The Pirate Fairy: A Delightful Twist on the Tinkerbell Saga
The fairy Zarina is in charge of producing and distributing pixie dust, but she craves more. She dreams of becoming an alchemist, creating new, colorful varieties of dust with unprecedented magical abilities. When one of her experiments nearly destroys the pixie dust-producing Pixie Dust Tree, Zarina is stripped of her duties, and the disgraced fairy flees Pixie Hollow. A year later, Zarina returns at the helm of a pirate ship, leading a human crew to steal the precious dust and continue her experiments. During the attack, she puts almost all the fairies gathered for the royal celebration to sleep, leaving Tinkerbell and her friends to recover the stolen pixie dust.
Fun Fact: The charming cabin boy James on the pirate ship is none other than the future Captain Hook, the infamous villain from “Peter Pan.”
When we think of “Disney animation,” we usually think of Walt Disney Animation and Pixar. However, there’s a third, lesser-known studio in the mix: DisneyToon Studios. Under various names, it has been around since 1990, producing mid-budget animated films that often go straight to video in the United States. DisneyToon is responsible for many of Disney’s direct-to-video sequels, from “The Return of Jafar” to “The Little Mermaid: Ariel’s Beginning.” In recent years, however, the studio has shifted from creating sequels to producing more original films. In 2013, DisneyToon released “Planes,” and since 2008, the studio has been creating a movie almost every year about Tinkerbell (the iconic character from the Peter Pan book and the 1953 Disney film) and the other miniature inhabitants of Pixie Hollow. “The Pirate Fairy” is the fifth film in this series, and arguably the best.
Director Peggy Holmes of “The Pirate Fairy” started her career as a dancer and choreographer, working with Michael Jackson and Barbra Streisand.
A Step Up in Quality
Let’s be clear: “The Pirate Fairy” is still not on par with Disney’s big-budget films in terms of animation quality, storytelling, or character development. It’s not a game-changer, and comparing it to a film like “Frozen” would be like pitting amateur soccer players against professionals. However, within its own league, “The Pirate Fairy” is a worthwhile film that is well worth your child’s time.
A Film for Everyone
In reviews of the first four “Tinkerbell” movies, we might have said that they were primarily aimed at girls, focusing on their experiences and interests. However, “The Pirate Fairy” is more universal. While it still centers on female characters and themes of female friendship, “girl power” (even though the fairies are tiny, their magic allows them to fight on equal footing with burly pirates), and female logic, the film’s energy, humor, and action (albeit comedic and cartoonish, not Hollywood blockbuster-style) appeal to both boys and girls. In fact, boys might even enjoy it more, since pirates are a traditionally “masculine” theme, and the pirates in “The Pirate Fairy” are classic screen swashbucklers: cunning, feisty, and hilariously funny.
Overcoming Limitations
The best thing about “The Pirate Fairy” is that many of the traditional weaknesses of the “Tinkerbell” films are less noticeable. Are the characters less developed than, say, in “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic”? It doesn’t matter, because the plot moves so quickly that the fairies don’t have time to dwell on things. Is the nature-based magic a bit dull? It’s finally used as a weapon, adding both drama and humor, especially since Zarina’s spell at the beginning of the film causes the fairies to switch talents, and they struggle to adapt to their new abilities. Is the computer animation second-rate? Again, the film’s dynamism makes up for it, and the DisneyToon artists have squeezed every last drop of quality out of the technical and budgetary constraints they faced. Are the supporting characters bland? Not at all! Zarina and the pirates are excellent, especially the pirates. Zarina is also impressive, combining the spirit of Keira Knightley’s character from “Pirates of the Caribbean” with a mad scientist vibe. And the boring, moralizing elder fairies? They’re asleep for most of the movie (except for the prologue). Overall, as we said, this is the best “Tinkerbell” movie in the series. If they keep this up, the seventh installment could be a smash hit!