Tinker Bell – Tinkering With Success

The much-loved fairy began as little more than a supporting character, but now Tinker Bell is a worldwide sensation. Created by the playwright made famous by Johnny Depp, J.M. Barrie, she was first imagined as a nothing more than a ball of light in Barries 1904 play Peter Pan.” She was subsequently included in Barries 1911 novel, PETER AND WENDY. This all changed, of course, when Disney released the 1953 classic, PETER PAN. Given a body, Tinker Bell has become an indelible Disney princess.

Tinker Bell, like Jiminy Cricket, has transcended her origins to become a symbol for Disney and its theme parks. She was the glittering star flittering across millions of television screens, a line of pixie dust glittering behind her. The nightly fireworks extravaganza at Disneyland always features her soaring across the skies of Anaheim.

All this and she still no starring vehicle of her own — until now. Talk of TINKER BELL, the movie, met with excited industry buzz. The budget for the film soon swelled to well over $50 million and was hit by an unexpected announcement that Disney would not longer release straight-to-video features. Though close to being scrapped, the film was salvaged and its animation style reworked by Pixar.

Brittany Murphy was originally set to play the role of Tinker Bell, but Mae Whitman soon replaced her. The production cycled through twelve different directors and numerous supporting actors. In due course, the cast was solidified, with Raven Symone, Anjelica Huston, Jesse McCartney, and America Ferrera brought on board.

If fan buzz is to be believed, TINKER BELL the movie is set to be a solid box office hit for Disney. Subscribe to the Disney Movie Club and reserve your DVD copy for the future. The sprite J.M. Barrie created to engage his young audience has become the symbol of an animation empire.