September 28, 2010

We always knew that Tinker Bell had made friends with the Lost Boys, no not those ones, and Wendy, Peter and John. But what if there were others before them? In Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue, newly released on Blu-Ray, we find out that answer in the form of a little girl named Lizzy. In this adventure, Tinker Bell ventures farther into the human world as she spends a summer on the main land. Only in true Tinker Bell fashion her tinkering ways get her into trouble and it just may put the rest of the fairy world in great danger.

However this time around Tink isn't the only fairy to blame for the trouble that ensues. Vidia, still stuck up as ever, is to blame for Tinker Bell being captured by Lizzy. However unlike a certain clock fearing pirate, Lizzy is a kind captor and is fascinated by Tink. With the help of our beloved fairy, Lizzy learns the true nature of fairies and how they help change everything around the human world.

While Tinker Bell is making friends, Vidia and the other fairies set out to free Tink from becoming mounted on the wall in Lizzy's father's den. In their own little adventure they must travel across a rain soaked field to get to Lizzy's house. This becomes a difficult task, but with a little faith, trust and pixie dust they can make it though. And you never know; Vidia might just lighten up a little.

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue is my new favorite movie in the Disney Fairies franchise. Not only is the series getting better with each film but it's also slowly progressing towards one of my favorite Disney franchises. The switch from the fairy world of Pixie Hollow to the British countryside is something new for the series and I think the folks at Disney did it remarkably. The story is much darker, atmospherically and in the writing, but it grounds the story with a sense of realism that the film needed. It's just the right amount of fantasy and real world elements to make it worthy of being a Disney film.

Filmmaking: 9
Director Bradley Raymond takes Tinker Bell into a whole new direction with Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue. The story still retains that very magical feeling while adding the humanity aspect to the mix. The humans, Lizzy and her father, are going through what most of us have dealt with at some stage in our lives. The child wanting the attention of their parents and the parents too busy to give them the love they need. The way that Raymond and the folks at Disney wove their story and that of our favorite fairies together is quite special and makes you feel good after seeing how things turn out. I also really like that Fawn, Rosetta,Iradessa and Silvermist have a more prominent role in this film than the previous films. It's nice to see them all again.

Visuals: 10
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue is the best-looking fairy feature to date. The magical world of the fairies looks better than ever this time around. The detail to the fairies clothing and hair look really good, especially when then they are completely soaked. Lizzy, her father and the few random humans that the fairies run across look pretty believable as well. One of the things that really stood out for me in Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue in all its 1080p glory is the level of detail of the environments.

The textures for the metal, wood and glass in the movie are amazing. You can see the pores on the metal, the grain in the wood and the scratches on a piece of broken glass. Unlike the previous movies there really hasn't been any real atmospheric weather effects. Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue features rain effects that are quite amazing. The rain soaked rocks are gorgeous but not nearly as much as the rain effects on our friends Fawn, Iradessa, Rosetta, Silvermist, Vidia, Clank and Bobble.

Sound: 9
The previous films featured a largely Celtic inspired musical score to compliment its fantasy themes. The Great Fairy Rescue still has that same Celtic element to it but adds a bit of a real world edge to it. Most of the film's music including the narration and opening theme as well as music for the closing credits is done by Cara Dillon, an Irish folk singer. Her work in the film is something else, a real pleasure to listen to. Mae Whitman and all of the voice cast return to deliver another high caliber performance that is a joy to listen to. I really liked the interaction between Vidia and Tink. Vidia's brash comment about her mishaps being completely blown off by Tink's curiosity was priceless. The whole film had little moments throughout like this and it’s why I enjoyed it so much. Kind of reminds me of that "light" joke in the first movie.

Value: 4
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue on Blu-Ray also comes packaged with a standard definition copy of the film presented in 1.78:1 widescreen and features English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Both versions of the film contain special features that include a music video by Disney’s newest singer Bridgit Mendler. There is even a behind the scenes look at a fairy house designing contest that one lucky girl won. Her entry was later built and added to Pixie Hollow at Epcot. Viewers will also be able to test their fairy knowledge with the help of Tinker Bell in the Fairy Field Guide Builder. You can even get a sneak peak at Disney's Tangled coming to a theater near you in the future.

Overall: 9.5
Disney creates another fairy filled masterpiece with the release of Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue on Blu-Ray. The story is entertaining, the music is wonderful and the animation work just keeps getting better and better. I really liked the details and effects such as the rain. It's nice to see that they changed the formula up a bit. This is definitely worth every penny on Blu-Ray and a must have for any family.