Disney / Buena Vista | 2009 | 80 mins. | Rated G
Few studios put out genuinely impressive direct-to-DVD films. Most bypass the big screen because the given projects sat on the shelf too long, garnered bad industry buzz, or are projects made on the cheap in hopes of garnering some interest from the home theater crowd. One notable exception is Walt Disney. The “House of Mouse” showed with its introductory Tinker Bell film, a commitment to producing a smartly animated, ongoing series of films for younger audiences.
In this latest entry, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure, Tinker Bell (voiced by Mae Whitman) is given the opportunity by Queen Clarion (Anjelica Huston) and the Minister of Autumn (John Di Maggio) to design this year’s Fall Scepter, which with its one-of-a-kind blue moonstone at its summit, is a vital element in the production of pixie dust, a necessity for all of the fairies in Pixie Hollow to be able to fly.
When Tinker Bell accidentally shatters the moonstone after a disagreement with her best friend Terence (Jesse McCarthy), she decides to venture outside of Neverland to find a mysterious mirror (rumored to grant wishes) before her people realize their sacred ceremony—as well as the tree that supplies their precious pixie dust — is in grave danger. With the help of Blaze (Bob Bergen), a loyal firefly, and Terence (with whom she’s on the outs), Tink must save Pixie Hollow from what could be a very dark fate.
Screenwriter Evan Spiliotopoulos wisely keeps the adventure focused on the central moral of the story—real and lasting friendship is one of the greatest gifts we can be given. Even better, Evan Spiliotopoulos gets the point across using the kind of humor those 10 and under, should really enjoy. Composer Joel McNeely has also contributed several songs that add some extra umph to the film and flesh out the central themes (“It’s Time” brings in the autumn motif of the film; “Gift of a Friend” ties into the movie’s overall themes of friendship, perseverance, and responsibility), while the well crafted CGI animation draws viewers into Tinker Bell’s world. Visually, Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure is top notch. The cartoonists’ and animators attention to detail looks close to what you would see with a major motion picture; the animation is feature quality work.
Mae Whitman and Jesse McCarthy get the lion’s share of work in this installment of the “Disney Fairies” series, and they do a very good job of bringing Tink and Terence to life. Tinker Bell’s friends voiced by Kristin Chenoweth, Lucy Liu, Raven-Symoné, and Pamela Adlon have much less to do here than in the first film. The master of many voices, Jane Horrocks manages to steal all of her scenes as Fairy Mary. Eliza Pollack Zebert and Bob Bergen give voice and sound effects to Tinker Bell’s new firefly pet Blaze, making such a good impression, let’s hope the character remains in future installments.
I have little doubt that Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure will appeal to its target audience of young girls. Tinker Bell is presented as a character with flaws, but one who learns from her mistakes and matures as the days pass. Most importantly, Tinker Bell will take young viewers on an exciting (an innocent) trip to a magical land of fairies and pixie dust.
Disney delivers yet another high-quality 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer bursting with rich, colors and clarity. Inky blacks, absorbing depth, and tremendous detail abound; every fleck of fairy dust, every falling leaf are lovingly rendered. I did notice a bit more banding (particularly in the nighttime Neverland skies) than I’ve seen in other CG releases on the market, but it’s rarely a distraction. Artifacting, aliasing, ringing, and other digital issues are nowhere to be seen, and the presentation is stable and consistent throughout.
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure has a solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track. Voices are clean and perfectly prioritized, troll grumblings are deep and weighty, and the flutter of wings is crystal clear. While the LFE channel is never really challenged by anything Tink and her friends have to say, it still injects enough power into the proceedings to make its presence known. While the track isn’t nearly the most immersive on the market, viewers will likely be more than satisfied with the results.
Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure has the following special features:
• Bonus Short: Magic Guide To Pixie Hollow (HD, 4 min) – The voices of Terence and Tinker Bell take us on a tour of Pixie Hollow, showing us all of the locations that we recognize from the movie, and a few new places too.
• Scenes You Never Saw (HD, 4 min) – The ‘Tinker Bell’ movie has created scenes that looked like they were outtakes, but instead were deliberate snippets of humor created solely for place on the “outtake” reel. Some of these are really funny and enjoyable.
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 16 min) – With introductions from director Klay Hall and producer Sean Lurie there are seven fairly comprehensive deleted scenes presented in storyboard form, since they weren’t ever fully animated.
• Backstage Disney: Pixie Hollow Comes To Walt Disney World (HD, 8 min) – An inside look on what it’s like creating the Pixie Hollow garden for Epcot.
• Music Video: Demi Lovato – “The Gift Of A Friend” (HD, 3 min)
• Bonus Standard DVD Version
• BD-Live Functionality
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