So what's that saying about "idle hands"?
In the case of Tinkerbell, it means a trip to see the humans. Sure, doing so is the fairy version of talking about Fight Club, but it's one little peek.
One little peek turns into a big adventure for Tink as she and Vidia come across a little girl named Lizzy and her father. It turns out Lizzy is fanatical about fairies and even constructed a house for them in hopes of meeting one. Tink, curious about humans, decides to check the house out. Vidia, on the other hand, decides to trap Tink in the house to teach her a lesson. There's a reason fairies are supposed to stay away from humans and Vidia thinks its time for Tink to find out why.
Bad idea.
With Tink trapped, Vidia heads back to get help. As Tink discovers, Lizzy is a harmless girl in need of a friend. All Vidia sees is Lizzy's cat and her father's (a well-known Lepidopterist) collection of butterflies pinned to the walls. Vidia panics and gets the other fairies together to mount a rescue.
Meanwhile, Tink and Lizzy become friends. There's a language barrier to get over, but the two manage to fill up Lizzy's field journal. Lizzy is eager to show her research to her father, but he's a man of science and doesn't have time for his daughter's stories.
Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue is the third, most enjoyable, Fairy-centric movie I've reviewed. It's great to see the series grow from a silly, girl-targeted movie about fairies into something of substance. It is the next great Disney film? No. But there's a heart to this particular tale that is at least reaching for something more than a way to move more Fairy-branded merchandise.
At its core, The Great Fairy Rescue is story about believing in something. It's a theme "adult" movies have struggled with, so its great to see a film aimed directly at young girls do something with it. Sure, it's an overly simplified and silly solution - but we're talking about a movie where a father questions how his daughter managed to get footprints on the ceiling.
Besides, the aim isn't to make viewers question the nature of belief; we're just trying to entertain.
And entertain it does.
I don't have any kids (well, kids that I'm responsible for), but if I did, this is the sort of movie I'd love for them to watch. It's fun and light-hearted, but not in a condescending way. It's a fun adventure with a strong female at the helm. I love how Disney is turning Tink into their "Girl Power" figure. It's a good fit. She's smart, inquisitive and best of all, a fun character.
The Great Fairy Rescue is fun, but not perfect. This is still a Fairies movie, so everyone needs to get into the act. While the Tink/ Lizzy/ father relationship stuff is great, the film slows down when the other Fairies show up. I get why they're around, but I thought they took away from some really great scenes that, as the deleted scenes reveal, would have strengthened the core story. I see director Brad Raymond's points in the commentary about why some scenes were cut, but we're going to have to disagree.
The Great Fairy Rescue comes packed with fun extras as well. Kids will absolutely love the "Fairy Field Guide." The feature follows Lizzy's guide from the movie and asks players to recall the facts Lizzy collects about fairies. I'll probably lose some credibility by saying this, but I actually filled the entire guide out. What can I say -- it was fun!
Though not a "feature" per se, my favorite extra was the look at Tangled. Beyond TRON: Legacy, Tangled is probably the only movie left this year I'm really looking forward to. The look is short, but does a great job at introducing the story and stars, Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi.
I could go on about Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue, and believe me I've been talking about it with anyone who will listen. Most of my comments have been met with half-hearted, "Well, glad you enjoy it..." comments, but I encourage anyone at least a little curious to give The Great Fairy Rescue a look.
