Usually, a spin-off such as this would only appear as a straight-to-DVD movie, but due to the amazing sales in the UK, Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue will see Peter Pan's favourite fairy get a cinematic release; the first of the Disney fairies to be granted one.
Tinkerbell, as any Pan fan will know, is a mischievous but resourceful individual who always manages to get herself into trouble. On the first day of Fairy Camp, Tink (Mae Whitman) gets distracted by a passing car and goes to investigate, dragging friend Vidia (Pamela Adlon) along for the ride. The car belongs to Dr. Griffiths (Michael Sheen) and his daughter Lizzie (Lauren Mote) who accidentally captures Tinkerbell.
Vidia sees that Dr. Griffiths has a large butterfly collection and fears that Tink will also end up in a display case so she races back to Fairy Camp to enlist the other fairies, Rosetta (Kristin Chenoweth), Silvermist (Lucy Liu) and Iridessa (Raven-Symoné), to help rescue her. Luckily for Tink, Lizzie loves fairies and the two have a great day together but what will happen when Dr. Griffiths finds her? The animation isn't particularly impressive but it definitely has touches of Disney flair, particularly in the charming pastel colouring and the storyline based around a single parent family – the Disney special. The film's heart revolves around the relationship between Lizzie and a father who has no time for her and dismisses her love of fairies as fantasy. Michael Sheen's voice takes on sweeter tones as a busy father whereas Lauren Mote comes across as almost too English – there's more than a little stage school training here.
Kristin Chenoweth lends her considerable vocal talents to Rosetta, the Southern Belle fairy who doesn't like to get her hands dirty. I would have thought that a trained singer like Chenoweth would be included in the soundtrack but for some reason the director opted for the distracting tones of Disney brat Bridgit Mendler – more than a little oversight.
With a running time of just 75 minutes, it might be a tad too short for the big screen but I'd definitely recommend a DVD purchase as it's short and sweet enough to keep the kids entertained at home, but might not be worth a trip to the cinema. It's fairly simplistic stuff but young children will get a dose of humour, action and heart without the trappings of a boring Summer blockbuster.
