Clochette et l'expédition féerique

Out of the hundreds of films and shows my four year old daughter has seen there are very few that I would confidently recommend as perfect for a little girl. "Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue" is one of these. Totally inoffensive and absolutely stunning production qualities make this one of the most pleasant films I have seen for children for many, many years. I am totally lost why this little visual masterpiece has had such little promotion. I recently saw a mother take a group of little girls to see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonder land and it was disturbing to see so many of them upset by the film. How was the mother to know that this PG rated version of a traditional children's story was going to be that far off the mark for the girls to enjoy.

Maybe the title "Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue" makes it sound a little trite and lame but the actual film is totally beguiling and charming.

Usually, a spin-off such as this would only appear as a straight-to-DVD movie, but due to the amazing sales in the UK, Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue will see Peter Pan's favourite fairy get a cinematic release; the first of the Disney fairies to be granted one.

Tinkerbell, as any Pan fan will know, is a mischievous but resourceful individual who always manages to get herself into trouble. On the first day of Fairy Camp, Tink (Mae Whitman) gets distracted by a passing car and goes to investigate, dragging friend Vidia (Pamela Adlon) along for the ride. The car belongs to Dr. Griffiths (Michael Sheen) and his daughter Lizzie (Lauren Mote) who accidentally captures Tinkerbell.

Vidia sees that Dr. Griffiths has a large butterfly collection and fears that Tink will also end up in a display case so she races back to Fairy Camp to enlist the other fairies, Rosetta (Kristin Chenoweth), Silvermist (Lucy Liu) and Iridessa (Raven-Symoné), to help rescue her. Luckily for Tink, Lizzie loves fairies and the two have a great day together but what will happen when Dr. Griffiths finds her? The animation isn't particularly impressive but it definitely has touches of Disney flair, particularly in the charming pastel colouring and the storyline based around a single parent family – the Disney special. The film's heart revolves around the relationship between Lizzie and a father who has no time for her and dismisses her love of fairies as fantasy. Michael Sheen's voice takes on sweeter tones as a busy father whereas Lauren Mote comes across as almost too English – there's more than a little stage school training here.

Kristin Chenoweth lends her considerable vocal talents to Rosetta, the Southern Belle fairy who doesn't like to get her hands dirty. I would have thought that a trained singer like Chenoweth would be included in the soundtrack but for some reason the director opted for the distracting tones of Disney brat Bridgit Mendler – more than a little oversight.

With a running time of just 75 minutes, it might be a tad too short for the big screen but I'd definitely recommend a DVD purchase as it's short and sweet enough to keep the kids entertained at home, but might not be worth a trip to the cinema. It's fairly simplistic stuff but young children will get a dose of humour, action and heart without the trappings of a boring Summer blockbuster.

This British Disney Toon studios production is true pixie-dust for the hopeful family viewer. Astonishing 3D-like 2D imagery (why can't all films look this amazing?) is completely captivating and as an adult I felt myself being whisked into the genuine Disney magic of 60s films like MARY POPPINS and POLLYANNA......

TINKERBELL FAIRY RESCUE has the absolutely most breathtaking visuals, computer driven but timeless and earthy in beauty and fantasy. This is a simple but clever and funny animated feature. And for little girls and their 56 year old daddies, there is a few tears and a lot of excitement to be shared. I really applaud the tone story and sheer gorgeousness of this utterly enchanting family film. TINKERBELL herself reminded me of 50s MGM Musical star and singing sensation Jane Powell at her most beautiful. What a success TINKERBELL FAIRY RESCUE is. If you were also gob-smacked at ARTHUR AND THE INVISIBLES' imagery that looked 3D but was actually 2D, then this too is for you and your family.

Thoroughly enjoying the second film 'Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure' I was keen on watching this installment. Bradley Raymond is back as director. This was even better than the second film, with better animation, and again with wonderful action and adventure. The adventure starts when Tinker Bell is captured by a human girl, and the fairies set out to rescue her, not knowing that she's actually befriending the human.

The bond between fairy and human was wonderfully portrayed, exactly the way I'd imagine a child would react if she were to see a fairy. There's also a very deep underlying theme here with the single father/daughter relationship, with a father always "too busy" for his daughter.

All the familiar characters are back, as well as Blaze, and Cheese is back in a more prominent role. The fairy inventions are genius thinking from the writer's and animator's perspective. I loved this film, and thought it was really cute with a lesson or two to be learnt.

I'm not sure what makes Tinker Bell so irresistible to small children, but Disney managed to expand upon the Peter Pan mythos and flesh out Tink as an independent, curious, kind yet temperamental fairy.

This is Tink's third adventure, after Tinker Bell (2008) and Tinker Bell and The Lost Treasure (2009). This time, her native curiosity in how things work and her fascination with humans gets her in trouble and her friends must organize a rescue party, also a good opportunity for Vidia, the antagonist, to show her better side.

The production values are good but not incredible compared to Pixar movies or even to Disney's own Bolt; still, I doubt that any child will notice that Cheese's fur doesn't sway for example.

About the only thing that disappoints me is that the whole Disney Fairies franchise is more aimed at girls rather than boys, which is quite a shame, given Tink's personality.

Overall, it's a nice family movie. My 6 years old son loved it and that's all it matters.