Monday 23 November 2015

Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings (2012)



I'm not crying.  You're crying.

Okay, to be honest I didn't actually cry while watching this, but I did mist up a little at one point.  You can ascribe this to the fact that this is the first film I ever sat down and watched with my eldest niece.  Or you can ascribe it to me being a sentimental old fart.  Both probably have some validity.

Neither of them changes the fact that this is a grand little film.  It celebrates sisterhood and friendship in a matter of fact and unashamed way.  It shows characters disagreeing without any of them being 'bad people', and - without ever calling attention to it - shows that you can have different opinions and beliefs to someone else without being hurtful toward them or treating them badly.  It has (mostly female) characters who are consistently proactive, compassionate, altruistic and brave.  It has librarian jokes (it's possible I am the only one for whom this last fact matters, but it's my review).

The plot?  Tinker Bell dreams of visiting the land of the Winter Fairies, but it's forbidden for the very sensible reason that it is too cold there to be safe for Warm (Autumn, Summer and Spring) Fairies.  Prolonged exposure to the icy temperatures can irreparably damage a Warm Fairy's wings (and vice versa for Winter Fairies, of course).  But when Tink finds a mystery to which only a Winter Fairy can give her the answer, she's not going to let a little cold and snow stop her.

What Tinker Bell finds in the land of Winter will change not just her life, but the entire Fairy Kingdom ... assuming it doesn't destroy it first.

This is, all in all, a charming piece of film-making.  Recommended for anyone whose heart has even a little childlike optimism still in it.

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