Karen Joan 2008-11-17
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
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.
