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Parents' Guide to

Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue

By Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

A few tense scenes add drama to family and friendship tale.

Movie G 2010 72 minutes
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 4+

Based on 25 parent reviews

Rebekah H.
Rebekah H. Parent of 7-year-old
January 24, 2022
age 4+

Good movie but catty girls

I like this movie as does my 4 year old but some of the fairies are super bratty
ZoomLA
ZoomLA Parent of 2 and 4-year-old
August 28, 2015
age 3+

Anti science themes discouraging

This was the first of the Tinker Bell series my kids and I watched. A friend had recommended the series as a whole, so we decided to try this when we came across it. It started out innocently enough, with the fairies arriving at their summer camp. But soon the anti-science messages kicked in. The human girl's dad, a scientist, neglects his daughter. When there is any depiction of his interests, they're either shown as horrifying (pinned butterflies) or boring (when he tries to show his old field journals to his daughter.) Horrifying quotes in the film like "You don't have to understand, you just have to believe!" are the type of nonsense that discourage girls from STEM careers. After we watched the film, I sat my daughters down for a talk about how science and creativity can go together. Disappointing, we won't be watching this again.
See all 25 parent reviews

What's the Story?

When Tinker Bell (voiced by Mae Whitman) and the rest of the fairies move to their summer encampment in TINKER BELL AND THE GREAT FAIRY RESCUE, Tink looks around for something to fix. But when all the other fairies seem to have things under control, she sets off exploring with her friend Vidia (Pamela Adlon). When Tink's curiosity gets the best of her, she ends up trapped and captured by a fairy-loving 9-year-old girl. While at first scared by the girl and her mean cat, Tink and the girl soon form a tender cross-species friendship. When a storm keeps Tink from returning to her friends, she and the girl end up learning about each other, including that the girl's scientist father (no mother appears in the story) is distracted and disapproving of his daughter's interest in fairies. In the meantime, a group of fairies attempts a treacherous journey through the storm to rescue Tinker Bell. In the meantime, the girl and her father's broken relationship ends up being the perfect thing for Tink to fix, and all turns out well in the end.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (25 ):
Kids say (16 ):

Disney's fairy world is a gorgeous place to inhabit -- colorful and full of drama and personalities -- but unlike some other kiddie franchises, the Tinker Bell fairies pack a slightly edgier punch. Some of the characters are brassy or grumpy or impetuous -- which is a nice contrast to the constant cheerfulness and eternal optimism that can sap any hint of realism out of other kids' movies.

That's not to say that isn't filled with earnestness that will appeal to the youngest viewers. In The Great Fairy Rescue, the action focuses a bit more on the fairy-loving girl than Tink and her friends, which is a departure from previous films in the collection, but provides a nice variation on the formula. The flying scenes during the climax will fill young kids with wonder and encourage them to fantasize about magical worlds.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what they like about Tinker Bell. Do they like her because they recognize her from Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue, advertising, or from toys at the store?

  • Talk about the movie's theme of "faith, trust, and pixie dust." What do those words mean to the fairies? Do those ideas mean something in kids' real lives?

  • Talk about how girls and boys are portrayed in the movie. Are girls more or less resourceful in this movie than in other movies or TV shows? How about the boys?

  • How do the characters in Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue demonstrate teamwork? Why is this an important character strength?

Movie Details

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