Tinker Bell Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Tinker Bell Blu-ray Movie Review

Pixie dust and Blu-ray combine to make a wonderful addition to the Disney library.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman November 2, 2008

Born of laughter, clothed in cheer, happiness has brought you here.

Since her grand animated cinematic introduction in Disney's 1953's retelling of J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan, Tinker Bell has been one of Walt Disney's most enduring, beloved characters, even assuming the role as the studio's signature fairy. Despite the character's fame over the past 55 years, her past has remained a mystery, her voice left unheard, her duties as a fairy somewhat unknown -- until now. Tinker Bell is a charming adventure of discovery, responsibility, and the importance of finding, accepting, and working in one's place in the world. It's a story that has been told before, that of a dreamer, an adventurer, a well-meaning hero or heroine that makes a mess of things before setting them straight, but perhaps not with as much charm as it is here.

Tinker Bell dreams of finding the rest of the parts she needs to build her very own Blu-ray player.

Fairy Hollow is a mystical place where nature's acts are explained by fairy magic. The early morning dew on a spider's tightly woven web, the light of a firefly, or the spots on a ladybug represent the tireless work of fairies, winged individuals not much larger than five or six inches in height, hailing from Neverland and working tirelessly as they travel between their world and ours, "the mainland," by their parlance. Changing the seasons and ensuring that nature always moves forward, a fairy's work is never done. When Neverland's newest fairy -- Tinker Bell -- arrives to much amazement and wonder, she is "assigned" the work of a Tinker -- a fairy destined to build, repair, and devise the latest and greatest of fairy technology. Tinker Bell, a dreamer, envisions for herself a role much greater than that assigned to her. She desires to see "the mainland," to travel the world and bring the joy and vitality to it that her fellow fairies enjoy each season. Despite the help of her friends, Tinker Bell cannot seem to grasp the finer nuances of a mainland fairy's work. When her efforts to impress and prove her capabilities backfire and threaten the arrival of spring, Tinker Bell must dig deep within herself, discover her true talents, and get springtime back on schedule.

In a storytelling style reminiscent of some of Walt Disney's earlier classics, audiences finally discover the magic and wonder of Tinker Bell's origins. Resembling the narrative structure of past successes like Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella, a narrator introduces the audience to the magical world they are about to enter. In Tinker Bell, Disney has created a wonderfully structured world and origins story for the famed sprite without sacrificing the integrity of the character or eschewing the snippets of the character's past as understood from previous Disney films. As told in Tinker Bell, the fairy hails from Neverland, was born of a baby's first laugh, and may enter "the mainland," in this case London, by following "the second star to the right." In keeping with the British roots of the character, many of the fairies speak with a variety of accents from the British Isles and much of the film's musical score offers a distinctly British feel. Tinker Bell also features the fairy's first interaction with Wendy, one of the primary characters from the aforementioned Peter Pan.

As entertaining fare for younger audiences, Tinker Bell is an unequivocal success. Though the story may seem stale to older audiences, children will enjoy the film's easily accessible and never in-your-face message on the importance of self-worth and self-discovery. The conflict between characters is never too dramatic and the action sequences are never too harrowing. Tinker Bell enjoys a happy medium of entertainment and enlightenment, to borrow a phrase, and the pleasing visuals, multitude of colors, well-drawn, likable characters, and fast pace make the film ideal for younger audiences. The younger audiences, and even adults, may find a certain charm in the film's incorporation of nature and manmade trinkets into its plot. While the film offers a fictional explanation for the way nature works, particularly in regards to the changing of the seasons, its easygoing nature may pique the curiosity of young viewers to learn more about the world around them. While the science behind the reality of the ideas in the film may be over the heads of most younger audience members, the fantastical elements will engage the mind and please the senses, much in the same way Santa Claus captures the hearts and minds of children. Tinker Bell's innovation, curiosity, problem solving skills, and never-say-die attitude will not only appeal to younger audiences, but again, perhaps inspire them to discover their own talents.

Tinker Bell Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Tinker Bell floats onto Blu-ray with a flawless 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. Every inch of the screen is continuously sharp and extraordinarily detailed. When two fairies take Tinker Bell through the various seasons, each locale features incredible detail that reflects the season; Tinker Bell sees for the first time in her life the fall folliage, spring flowers, snowflakes, and rainbows. The imagery is colorful, deep, pleasing to look at, and oftentimes awe-inspiring. As Tinker Bell reacts to her first journey through Pixie Hollow, her reaction to the extraordinary depth, beauty, and grandeur is only appropriate as Blu-ray fans will undoubtedly react similarly as the wonderful imagery springs to vivid life on their high definition displays. Colors are bold and pleasing with almost every shade imaginable included in its palette. As expected, another film transfered to Blu-ray directly from the original digital elements results in a pristine transfer that is demonstration-worthy material from the first shot to the last. Tinker Bell is another outstanding transfer from Disney.

Tinker Bell Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Tinker Bell spreads pixie dust in every corner of the soundstage and the result is a seamless PCM 5.1 uncompressed soundtrack that is the perfect compliment to the pristine visuals the film offers. The audio is rich and offers a fulfilling, lifelike experience; the film's orchestral score and vocal musical accompaniment are beautifully rendered, a pitch-perfect presentation. The entire soundstage comes alive in most every frame; each speaker becomes a living, bustling part of the environment of this latest Disney animated feature. Dialogue reproduction is perfcet; every syllable flows effortlessly, at just the right volume, from not only the center channel, but from wherever the characters that are speaking are located around the entire 360-degree soundfield. The track features fantastic imaging as sound flows nicely from one speaker to the next, following the on-screen action with no interruption in flow or believability. Surround speakers are put to good use, featuring both discrete effects and ambience. The track also showcases several fine segments that feature deep, rumbling bass, a stampede of thistles in chapter 11 being a wonderful example. Tinker Bell offers a slightly more reserved mix than a standard-fare action picture, but the soundtrack is nevertheless flawless in its natural, unobtrusive, state.

Tinker Bell Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Tinker Bell works its magic on Blu-ray and offers viewers a fine selection of bonus materials. Magical Guide to Pixie Hollow (1080p) is an interactive journey through Pixie Hollow with Tinker Bell and Queen Clarion. They will describe not only the various locations throughout the Hollow, but will also introduce viewers to its inhabitants, magic, and the purposes both serve. Tinker Trainer (1080p) is a series of games where players will have to collect various items off the ground, keep track of items in a fairy workshop, and assemble a contraption as seen in the film. Upon completion, players will be provided secret codes to redeem virtual jewelry at the Pixie Hollow website. Ever Wonder (1080p, 4:00) is a feature that mixes live action with animation as fairies fly through a neighborhood and add their magical touches to everyday objects. Creating Pixie Hollow (1080p, 10:11) is a brief examination of the film's origins, including the ideas behind the story, real-world influences to create a believable fairy world, and the work that went into the computer animation that brought Pixie Hollow and Tinker Bell to vivid life. Also included are a music video entitled Fly to Your Heart (1080p, 3:14) by Selena Gomez and six deleted scenes (1080p, 12:57) with optional introductions by director Bradley Raymond and producer Jeannine Roussel. 1080p trailers for Pinocchio, Bolt, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, Wall●E, and Space Buddies are included, as are advertisements for Disney's Pixie Hollow website, Disney Parks, and Disney's movie rewards program. Finally, Tinker Bell is BD-Live (Blu-ray profile 2.0) enabled. Here, users may participate in a chat with other viewers, compete in movie-themed challenges, send mail with scene-specific content, or access the Disney rewards program.

Tinker Bell Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Tinker Bell is a pleasing fairy-tale origins picture that creates a history for one of Disney's most recognized, cherished, and until now, mysterious figures. Charming, lovable, and offering an important philosophy about the value of self-worth, motivation, talent, and dedication, Tinker Bell educates while entertaining. Featuring fine animation, a new crop of likable fairy sidekicks, an easygoing story, and a sprinkling of pixie dust magic, Tinker Bell is a movie younger audiences, and fans of Peter Pan and the Tinker Bell character, will enjoy. Disney's Blu-ray release of Tinker Bell is, as expected, exceptional. Featuring flawless audio and video transfers and a nice mix of kid-centric special features and BD-Live compatibility, households with small children should not hesitate to add Tinker Bell to their Blu-ray libraries. Recommended.