Review: Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast

Tinkerbell and the Legend of the Neverbeast

(or Fawn's movie with Tink in it)

In Disney's non-theatrical (at least state side) franchise involving Pixie Hollow and Tinkerbell, the newest film finds Fawn taking center stage and introducing a new beastie to the world of Neverland. The film is quite fun with some cool designs for the Neverbeast and it's habits and habitat. I thought this was one of the best of the franchise, though it did have some minor questions that remain unanswered. 

The film is really about Fawn, the animal fairy, and here inability to match her heart with her head. In other words, her motivations are pure, but she doesn't always think things through. As evident by a young hawk she takes in, which is shown to disrupt everything at Pixie Hollow. Apparently, hawks eat fairies. This raises a question about the animal fairies: Do they selectively take care of animals? I always thought (or perhaps assumed) that fairies take care of all animals, regardless of species or their ability to ingest fairies.

This little hawk mishap is the introduction to a group of radical fairies called the Guards. They protect Pixie Hollow from any beasties and probably other bad things. Nyx, who is the antagonist of the film, is their leader. I'm not sure how fond I am of warrior/guard fairies, especially since they just randomly pop up in the sixth film of the franchise, if only as a plot device. I mean, where were they in the other films? Is this a newly formed fairy job in response to previous events? It kind of takes away from the innocence of fairies and puts them into a weird place. Anywho, Nyx is our antagonist who misunderstand a prophecy about a green comet and the end of the world . . . well, the end of Pixie Hollow at least.

The film also introduces us to the Neverbeast, or Gruff, a creature who appears only when the green comet is seen in the sky over Pixie Hollow. A ferocious beast that is part cat, part pangolin/chameleon, part bat, and and part badger. It's a pretty cool looking beast, though it looks more at home in Wonderland than in Pixie Hollow. The Neverbeast is the main source of conflict in the film. Is it good, like Faun wants to believe? Or is it bad, and will bring on the apocalypse, like Nyx believes? 

I enjoyed the film very much. I liked the introduction of something new to Neverland, as well as the myth building around the Neverbeast. I'm glad another fairy got a meaningful story, besides Tinkerbell. The music was great, with primal tones thematically linking much of the story. There were some wonderfully quite moments with Faun and the Neverbeast, and you could really understand the relationship they were building through the events that linked them.

Final Thoughts:

The Legend of the Neverbeast is a welcome entry into the Pixie Hollow franchise. Perhaps one of the best. It tells a fun story about following your heart and looking beyond the surface to find the true person inside. The other main idea I got from the film was to not jump to conclusions . . . or maybe it was don't believe nerdy fairies. It's a great story of friendship and trust. you'll laugh and you might even shed a small tear by the end.