“Faith, trust, and pixie dust.”
The new animated Tinkerbell origin series continues with Tinkerbell, voiced again by Mae Whitman, and her friends encountering humans for the first time. This two-disc Blu-ray version (in 1080p High Def (1.78:1)) really showcases the strong animation as a fairy-friendly girl named Lizzy, voiced by Lauren Mote, and her father, Dr. Griffiths, a nature scientist, vacation in the English countryside as the fairies gather nearby.
Silvermist, voiced by Lucy Liu; Iridessa, voiced by Raven-Symone; Rosetta, voiced by Kristin Chenoweth; Fawn, voiced by Angela Bartys; and Vidia, voiced by Pamela Adlon must help Tinkerbell along with her fellow “tinkers” Bobble, voiced by Rob Paulsen, and Clank, voiced by Jeff Bennett. Tinkerbell’s friend Terrence, voice by Jeese McCartney, and Blaze the Firefly make an appearance while the main character focus is the relationship between Tinkerbell and Lizzy.
Tinkerbell’s five fairy friends and fellow tinkers provide great moments of heroism and comedy as a skeptical scientist and Mr. Twitches the cat create some mild conflict. Screenwriters develop the characters well throughout the approximately one hour and 17 minute running time. Screenwriters Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere join forces with Groundling and Second City vets Rob Muir and Bob Hilgenberg and storywriters Bradley Raymond, who also directed this film, and Jeffrey M. Howard for a strong, fast-paced script. Simple comic touches like the “tinkers” sewing scene and a creative voice translation mechanic between Lizzy and Tinkerbell enhance the film without making older viewers roll their eyes.
These writers create a great sense of exploration and problem solving that engages viewers. Even a predictable scenario where Tinker solves some household issues for Dr. Griffiths transforms into a creative adventure that eventually leads Tinkerbell to an important decision pitting her between her world and this new human environment.
Lizzy discovers an amazing new world with Tinkerbell while trying to convince her father of fairies existence after her lifelong fantasy comes true. “Without proof, it’s just a fairy tale,” says Dr. Griffiths, well voiced by Michael Sheen. His growing sense of wonder and a little bit of fear eventually turn opportunistic as more extraordinary actions are necessary to resolve the main conflict.
The Celtic-style music soundtrack continues with a great score by returning composer Joel McNeely while special features include a music video of the new song "How to Believe" performed by Bridgit Mendler. Other quality songs include “Come Flying With Me” and "Summer's Just Begun" by Cara Dillon who also provides great film narration along with "Forgiven" by Sanctus Real. No official musical soundtrack release yet, so hopefully it is coming soon.
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