Tinker Bell (2008)
When Disney announced a string of Tinker Bell movies, exploring how the mythical accomplice of much loved character, Peter Pan came to be, being a snarky twelve year old I was, found this ridiculous. I didn't actually watch the first film until I was about 14 - on a day I was ill and my resources of entertainment were very limited. My goodness, did I think that was the biggest pile of crap I had ever watched, but bearing in mind I wasn't actually watching it to review it. I mainly hated it because that was to be expected of a fourteen year old.
However, the other day, I had a whole day off and needed something that didn't require much intelligence nor concentration to play in the background as I caught up on homework/housework/uni stuff.
The basic plot: We see a baby in a crib and a sudden spark erupts, the viewer quickly learning that fairies are born out of a child's laughter. We are then taken to Never Land, which has been transformed from two dimensional sketchy drawings of the early 1950s Disney concept of the fantasy island, into quite aesthetically pleasing CGI display. If I was looking at it from a younger persons point of view then I would have loved it, but being someone that was raised on the older style of Disney films, it did tug a nerve.
It is then revealed that when a new fairy is created, she or he has to discover their specific skill or "talents". These skills range from the slightly normal to the obscenely bizarre; Garden, Water, Animal, Ice, Dust, Confectioner (no I am not making that up) and of course Tinker (thus the creation of the name). There are at least 112 talents but they slowly become more and more ridiculous.
The now dubbed "Tinker Bell" is seen settling into life as a tinker fairy, making her fellow tinkers drool as she fashions a leaf into the iconic figure hugging, crotch length dress and creating inventions that fail to work. Then comes the main plot; she discovers she can't go to the mainland to turn winter into spring (yes, weather has nothing to do with it, it's fairies).
The rest of the film is essentially her wining about how she can't travel with the rest of the fairies, complaining about her talent, insulting her fellow tinkers, trying and failing to be somebody she isn't and ruining months of hard work for everyone in about fifteen seconds.
So, what is wrong with this film?
Firstly, what do we learn? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Another Disney movie I could compare it to is Ariel; complaining brat that throws a strop, puts main plot point in jeopardy, but is still rewarded regardless. There is no message. If there was and I just missed it, what was it supposed to be? "If you don't get what you want throw a strop and your actions will be rewarded?" No Disney. No.
 |
| (1953) |
 |
| (2008) |
Secondly, and this is probably one of my main niggles with this film, and it happens about three minutes in. TINKER BELL TALKS. "Excuse me?" I hear you say. Unfortunately you read correctly. I have to admit, a whole movie where the titular character doesn't talk would have been a stretch, but why take a character as iconic as Tinker Bell and ruin her like that. She is infamous for not speaking, with all her expression, emotions and thoughts coming through by her facial expressions and body language, which was Disney animation at its finest.
And finally, the main thing I find myself hating with so much passion is the character of Tinker Bell. First and foremost, Tinker Bell is a bit of a bitch, driven by jealousy and topped off with one hell of a sassy attitude, almost like a Disney version of Betty Boop. She even concocted a plan to kill Wendy in the 1953 film, yet in this one you see her delivering the child version a lost music box? Why movie? Why? If a child had had that much significance on you as a younger fairy, why would you want them to die a few years later? The logic is one hundred percent absent.
 |
| 1953 |
 |
| 1953 |
I understand they would want to make it more suitable for a younger audience but why take an already established character and change her to such an extent it causes so much continuity issues. Tinker Bell is someone everyone can relate some aspects of their personality to; She got jealous, she got insecure, she was sad, and her main story line was her unrequited love for someone she can never have but will always desire to. In no way did she possess the typical traits to qualify as a Disney princess, nor a Disney protagonist (apart from the climax of the movie where she saved Peters by sacrificing her own), but that worked so well for her, being so wonderfully contrasting to Wendy. The way they have changed her personality she might as well be Wendy. It almost takes away the credibility from those who originally worked on the 1953 film, those who took time to explore and develop to create this much adored character, giving her these individual traits that are rarely found in Disney films.
 |
| Fellow "Talent" Fairies |
Admittedly, it was nice to see the new take on the design, as well as seeing other fairies, delving into deeper detail of that side of Never Land that had never been explored before. It was even nice to see Tinker Bell have friends and, like I said, if I had never watched the original film, I wouldn't have anything to compare it to, and frankly, if this version of Tinker Bell was a new character, it would have been less irritable and more tolerable (only slightly). If you need something to watch whilst revising or to fall to sleep to or to keep your child entertained for seventy minutes, this would be perfect.
 |
| *brushes hatred off* |
This is my first EVER review so if you have any suggestions then please let me know :)
xxx
