Tinker Bell

Tinker Bell is a 2008 computer animated fantasy film based on the Disney Fairies franchise produced by DisneyToon Studios. It is the first installment in the Disney Fairies film series. Directed by Bradley Raymond and produced by Jeannine Roussel, the film stars the voices of Mae Whitman as Tinker Bell, Kristin Chenoweth as Rosetta, Raven-Symoné as Iridessa, Lucy Liu as Silvermist, America Ferrera as Fawn, Anjelica Huston as Queen Clarion, Jane Horrocks as Fairy Mary, Jesse McCartney as Terence, and Rob Paulsen as Bobble and Clank.

The film opens in Never Land with Tinker Bell born from a baby's first laugh. She joins the community of fairies who have different talents that help nature - tinkers like Tink fix pots and kettles, garden fairies help flowers bloom, and so on. Tink wants to find her talent but has trouble finding her place. After messing up preparations for spring by playing with cogwheels and losing them, Tink decides to switch her talent to being a garden fairy. However, after also failing at that, Tink gives up hope of ever finding her talent.

Meanwhile, fairies are preparing for the arrival of a special moonstone that comes once every eight years to rejuvenate Pixie Hollow’s pixie dust tree. Tink is assigned to build ceremonial scepters for the festival but again messes up, damaging the moonstone and stopping the pixie dust flow. As the fairies rush to evacuate Pixie Hollow before all the pixie dust runs out, Tink realizes the problem is just clogged gears and gets the idea to assemble gear pieces she has collected to build new scepters that will raise the moonstone so the pixie dust flows again. Her tinkering talents save the day and she is proclaimed the hero of Pixie Hollow.

With Tinker Bell finally embracing her talent for tinkering and repairing things, the fairies are able to celebrate as the pixie dust flows again. The moonstone ceremony completes with Tink witnessing the beautiful spectacle while surrounded by her newfound friends. She has realized that being true to yourself is what’s most important and each fairy has their part to play in creating the magic of Pixie Hollow.

Tinker Bell marked Disney’s first film featuring Tinker Bell as the main protagonist, as previous appearances portrayed her as a sidekick to Peter Pan. It explores her origins and early days in Pixie Hollow before she met Peter. The computer animation aimed to create realistic representations of the tiny fairies. The film debuted on DVD and Blu-ray in 2008 and later aired on television as the inauguration of the Disney Fairies franchise centered around Tinker Bell. While targeted for children, it received mixed reviews praising the animation but criticizing the plot. Nonetheless it launched a successful film series about Tinker Bell and her fairy friends finding adventure in the magical world of fairies.