We are huge Tinkerbell fans in the Dare household and we have become quite the Disney Fairies experts so the boys (and I) were just a little bit excited to preview the newest film, Tinkerbell and the Legend of the NeverBeast last week (or Eleven of the NeverBeast as Nate called it for the first couple of days) Tink and her friends are out in UK and Irish cinemas TODAY, and it’s the perfect break from Christmas chaos and this cold weather! So grab your coat and your kids and head to the cinema for a lovely film full of faith, trust and pixie dust!
The latest in the Tinkerbell series actually focuses on Fawn (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), the animal fairy with a big heart for the scary animals that most fairies try to keep out of Pixie Hollow. She has been given a lush new hairdo for the film and a much bigger role than the titular fairy, which I really liked. I hope there are more films going deeper into the inner workings of the fairy world (but I’m just a nerd like that). We also meet some new fairies that where only alluded to in one of Tink’s earlier mishaps, the Scout Fairies.
With their pretty killer striped jumpsuits and arsenal of bows, spears and nets, you know these guys are not to be messed with. The leader of the scout gang, Nyx (Rossario Dawson) isn’t too impressed with Fawn’s compassion for dangerous creatures and seems to have it out for her. What we eventually learn is that Nyx isn’t a bad guy, she’s just super into her job, which happens to be keeping the fairies safe from big dangerous creatures. It’s all about balance in the fairy world, everyone has to work together and share information to make things run smoothly…but not too smoothly that we can’t squeeze a feature film out of a couple of days down in the Hollow.
An comet awakens the NeverBeast, a totally weird but loveable dog-possum that likes to build crazy rock towers. Who is this beast? What’s she up to? Is she a monster or just misunderstood. Spoiler (but not really, cause this is Disney we’re talking about): Gruff the NeverBeast is totally there to save the day, but not before a misunderstanding nearly destroys them all.
It’s definitely the most action packed of the Disney Fairy films, with some pretty awesome moves by the scouts. It lent itself nicely to 3D for little kids, there’s nothing too jarring, but there’s a scene at the end with hundreds of little fairies flying (just like festive fairy lights!) that looks stunning in 3D. I love these films for their gripping plots without resorting to cheap tricks and adult jokes. It’s jut good, old fashioned storytelling and perfect for introducing little kids to the magic of the cinema.
My two boys loved the film and Nate surprised me by keeping his 3D glasses on the entire time. He went on and on about the film, drawing picture of the beast afterwards and recalling the plot (in pretty accurate detail) to anyone willing to listen. On Saturday his auntie sat down next to him in the car and he said “Liz, the Legend of the NeverBeast is a long movie and I’m going to tell you all of it!” And he did, nearly all the way to Wicklow! Alex managed pretty well, he sat still (thanks to a steady flow of raisins and Cheerios) and picked up on more details of the movie than I thought he would. He does love Tinkerbell and pretending to fly around like a fairy.
Check out Tinkerbell and the Legend of the NeverBeast in UK and Irish cinemas December 12. Thanks to Disney Ireland for inviting us to preview the film.