I'm going to be honest here. If you'd come up to me on the street 5 years ago and told me I'd end up owning a bunch of Tinkerbell movies, there would have been trouble. I've always had a problem with Disney's dual tendencies to 1) exploit -er, "franchise" -seemingly marginal elements of its classic films (resulting in everything from Cinderella II to the Jungle Book 2), and 2) warehouse/archive its wonderful originals such as Snow White for blocks of time to create additional demand and buying frenzies. It all seemed a little too cold and calculating, particularly for a company that I want to love, and that is responsible for greats like Cinderella as well as underappreciated gems like the Sword in the Stone. Plus I'm, you know, a guy.Then I had a daughter.
See, a funny thing happens when you have kids. You just want them to be happy -and to hold onto that childish wonder as long as they can. What seemed like (and may well be) a cynical approach by Disney to mine the "resources" of its older films dissolves away when you realize how happy they still make your kids. The first Tinker Bell spinoff got bad press for similar reasons, but when kids actually watch it they LOVE it. And you know what? It's actually not that bad of a show for adults either.
The follow up, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, finds Tink back in Pixie Hollow on a brand new adventure and with some new friends to boot. Along the way we'll see some quite impressive animation effects, and even learn a lesson about personal responsibility as well. My young daughter was completely mesmerized by the story (at one point I actually snapped my fingers to get her to blink), and it was even fairly (ahem!) engrossing from my perspective as well. In a world that seems determined to make children grow up as quickly as possible, you have to give Disney credit for putting together some products that simply let them be kids. If you stop me on the street now I'll still deny ever owning these movies, but at home I'll be holding my daughter as she giggles her way back to Pixie Hollow for the umpteenth time.
Though my enjoyment of the film could not possibly have matched the pleasure I took in watching my granddaughter's face glow with joy, gasp with dismay and dissolve into laughter as SHE watched the film, I'm happy to admit that I darned well liked it, too.
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure in a genuine delight. Moms, dads and grandparents should be entertained right along with the little ones. The story of friendship, arguments, placing blame and taking responsibility is a very good one for the target audience (and the rest of us as well, for that matter). But above and beyond the story, what really stands out for me in this film is the incredible amount of creativity that lies behind it. The Imagineers have done a wonderful job "tinkering" with the natural elements of Pixie Hollow to make everything: clothing, tools, everyday items, machines to complete each fairy's work, etc. It's so much fun to see what they come up with. My favorite touch was the cricket clock.
I also enjoyed getting a chance to go beyond Pixie Hollow and see a little more of the world surrounding Neverland. I liked seeing more of Terence, got a big kick out of the wise owl (there are more scenes with the owl in the extras), loved the calla lily trumpets and found the trolls very amusing.
Extras: Though I'm sure she wasn't getting all the jokes, the "bloopers" had both my granddaughter and me laughing out loud. I was also happy to see some of the beautiful drawings from In the Realm of the Never Fairies: Secret World of Pixie Hollow, The (Disney Fairies), which I absolutely loved, used in one of the other bonus features, "The Magical Guide to Pixie Hollow".
I've heard that two or three additional Tinker Bell films are planned, with the next being Tinker Bell & The Great Fairy Rescue. I can only hope my granddaughter anticipates the coming films with the same enthusiasm she anticipated this one and that I'll be with her as she views each of them for the first time so that I can watch her face reflect their magic as well.
Happily recommended.
Note: Even if purchasers don't currently have a Blu-ray player, they might want to consider purchasing the Blu-ray Combo Pack (Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (Two Disc + BD Live) [Blu-ray]) rather than this DVD because it includes both the Blu-ray disc AND the DVD. That way, should they get a Blu-ray player sometime down the road, they would have the Blu-ray version already. (I only paid about $5 more for the combo pack, which I thought was a good buy.)
Buy Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (Two-Disc Blu-ray/ DVD Combo) (2009) Now
I had extremely low expectations for the first Tinker Bell (BD Live) [Blu-ray] but was very pleasantly surprised. Still, I wasn't quite sure that this particular "franchise" needed a sequel. So, with trepidation I put this Blu-ray into my player. "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure" actually blows away its predecessor. Sure, the story is a tad predictable, but with fantastic new characters (including Blaze the firefly, and the two Trolls at the Troll Gate), returning favorites (Garden fairy Rosetta whose bubbly personality is pure Dolly Parton), and top-notch animation, this movie will be a joy to watch for all ages.The story: Tinker Bell is entrusted with the creation of the scepter for the Autumn Revelry. Her friend Terence offers to help, but his micro-managing of Tink sets her off, and in her anger, she accidentally breaks the precious and rare moonstone, threatening the life of everyone in Pixie Hollow. Lashing out at Terence, the friendship between these two fairies is jeopardized, and Tink must find a way to fix the moonstone...and the friendship. The rest you'll have to watch on your own; this synopsis is greatly simplified, but I do not want to give away any spoilers.
On Tink's journey to repair the moonstone, she is joined by Blaze, a firefly. He is absolutely adorable, and given plenty of spunk and character by the Disney animation team. The animation team deserves a plethora of kudos; on Blu-ray this movie will take your breath away; especially the scene in the Fairy Tale Theater. The lighting effects are amazing; absolutely beautiful. All throughout the movie there are many visual touches that will show that the people behind this movie took special care to elevate this many notches above the usual straight-to-video movie. Hidden Mickeys, Skull Rock, and plenty of other details that bear repeated viewings. The Celtic-style music is back, but I feel it is blended much better into the movie than it was in the original film. I really can't say enough good things about this movie.
SPECS:
Video: 1080p High Def (1.78:1) * Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio (48 kHz/24-bit), French & Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital; subtitles: English SDH, French & Spanish. While the audio is crystal clear and pleasing to listen to, there are really no dynamic uses of the surround that seemed memorable to me.
EXTRAS:
Backstage Disney
Tinker Bell Comes to Disney World (8:20): Both Disneyland in Anaheim & Disney World in Orlando have Pixie Hollow areas, but this featurette focues on the Orlando version which has beautiful topiaries and 3-dimensional recreations of objects from this movie. With careful attention to colors and characterization from the movie, garden designer Carla Schuman and team discuss how it all came together.
Deleted Scenes (16:00): Includes intros by Director Klay Hall and Producer Sean Lurie
Alternate Scenes (4:00): These are pretty much manufactured bloopers that are fun to watch, including gaffes, some bodily function jokes, as well as a few other mildly funny/amusing bits.
Bonus Short (4:46): This is a magical guide to the Autumn area of Pixie Hollow, led by Terence & Tinker Bell. Pleasant to watch, it does appear to be more of an advertisement for Disney Books than a true short. Even the animation style is a little static and looks more like a 2-dimensional book illustration with simple movement than an animated film.
"The Gift of a Friend" music video, performed by Disney Channel's Demi Lovato
Previews include Dumbo (70th Anniversary Edition on Bluray in Spring 2010), The Princess & The Frog, Tinker Bell & The Great Fairy Rescue (the next installment!), Blu-ray/High Def Disney movies, Santa Buddies-The Legend of Santa Paws (with Christopher Lloyd), Ponyo, G-Force, Beauty & The Beast (Diamond Edition in High Def), and Disney on Ice-Worlds of Fantasy (including Tinker Bell & Friends)
FINAL WORDS: You'd have to be extremely curmudgeonly not to enjoy this film and appreciate the high quality of animation and characterization!
Read Best Reviews of Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (Two-Disc Blu-ray/ DVD Combo) (2009) Here
Of the three Tinkerbell movies, this is the last one my 3 yr old daughter saw. After seeing the other two, she was expecting lots of the 6 main fairies Tink, Rosetta, Silvermist, Fawn, Iridessa, and Vidia. This movie is heavily Tink/Terence centric. The other fairies only have cameos, while Vidia (her favorite) doesn't have a single line. There's lots of frustration, crankiness and downright anger from Tink, which she works through and eventually feels remorse for, but my daughter doesn't really get that Tink is under undue pressure to save the ENTIRE Hollow. She just sees that she yells and stomps her feet and throws fits throughout the movie. There are some cute moments and lessons learned, so it's not an overall bad movie. I would just recommend the others over this one.Want Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (Two-Disc Blu-ray/ DVD Combo) (2009) Discount?
I had extremely low expectations for the first Tinker Bell but was very pleasantly surprised. Still, I wasn't quite sure that this particular "franchise" needed a sequel. So, with trepidation I put this disc into my player. "Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure" actually blows away its predecessor. Sure, the story is a tad predictable, but with fantastic new characters (including Blaze the firefly, and the two Trolls at the Troll Gate), returning favorites (Garden fairy Rosetta whose bubbly personality is pure Dolly Parton), and top-notch animation, this movie will be a joy to watch for all ages.The story: Tinker Bell is entrusted with the creation of the scepter for the Autumn Revelry. Her friend Terence offers to help, but his micro-managing of Tink sets her off, and in her anger, she accidentally breaks the precious and rare moonstone, threatening the life of everyone in Pixie Hollow. Lashing out at Terence, the friendship between these two fairies is jeopardized, and Tink must find a way to fix the moonstone...and the friendship. The rest you'll have to watch on your own; this synopsis is greatly simplified, but I do not want to give away any spoilers.
On Tink's journey to repair the moonstone, she is joined by Blaze, a firefly. He is absolutely adorable, and given plenty of spunk and character by the Disney animation team. The animation team deserves a plethora of kudos; on Blu-ray (good reason to upgrade from DVD!) this movie will take your breath away; especially the scene in the Fairy Tale Theater. The lighting effects are amazing; absolutely beautiful. All throughout the movie there are many visual touches that will show that the people behind this movie took special care to elevate this many notches above the usual straight-to-video movie. Hidden Mickeys, Skull Rock, and plenty of other details that bear repeated viewings. The Celtic-style music is back, but I feel it is blended much better into the movie than it was in the original film. I really can't say enough good things about this movie.
SPECS:
Video: Widescreen, 1.78:1 * Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound, French & Spanish; subtitles: English, French & Spanish. While the audio is crystal clear and pleasing to listen to, there are really no dynamic uses of the surround that seemed memorable to me.
EXTRAS:
Backstage Disney
Tinker Bell Comes to Disney World (8:20): Both Disneyland in Anaheim & Disney World in Orlando have Pixie Hollow areas, but this featurette focues on the Orlando version which has beautiful topiaries and 3-dimensional recreations of objects from this movie. With careful attention to colors and characterization from the movie, garden designer Carla Schuman and team discuss how it all came together.
Deleted Scenes (16:00): Includes intros by Director Klay Hall and Producer Sean Lurie
Alternate Scenes (4:00): These are pretty much manufactured bloopers that are fun to watch, including gaffes, some bodily function jokes, as well as a few other mildly funny/amusing bits.
Bonus Short (4:46): This is a magical guide to the Autumn area of Pixie Hollow, led by Terence & Tinker Bell. Pleasant to watch, it does appear to be more of an advertisement for than a true short. Even the animation style is a little static and looks more like a 2-dimensional book illustration with simple movement than an animated film.
"The Gift of a Friend" music video, performed by Disney Channel's Demi Lovato
Previews include Dumbo (70th Anniversary Edition on Bluray in Spring 2010), The Princess & The Frog, Tinker Bell & The Great Fairy Rescue (the next installment!), Blu-ray/High Def Disney movies, Santa Buddies-The Legend of Santa Paws (with Christopher Lloyd), Ponyo, G-Force, Beauty & The Beast (Diamond Edition in High Def), and Disney on Ice-Worlds of Fantasy (including Tinker Bell & Friends)
FINAL WORDS: You'd have to be extremely curmudgeonly not to enjoy this film and appreciate the high quality of animation and characterization!
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