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The Film

[Rating:4/5]

Disney’s successful Tinker Bell franchise marches on with this latest direct-to-video effort, The Pirate Fairy. A fun adventure that reworks the origins of Peter Pan’s Neverland, this romp finds Tink and her fellow Fairy friends in a dire situation when the misunderstood Dust Keeper Fairy Zarina steals the Hollow’s blue pixie dust and makes off with a group of pirates from Skull Rock. It’s up to Tink and her friends to track Zarina down, recover the blue pixie dust, and also, in a twist of fate, save Zarina from the dangerous pirates.

A typical story of friendship and staying true to oneself, The Pirate Fairy also successfully turns the legends of Peter Pan and Neverland upside down and lets us see them from a new angle. Hook becomes a bumbling yet still devious captain with both of hands still intact. The crocodile is just a baby croc with special affinity for one of our lovely fairies, and, well, Tink is Tink, but she sort of takes a backseat in this one.

Kids will love the colorful animation, the constant motion and lighthearted feel of the story and parents will love the teamwork the story portrays.

Video Quality

[Rating:5/5]

The CGI animation of The Pirate Fairy isn’t quite as textured and detailed as the best of Disney’s features, sometimes with characters that look more like dolls than living creatures, but that doesn’t make this AVC/MPEG-4 1080p transfer anymore enjoyable. The imagery is colorful and clean with no artifacts, the detail is nuanced in the shadows, and we really get an overall sense of depth and three-dimensionality, despite Disney’s decision to not release this title in the 3D format this time around.

Audio Quality

[Rating:4.5/5]

A solid DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack is included for The Pirate Fairy. While not as aggressive as some of the Disney theatrical releases, it is nicely balanced with subtle levels of ambience, a lively low end and clear dialogue.

Supplemental Materials

[Rating:2.5/5]

• DVD
• iTunes Digital HD Digital Copy
• Second Star to the Right: The Legacy of Neverland (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:04:45)
• Croc-u-Mentary (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:04:45)
• Deleted Scenes with Filmmaker Introductions (1.78:1; 1080p/24)
• The Making of “Frigate that Flies” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:04:21)
• Animated Shorts:
  • “Aaargh!” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:01:08)
  • “Treasure Chest” (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:01:31)
• Sing-Along Songs:
  • “Who I Am”
  • “The Frigate That Flies”

The Definitive Word

Overall:

[Rating:3.5/5]

Another entry in Disney’s Tinker Bell series, The Pirate Fairy is great fun with eye catching graphics and strong values making it a winner for kids and families.

Additional Screen Captures

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