I have enjoyed watching all the other Tinkerbell movies that came before this one, and I was expecting the "Pirate Fairy" to be another excellent piece of entertainment, because I have a soft spot for the "pirate" theme as such. It came as a surprise how the movie managed to be riddled with logical flaws and have the most unsettling moral message of any Tinkerbell movie, though. Let's start:
Then comes along the "Pirate Fairy" movie and tells us that all the blue dust is generated continuously from a never-ending source, a small blue orb that can be carried in a pocket. And Zarina steals it, leaving nothing behind.
I really can't understand why they did this change in continuity, because all it managed to do was to make Zarina look like a psychopath. She is aware that by stealing the ONLY source of pixie dust, she is making it impossible for the fairies to fly to the mainland and do their job of changing the seasons (as established in "The Great Fairy Rescue"). She is knowingly tolerating the mass suffering and/or death of animals, humans and fairies alike, by upsetting the seasons. Quite unbelievably, this monster of a person is easily re-integrated into fairy society by the end of the movie; all sins forgiven. What the hell is going on here?
Why, oh why, did they have to artificially raise the stakes like this? If Zarina had just stolen SOME amount of the blue dust, plus the moonstone pieces to generate more dust at the next date, the story could have stayed exactly the same. Zarina would eventually have been tricked by the pirates, who decided to keep the moonstone pieces indefinitely, while it would have been Zarina's original plan to return them to Pixie Hollow. Because, you know, that would be the decent thing to do if you're not a psychopath. But apparently, she is.
Again, this could easily have been avoided, by NOT showing winter fairies among the group that was put to sleep.
Now, please don't tell me that (a) these breaks with established facts from the earlier movies were necessary in any way, or that children won't notice them. I am not talking about minor details here; I am talking about the core points from earlier movies, which were dismissed here. And (b) don't tell me that the light-hearted way in which the consequences of Zarina's actions are glossed over is okay. I felt very uneasy about the whole affair and imagine that children, if they have a certain intelligence, will be grossed out by Zarina's immoral behavior as well.
Maybe the most disappointing thing is how easily these points could've been fixed. There wasn't much missing to make this a great movie and Peter Pan prequel. If the movie had been all bad, I wouldn't have cared to write such a long review.
Another reviewer called "pthread" is right in observing that the Tinkerbell movies have begun to become more shallow, ever since "Secret of the Wings". To put it in simple terms, the "Pirate Fairy" is too much of a mindless action flick, doesn't deal with the underlying moral questions appropriately, and thus overall just doesn't feel as wholesome as the earlier Tinkerbell movies. (Luckily, the "Everbeast" movie will be a return to form, telling a really heartwarming story.)
- We know from the "Lost Treasure" movie how the creation of the blue pixie dust works: A "moonstone" must be held into the moonlight, at a particular date, which is only once every 8 years. The reflected moonlight then turns into blue dust. The generated amount of dust has to suffice for the following 8 years. We also know that Tinkerbell managed to generate several times the usual amount at the last date; it was at least enough to fill several huge bowls. More than one fairy can carry.
Then comes along the "Pirate Fairy" movie and tells us that all the blue dust is generated continuously from a never-ending source, a small blue orb that can be carried in a pocket. And Zarina steals it, leaving nothing behind.
I really can't understand why they did this change in continuity, because all it managed to do was to make Zarina look like a psychopath. She is aware that by stealing the ONLY source of pixie dust, she is making it impossible for the fairies to fly to the mainland and do their job of changing the seasons (as established in "The Great Fairy Rescue"). She is knowingly tolerating the mass suffering and/or death of animals, humans and fairies alike, by upsetting the seasons. Quite unbelievably, this monster of a person is easily re-integrated into fairy society by the end of the movie; all sins forgiven. What the hell is going on here?
Why, oh why, did they have to artificially raise the stakes like this? If Zarina had just stolen SOME amount of the blue dust, plus the moonstone pieces to generate more dust at the next date, the story could have stayed exactly the same. Zarina would eventually have been tricked by the pirates, who decided to keep the moonstone pieces indefinitely, while it would have been Zarina's original plan to return them to Pixie Hollow. Because, you know, that would be the decent thing to do if you're not a psychopath. But apparently, she is.
- We know from the "Secret of the Wings" movie that the winter fairies will permanently damage their wings if they stay in the Summer region for too long. It was kind of the main point of that movie. But in the "Pirate Fairy" movie, the winter fairies are put into a deep sleep, lasting several days, while being in the summer region. Doesn't Zarina know that this will cripple the winter fairies for life?
Again, this could easily have been avoided, by NOT showing winter fairies among the group that was put to sleep.
Now, please don't tell me that (a) these breaks with established facts from the earlier movies were necessary in any way, or that children won't notice them. I am not talking about minor details here; I am talking about the core points from earlier movies, which were dismissed here. And (b) don't tell me that the light-hearted way in which the consequences of Zarina's actions are glossed over is okay. I felt very uneasy about the whole affair and imagine that children, if they have a certain intelligence, will be grossed out by Zarina's immoral behavior as well.
Maybe the most disappointing thing is how easily these points could've been fixed. There wasn't much missing to make this a great movie and Peter Pan prequel. If the movie had been all bad, I wouldn't have cared to write such a long review.
Another reviewer called "pthread" is right in observing that the Tinkerbell movies have begun to become more shallow, ever since "Secret of the Wings". To put it in simple terms, the "Pirate Fairy" is too much of a mindless action flick, doesn't deal with the underlying moral questions appropriately, and thus overall just doesn't feel as wholesome as the earlier Tinkerbell movies. (Luckily, the "Everbeast" movie will be a return to form, telling a really heartwarming story.)