The Pirate Fairy (2014) Reviews

• Great movie for young children - a positive addition to the Tinker Bell universe

  Lebech2014-03-05

  I have been a fan of the Tinker Bell franchise, since I started watching them with my children a few years ago. There are relatively few high-quality animated movies that, like this one, are appropriate for very young children, so we look forward to each new installment. The Tinker Bell universe adds a little Pixar magic to the original Disney Peter Pan universe story and brings it up to date. Compare it to the original Disney Peter Pan movie, and it is striking how aged and inappropriate for young children that one feels. I watched the movie in the cinema during the winter holiday with my daughter (4 1/2 years) and son (3 years). They were glued to the silver screen the hole time and loved it just as much as the other installments. My daughter now wants to be a fairy pirate like Zarina. I enjoyed it, too. I have watched the other four Tinker Bell movies, and it actually manages to renew the universe and bring in new three-dimensional characters like Zarina who tests the limits of Pixie Hollow even more than Tinker Bell. One of the interesting things in the movie is how they have started to bring in a little more of the original Peter Pan universe in an unexpected way. I would not be surprised to see even more of this in the next installment. I also liked the score, where they added a few pirate songs to the always beautiful fairy songs (I should mention that I watched the Danish-language version of the movie). Summing up, a great movie for young children that adds positively to the charming Tinker Bell universe.

• A little gem of a film that deserves more publicity than it seems to be getting.

  geoffgee2014-02-24

  I'm sure anyone who is a dyed-in-the-wool follower of the Tinkerbell series of movies (like me) will be more than delighted with the latest instalment - Tinkerbell and the Pirate Fairy. A year ago, Tinkerbell and the Secret of the Wings totally blew me away. (So much so that I was extolling that film's praises for several months afterwards.) Well, I'm delighted to say that the same thing (extolling of praises) is pretty much certain to happen with me about this film too! Tinkerbell and the Pirate Fairy simply brims with delightful characters old and new. The plot is superb. Original, intelligent, witty and well constructed (ie there are no discrepancies in the narrative and all loose ends are satisfyingly tied up by the end of the movie). Zarina, the new fairy, is a wonderful addition to the cast. In many ways Zarina's particular 'talent' drives her to behave in ways we have become used to associating with Tinkerbell herself - ie she is inquisitive, takes risks and feels herself impelled to go beyond Pixie Hollow's previously established (and generally accepted) boundaries. I liked that there was plenty of good natured interaction this time among Tinkerbell's regular cohort of friends (Vidia, Iridessa, Silvermist and Rosetta) and many times something one or another of them said would cause me to chuckle with mirth. The action of the skirmishes between the fairies and the pirates is thrillingly animated. Finally, I thought the artwork throughout was top notch and the music, whether sung or instrumental, was both subtle and fitted well with the visuals. There is vastly more that I found enjoyable in this film (told you I'd be extolling the film's praises didn't I!) but I think you've probably heard enough from me by now. Whatever your age or gender (I'm a sixty something male), give yourself a treat ... go see Tinkerbell and the Pirate Fairy. My bet is you won't be disappointed. (Go with a little 'faith, trust and pixie dust' and you'll enjoy it even more!) 10/10.

• Loved it

  nomad-732014-03-27

  Not even sure why I ended up watching this movie but as I like animated movies I gave it a try. Yep, it's meant to be for kids but ... but I just loved it. It's one of those feel good movies. It's funny, witty and just cute ;) Characters are excellent (even those mean pirates), animation and music is top notch as well with kind of old-school feeling. And voice casting is just lovely :) I will probably even check out some other stories from the "fairy" universe. As I am from Czech Republic I do not know much about Peter Pan and Tinker Bell as those characters aren't so famous in my country. Anyway I am giving 10/10 and I recommend this movie to anyone who is 2+ or just in mood for little bit of childish fun ;)

• An underwhelming sequel with the wrong message

  pthread2014-04-06

  The Pirate Fairy is the fifth in the series of 75 minute computer-animated films from the Disney Fairies franchise. Featuring Tinker Bell as the main protagonist, the films are based on the children's books by Gail Levine. In the opening film we were introduced to the beautiful, enchanted world of Never fairies called Pixie Hollow. With their distinctive Celtic-themed musical score and spellbinding visuals the films were a delight to watch, a major departure from the usual direct to video fare. The redesigned Tinker Bell's character retained her wide emotional range and feisty personality, lost the jealous part, and was upgraded to a brilliant, somewhat rebellious, builder and inventor - an excellent role model for the target audience (children 5-12). I really liked the message, which was this: you don't need glamorous looks or extraordinary powers to make a difference, if you have creativity, determination, and heart. Time and again Tink's contraptions achieved what other fairies could not with all their magic. Because of their positive message and wonderful new reinvention of Tink's character, the first three movies were a treat for the whole family. Five years since the first one was released, my two younger kids and I still enjoy watching them over and over again. With the fourth film (Secret of the Wings) things started to break down. No longer a family feature, the movie targeted the more profitable teenager market. A multitude of new characters was introduced, almost none with a memorable enough personality, but sporting pop star outfits and hair, in contrast to the original cast whose clothing was inspired by nature. The use of cartoon physics made the film seem disconnected from reality. The musical score became heavy on pop, borrowing the rest from the first movie. Tink's idealistic desire to help others was replaced by a selfish wish to be with her sister. Her emotional response was toned down (she does not become angry and turn red anymore). Still, "Secret" was not a bad movie, featuring at least one successful new character in Lord Milori and revealing the romantic side of Queen Clarion's personality. I was hoping the fifth film would reverse the downward trend, but that did not happen. From the start, it feels unoriginal by including scenes and ideas from earlier films: Opening from Peter Pan, blue dust from The Lost Treasure, stadium from Pixie Hollow Games, fairy teaching human to fly from The Great Fairy Rescue, fairy trapped in a lantern (Peter Pan), and somebody saying "Ironic, ain't it" yet again. The main character (Zarina) is a modest and inquisitive young fairy-scientist who quits her job to become an aggressive and glamorous pirate fairy, again with a pop star outfit and hair. The story of her eventual redemption is predictable and shallow. There are no moral choices to make, no time for reflection, no thinking required from the viewer. The film encourages the young viewers to choose the glamorous Zarina over the scientist Zarina, which is the opposite of the message from the original Tinker Bell series. The story line is unpredictable only to the extent that the viewer would not expect so many holes and inconsistencies in the plot, which I considered an insult to my intelligence. The story called for the fairies to operate the pirate ship (turn the wheel, open doors, tie the ropes, etc), which they are clearly not capable of doing. The filmmakers' solution, which is as dumb as it is unimaginative, was to make them ten, sometimes a hundred times stronger than a normal fairy (without any explanation), in an episode that calls for it, then go back to normal in the next episode. This kind of constant tampering with the laws of physics made the scenes on the pirate ship feel cheesy and cartoonish. The pursuit, escape, and fighting sequences are repetitive - I actually lost count of how many time the blue dust phial was stolen and retrieved. The film feels hastily put together and poorly edited. At first I liked the idea of talent switching, and it did generate some amusing story twists, but upon some reflection I realized that it destroys the original message of the series that talents (which are much more than magical powers) are unique and at the core the character's very identity. Being true to yourself seems no longer in fashion. Tinker Bell's performance here is even less inspired than in the "Secret". She is no longer a "very special fairy", but a generic water talent. Her emotional response was narrowed even more, no joy and laughter this time. The pirates are 100% cliché. The soundtrack is again not up to the standard of the Tinker Bell movies. The songs are good, but apart from the theme played during Zarina's chemistry experiment (lifted from The Great Fairy Rescue), the score is mostly unmemorable pop and generic pirate tunes. The Pirate Fairy just doesn't have the magic and the heart of the earlier films in the series. To be fair, there are a few positive things to say about the film. The animation is vivid and colorful, on par with a modern theatrical feature. The opening song is very good. There are several genuinely funny episodes, like when Vidia realizes she became a tinker fairy. And I enjoyed the heartfelt scene when Tink returned the stolen blue dust to the pirates to save her enemy's life. The young James Hook is amiable, and the cook does some acceptable comedy. But the lack of imagination and originality throughout most of the movie relegates it to the list of underwhelming sequels. Kids will like this movie (mine did, although not enough to ask for a second viewing). As a parent, however, I recommend avoiding this release - go buy your kids one of the first three Tinker Bell movies on BD, or better yet, a book from the Disney Fairies series.

• Pretty fun

  PatrickRijnders2015-01-17

  Once again the people at DisneyToon create a girlie fairy movie, and again I find myself enjoying it. How is this possible? I'm a serious, adult animation buff! I'm supposed to snort and say: Bah, this straight to DVD drivel is beyond me! Oh well, credit where credit is due, the people at DisneyToon sure know how to craft an entertaining bit of fluff. The animation looks good, the plot twists keep the story chugging along nicely, and how can you not like Tinkerbell and her adorable friends? Plus, there are some cool nods to Disney's original Peter Pan movie. Bring on the sixth Tinkerbell movie I guess...