Customer Reviews

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In the third Tinker Bell film ("Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue"), I found myself surprised yet again at the high quality and entertaining quality of this straight to video release. I also found myself puzzled (again) why this film didn't hit theaters first. Going by the preview trailers, the next installment, "Tinker Bell and The Mysterious Winter Woods," might be different, since it is advertised as an "all new movie event." But back to this movie...

The story is about Lizzy, a young girl whose father has little time for her. She is fascinated by fairies, whereas her father is caught up in facts and scientific research. Through a twist of fate, Lizzy meets Tinker Bell and they become fast friends. Tink sees that Lizzy's father is not giving her the love and attention that she needs, so she helps Lizzy put together a book of facts on fairies, thinking that it might appeal to her dad. Meanwhile, Tinker Bell's fairy friends go on a journey to rescue Tinker Bell from the human world, putting themselves in grave danger. Can Lizzy catch the attention of her dad? Will Tink's friends be able to "rescue" her without getting caught by Lizzy's dad and used for research?

The film is somewhat predictable, and the plot motivations are fairly standard. Yet...the high quality of animation, excellent character development, and quick pacing of the movie make it extremely enjoyable, especially for kids. With a smaller group of fairies in this movie, it is easier to get to know each one and they are all filled with plenty of personality. Lizzy is easy to like as well; her father on the other hand is very difficult to bond with. His personality transformation at the end of the film comes too quickly and is somewhat difficult to believe. This was the only fault I found with the storyline. There are plenty of thrilling sequences for children, and they will quickly be dazzled, imagining themselves in Lizzy's place. For those that were annoyed that Tinker Bell was given a voice in this series, this movie "explains" away the issue by still showing her as "silent" with humans, with her voice translating to the tinkling of bells. HIGHLY recommended.

TECHNICAL SPECS: 2.35:1, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound (DVD) DTS-HD (Blu-ray). Languages and subtitles are English, Spanish, and French. The picture itself is lush and rendered with amazing details. The flight sequences around London are particularly thrilling. The sound is pleasing, but didn't really notice that the speakers got a dynamic workout.

Previews:
1. Disney Blu-ray/Combo Packs
2. "Beauty & The Beast" Diamond Edition Blu-ray
3. "Tangled": this preview is definitely designed to appeal to young boys, focusing on the hero, Flynn Rider, instead of Rapunzel.
4. Disney Movie Rewards
5. "The Search For Santa Paws"
6. Anti-Piracy message starting Tinker Bell
7. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua II" on Blu-ray/DVD.
8. Disney Parks
9. Disney Nature: "Oceans" and "The Crimson Wing"
10. "Toy Story 3" on Blu-ray/DVD
11. "Lion King" Diamond Edition
12. "Tinker Bell & The Mysterious Woods" - All new movie event

BONUS FEATURES

1. "Tangled": Exclusive Sneak Peak (3:39) - this short look behind the scenes of the movie based on the "Rapunzel" story really plays up the action angle so as not to alienate the male audience from watching it. Directors Nathan Greno & Byron Howard talk about how "Tangled" has something for everyone: action, romance, humor, etc. Vocal leads are Mandy Moore (Rapunzel) and Zachary Levi (Flynn Rider). Looks like it could be fun.

2. Deleted Scenes (14:44) - with intros by Director Brad Raymond and Producer Helen Kalafatic. Usually, the deleted scenes don't do much for me, but this time, I found myself wishing that some of them had been kept.

A. "A Real Live Fairy": Flashback showing Lizzy's dad as a boy meeting a fairy and the consequences. Although this scene is a little dark, getting this background on Lizzy's dad would have fleshed out his character much better and made some of his actions more believable.

B. & C. "Lizzy's Bedtime Story": shown in both storyboard and grayscale versions, this is also a very cute sequence.

D."Cat Attack": this sequence is fully rendered in color, and shows my new favorite character, Mr. Twitches the cat. He is a loveable semi-villain from the movie that left me wanting more.

Interesting note: in the intros to the deleted scenes, it's stated that these movies are all prequels to the "Peter Pan" animated classic.

3. Music & More: "How To Believe" with Bridgit Mendler (3:02) - fun music video with cute Bridgit performing this lighthearted number.

4. Backstage Disney: "Design a Fairy House" (1:52) - Brad Raymond talks about the contest that challenged children to design a Fairy House. Zoe Periale from California was picked the winner and got to go to WDW in Florida, where she was able to build the house she had sketched out and display it at the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival.

5. Games & Activities: Fairy Field Guide Builder - Most of the games are boring snoozers. Children will enjoy this fairly easy to figure out primer on Fairies. Definitely one of the best games on a Disney video that I have seen.

OVERALL RATING: This one is a sure-fire hit for the children and also very enjoyable for adults.

We bought this for our 2 year old daughter! She loves the other two Tinkerbell movies. She didn't know it was coming so once we got out to the mail box she was thrilled! We of course opened it and watched it right away. It was very cute the story was touching and it had plenty of action. I enjoyed how you really got to see the other faries personalities not just Tinkerbell. I got quite a few laughs out of it as did my husband. It really is a great movie and we're already looking forward to the other one coming out Fall 2012.

My fairy-loving 5 year old daughter and I have adored Disney's Tinkerbell series of movies, and TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE is no exception. This movie has all the charm and joy of its two predecessors, and once again, I have to wonder why these movies have been released straight to DVD. With some of the most gorgeous animation I have ever seen, top-notch voice talent, sincere and honest messages, and a healthy dose of famed Disney magic, TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE (along with TINKER BELL and TINKER BELL AND THE LOST TREASURE) would have made a mint in the theatres. These movies make you believe, and really, that is all any of us want.

Tinker Bell is back, and this time she and her friends are spending the summer on the human mainland. Tink is under strict orders to stay away from the humans. While fairies do a great many things for humans and the human world, rule number one is that humans do not know that fairies really exist. But the fairies never reckoned on a lonely little girl like Lizzy, before. You see, Lizzy LOVES fairies; she is one of the few humans who truly believes. Lizzy builds a fairy house, hoping upon hope to entice a fairy into being her friend (hmmm...sounds like someone else I know!). Well, guess who can't resist! Tink ends up befriending Lizzy and teaching her workaholic father lessons about trusting in his daughter and believing with his heart, instead of his head.

TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE is sweet, innocent, and stunning; a delightful tale told by outstanding talent. The brilliantly superb (I need more superlatives!) animation brings the fairies to life - they seem to fly out of the screen - and the voice actors are some of the very best in the business: Mae Whitman, who voices Katara in the AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER series, continues to be a perfect choice for Tink. Charming and sincere, she is conveys Tinker Bell perfectly. The talents of Kristin Chenoweth, Lucy Liu, Jessie McCartney, Raven-Symone, and a host of others add to the pleasure of this film. And, as in the previous two films, there is nothing particularly scary in TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE; nothing that will frighten or upset children. No one dies; no one is particularly evil; there is no bad language. From start to finish, TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE is cute, appealing, and captivating. I was grinning from ear to ear during the entire film, and my wee one sat peacefully on my lap throughout. In fact, she has already rapturously watched this movie five times. And mom hasn't minded a bit.

Disney has a perfect hat trick with these three Tinker Bell movies, including TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE, and a fourth one is on its way. Let's hope they can turn that hat trick into a grand slam home run. Neither my daughter nor I can wait for the next movie; we are already breathless with anticipation. In the mean time, though, I think we will go build a fairy house on the back porch. You never know who might come to visit. After all, all you have to do is believe. MOST HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This quiet, cute movie is about a little girl named Lizzie with a high imagantion and a gift for storytelling. she's so perfect and dainty and imaginative that she and her father spend summer break in a nice meadow. There, she meets a fairy named tinkerbell and they become close friends. Even the little girl says, "I just wanted to be you're friend." The two share laughter together and even life, and it's sad when Tinkerbell and leaves and says, "Bye, Lizzie." She'll never forget her. Underneath the cozyness of the house, there's a sadness to it. Lizzie had a crap childhood, her father is a loser and she's only in love with fairies. She lives life to the fullest and is a loner. Lizzie flys to london with Tinkerbell where she meets her father there and they fly back to the cottage together. They reconncet. meanwhile, the other fairies try to rescue Tinkerbell. There plan doesn't go so well. It's up to Tinkerbell to save the day. She and Vidia have tea together at the end. Lizzie loves fairies, and has an entire library of them. I love this film, and it's about the perfect little girl. I love the other Tinkerbell films, too. They're really cool. It's a movie girls will want to watch again and again. I enjoyed it.

The movie is approximately 77 minutes long, and is a basic story about faith and friendship. Both virtues and values that you can't really get enough of. The tale takes place before Tinkerbell meets Wendy and the Lost Boys of "Peter Pan," and focuses on her meeting a young girl named Lizzy. The two become friends, while Tinkerbell's fairy friends plan a rescue, not knowing that Tinkerbell has befriended the human girl they believe captured her.

The adversaries in the movie are the girl's cat who would like a tasty fairy lunch, and the girl's father who collects, to the fairy's dismay, butterflies. My little girl really liked when Tinkerbell got mad at him when he didn't believe. But when he grabs a fairy, the others, including Tinkerbell must switch from rescuing Tinkerbell from the Lizzy, to rescuing their friend from Lizzy's father.

Besides the movie, the Blu-Ray/DVD also contains a number of special features. These include previews of other Disney movies, deleted scenes, a music video of the song "How To Believe" performed by Disney Channel's Bridgit Mendler, and a couple of activities: Design a Fairy House and Fairy Field Guide Builder.

I sort of relate this movie for kids like the B action flicks I enjoy. I often watch straight to DVD action movies, and many of them I enjoy and find to be of very good quality, even though they didn't play in the theaters. This movie is the same. It didn't play in the theaters, but it was still very well done. My little girl really enjoyed it, and I thought it was good to watch too.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks.

I am thirty one years old and I simply loved it. My husband liked it too and he's my age. I guess you can never be too old to appreciate the land of fairies, stunning graphics and a story that manages to capture your heart. I wish I was apart of the cast. :) They're so lucky that they get to be apart of such a wonderful production!

This movie is great. I bought it for my 3 year old granddaughter and she was so excited. She loves princess movies and this one mesmerized her. She sat through the whole movie and asked to watch it again. The animation and picture quality are excellent. I am glad Disney continues to offer high quality entertainment for all ages.

The overall story is as described by Amazon. The animation is very nice. The sound is fine. My 5-year-old has watched it a few times and the 10-year-old only once. I watched most of it, but it is not as entertaining for adults as some of the other Disney pictures. Both of my children are girls, and I would not recommend this to a non-fairy lover. It is a cute story, with the preoccupied father as my only complaint--this is one stereotype I wish we could overcome: Some dads (maybe even most) are involved with their children more than with themselves. It is a movie worth watching for the younger female set, though it does not have the "I want to see it again" factor from my girls that I have seen in movies like "Mulan" or "Sleeping Beauty."

I absolutely loved watching this with my young daughter. It's just delightful, colorful, and fun! What is also very nice is there's nothing scary in it-just some peril, but a lil' peril makes for a good story. Highly recommended for young kids and girls of all ages. :)

Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue is the third in the computer animated series and for our family the best yet. The quality of the animation, storytelling and music is far more than what direct-to-video tends to offer. Four generations of our family have all watched and loved the story. It entertains the children but never bores Mom and Dad. Great grandma may love it more than the kids, what more can you ask? It teaches the value of friendship, family and the need to never stop believing in the unbelievable.