Keeping with the whole superhero analogy, Tinkerbell is essentially Tink's origin story. The movie takes place in Pixie Hollow, which is the part of Neverland that fairies come from. All of the fairies in Pixie Hollow have their own special talents; there are water fairies, garden fairies, talent fairies and tinkerers (who are the builders). When it comes time for Tink to discover her talent, she is dubbed a tinkerer, a job she doesn't particularly want since it means she can't visit the land beyond the second star to the right.
As a whole, Tinkerbell takes a different approach than most Disney stories. For one, this isn't the mischievous and somewhat hot-headed fairy from Peter Pan. Instead, Tink comes off as a bit of a brat throughout most of the movie. She eventually comes to accept her lot in life, but since most viewers will go into Tinkerbell with a good idea of who Tink is, it can be a bit of a put off. Another interesting direction is the lack of a central villain. The closest thing to a villain is Vidia, Tink's rival, but her antics never go beyond basic schoolyard pranks.
Even though the story is a bit weak, Tinkerbell is saved by its visuals. The film looks absolutely incredible and manages to cross the look of the cel-animated Peter Pan with the new visuals. It isn't exactly Pixar, but the quality is well beyond other direct-to-video CGI films and will make parents glad they paid extra for the Blu-ray version.
The extras are pretty standard for the movie's target audience. The most interesting of the bunch is "Creating Pixie Hollow," a behind-the-scenes look at the movie's production. The deleted scenes are also interesting, mainly because they hint at an entirely different movie. The remaining features are really weak and even though they may keep kids entertained, they won't hold their interest for long.
Like most direct-to-video productions, Tinkerbell knows its target audience and does a great job of catering to them. While it may not go in the books as a Disney Classic, it should make kids, especially young girls, happy.
