or Goslyn of "Darkwing duck."

Yes, there is the token 'bad girl' or girl with attitude, Vidia [played by the talented voice actress Pamela Adlon], who gets more attention in the third movie Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue. Tinker's friends are rounded out by That's So Raven's Raven-Symone as the yellow light-powered African-American fairy Iridessa, Ugly Betty's America Ferrera and later Angela Bartys as the orange animal-caring Latina fairy Fawn, Pushing daisies' Kristin Chenoweth as Rosetta, the gardening fairy Rosetta and Lucy Liu as Silvermist, the Asian water fairy. Lucy Liu and Kristin Chenoweth are older than the other fairy friend voice actresses Raven, America, and Mae Whitman [who is a great choice as Tinker Bell, she was in short-lived series ABC family "State of Grace."] but they mix well. Her friends don't seem forced to mix but they slowly meld well. But they don't get much characterization in either movie.

Terrence does get characterization in the second movie. The animation is dazzling and they are both beautiful movies. They don't sing in the movie, but the songs are nice, not distracting, they have an Irish jig inspiration.

Source:
The tragey of TinkerBell Part 1
The tragedy of TinkerBell Part 2