****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I'm 23 years old, and saw an ad for this movie on television. With an avid interest in art, I was impressed with the animation and wanted to watch, even if it was a kid's movie. It took me a long time, but I finally caved and rented this through Amazon Prime.Can I just start by pointing out that "Family Movies" are rarely actually family movies anymore? Okay, older Disney movies have enough adult jokes in them that sometimes it's uncomfortable to watch with a little kid, especially the highly observant, very smart ones that catch on despite the subtlety! "Family Movies" these days are often so "dumbed down" that as much as a kid might like it, the adults watching the movie WITH them can be put to sleep (or feel really embarrassed that they're watching at all...). As "dumbed down" kid's movies are these days, the adult stuff has also gotten a whole lot more violent and graphic in every way. I used to be able to watch it, distance myself from it, but not anymore. I guess I've just been over saturated with it, especially since the exact same stuff is in the news. I watch movies to escape reality, not be forced to empathize with characters who suffer for an hour and a half.That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and was hugely impressed with the complexity of what I thought would be a simple tale with fancy graphics. The animation quality is top notch. The music is as moving as the score you might hear in the theater. And the story itself, while somewhat predictable, is nonetheless interesting. Character progression is great, and I love all the detail that's gone into these movies (yes, I watched more than one!). Not just literally, either, like the texture of the leaves that make Tink's dress, or the delicate pattern of each fairy's wings, but in the expressions and body language of each character, the care with which even background characters are rendered. You can look anywhere on the screen and fairies are doing their own thing. Many family movies these days lose the immersion effect because they cater TOO much to children. They go for a cheap laugh and a cliche moral tale. Well, this is just a friendly, light hearted story. It's not for KIDS, though that might be their intent, it's for ANYone interested in a good, clean, no stress, cheerful story.ONE thing I didn't like: A couple times, throughout the series of Tinkerbell movies, some cliche jokes fell short. Particularly the scenes that were supposed to highlight Bobble and Clank's antics. These two guys are cute, I like them, but going for the time tested "Oh, haha, he's doing something dumb!" jokes isn't very enjoyable. That said, it was only a couple times, and the rest of the 90% of it was material presented in a fresh way. The writing is quick and snappy, and several times I was caught off guard with the humor and the delivery. The conversation between characters is realistic, and that's hugely appreciated.Major Kudos to this feature: The female cast. It's not thrust into your face that this is a "movie for girls." I expect boys can like it too. It doesn't matter that a character is female, their personalities are relateable and interesting. There isn't any "female power!!!!" spirit (I enjoy those movies too, but sometimes they go over the top a little bit...). The writers and animators of Tinker Bell just let the characters BE. The characters lead by example and women are shown as heroines, background support, artists, daring doers, gardeners, leaders, all of that. The main female character is an engineer, for goodness sake, and valued not for her ability to 'fantastic' things, but for doing very real creative and mechanical work. We don't have men eyeing them up, or catcalling, or any of that. Speaking of which, the male characters are treated with equal respect, though they aren't the mains, and portrayed with a variety of personalities. These personalities might be called cliche by some, but they're the cliche personalities that don't get as much love as the Arnold Schwarzenegger types. (Woah, Schwarzenegger is programmed into spellcheck!) The real life friction between genders is non-existent, in other words, and I really like that. I think it sets a great example for a younger generation. I suppose the other side of this sword is that most of the female characters are practically cut and paste in body type and weight, the exception being Miss Fairy Mary. As a woman on the heavier end of the scale, though, I can say I wasn't bothered. Then again, I'm 23 and don't have issues with my bodily image because of a cartoon!Someday I'll have kids, and believe me, Disney can expect a little pocket change from my purchases of these movies. I think Disney's "new classics" can really learn a lot from the crew, writers, and directors behind these Tinkerbell movies. I really hope there are many more to come!
