The latest in Disney’s series of made-for-home video Tinker Bell adventures is Secret of the Wings, and like the others in the series, it’s a pleasant, family-friendly tale only this time offered in 3D for the first time as well as 2D. Truth to tell, though the main feature is fine, it’s a bonus Tinker Bell short (only in 2D) that should be the focus of this release. It’s really entertaining.
Secret of the Wings 3D (Blu-ray Combo Pack)
Directed by Roberts Gannaway, Peggy Holmes
Studio: Disney
Year: 2012
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 1080p AVC codec
Running Time: 75 minutes
Rating: G
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English; Dolby Digital 5.1 French, Spanish
Subtitles: SDH, Spanish, French
Region: A-B-C
MSRP: $ 49.99
Release Date: October 23, 2012
Review Date: October 17, 2012
The Film
3.5/5
Tinker Bell (Mae Whitman) has an unceasing curiosity about the Winter Wood, the one area in Pixie Hollow where warm weather fairies are not allowed to travel by order of Lord Milori (Timothy Dalton). Realizing that she can’t stay in the frigid environment for very long without her wings freezing, she tinkers together a number of garments that will keep her warm and her wings protected even if she can’t fly while wearing them. Once there, she meets a fairy who she immediately realizes is her twin sister Periwinkle (Lucy Hale). Periwinkle has the same curiosity about the warm weather areas and is especially interested in seeing the Pixie Dust Tree, so Tink and her friends rig up an elaborate contraption to keep her cold while venturing into their part of the Hollow. But when Lord Milori forbids any further interaction between the worlds and kicks the snow machine into the river, it causes a frost spell to begin creeping into the warm weather sectors threatening the very life of the Pixie Dust Tree.
Tom Rogers and Ryan Rowe concocted the story for this latest Tinker Bell tale, and it’s serviceable enough to bring in some new characters (Periwinkle, Lord Milori, a handsome ice fairy named Sled voiced by Matt Lanter) as well as giving established characters like Queen Clarion (Anjelica Huston) a larger role in the proceedings this time around. Fans may be disappointed that Tink’s beau Terence (Jesse McCartney) barely makes an appearance, but those in the mood for romance have two on-going love stories developing during the brief running time of the story. There is also the return of the always reliable Clank (Jeff Bennett) and Bobble (Rob Paulsen) for comic bumbling. The stories and characters are not demanding, and the series is pitched toward the younger children in the family with its bright colors and filled with magic. Conflicts and problems never linger for very long, and the film is a safe if not especially imaginative way to spend a little over an hour.
As always Mae Whitman has lots of spunk as Tinker Bell, and the other voices of her friends are welcome presences (Megan Hilty has replaced Kristin Chenoweth as Rosetta). Anjelica Huston and Timothy Dalton both bring mellifluous voices and great presence to their roles as rulers of the warm and cold domains of Pixie Hollow adding a sense of gravitas to the antics of some of the other fairies. Jane Horrocks is the always reliable Fairy Mary, and Jeff Bennett and Rob Paulsen become more invaluable with each installment in this series for bringing some slapstick verbal fun to go with the elaborate visuals. Jeff Bennett also voices the role of The Keeper, a fairy author who’s an expert on the Winter Woods. He’s been listening to quite a great many episodes of The Carol Burnett Show basing his characterization of The Keeper on Tim Conway’s Mr. Tudball, a virtual vocal replica of the iconic character.
Video Quality
5/5
3D implementation – 3.5/5
The feature has been framed at 1.78:1 and is presented in 1080p using the AVC codec. Whether viewing in 2D or 3D, the image quality is quite lusciously beautiful. Colors are bright and wonderfully saturated without ever going too far, and sharpness and contrast are always first-rate giving even the 2D image a great sense of dimensionality. There is no banding in the imagery at all making for a pristine, magnificent-looking picture. The film has been divided into 12 chapters.
The implementation of 3D has not been excessive. There is great depth to the imagery, and the snowflakes falling in the Winter Wood have an ethereal grace to them that is almost hypnotizing. Imaginative use has been made with objects in multiple planes giving a very good three dimensional impression. There is no forward projection, however. A feather quill sticking up toward the viewer early in the movie comes closest to actually carrying the images beyond the frame, but this aspect is the most subdued part of the presentation. There is no crosstalk at all making for a pure and pleasurable viewing experience.
Audio Quality
4/5
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 sound mix gives most of the surround attention to the background music score and songs by Joel McNeely. The opening scene-setting “We’ll Be There” and later three different versions of “Great Divide” get excellent treatment in the entire soundfield. Elsewhere ambient sounds get only cursory attention in this made-for-home video mix. Dialogue is well recorded, and there’s a fair amount of directionalized dialogue even though the focus is, of course, on the center channel.
Special Features
2.5/5
All of the bonuses on the two Blu-ray discs are presented in 1080p.
The 3D disc contains 3D promo trailers for Wreck-It Ralph, Monsters University, and Planes.
The following bonuses are available on the 2D Blu-ray disc:
There is a music video of “Great Divide” sung by the McClain Sisters that lasts 3 minutes.
“The Pixie Hollow Games” is the best reason for buying this set. It’s a very entertaining 22 ½-minute short featuring various familiar fairies competing in an annual contest with a very reluctant Rosetta (again Megan Hilty) being forced to participate. The contests contain some very amusing and imaginative contraptions for races and competitions (frog jumping is lots of fun), and while the winners may never really be in doubt, there’s a real energy and spirit here that isn’t found in Secret of the Wings and will be something that most members of the family will enjoy, not just the small fry.
“Dig Down Deep” music video by Zendaya is the song found in “Pixie Hollow Games” and runs 3 ¼ minutes.
“Fright Light” is a 1-minute preview from the next Tinker Bell release.
The promo trailers here are for Wreck-It Ralph and Peter Pan.
The third disc is the DVD copy of the movie.
The fourth disc in the set is the digital copy of the movie.
In Conclusion
3.5/5 (not an average)
Younger family members who have been waiting for a couple of years for the next Pixie Hollow installment will likely be satisfied with Secret of the Wings especially since it introduces some appealing new characters and contains that wonderfully funny and fast-paced “Pixie Hollow Games” short as a bonus.
Matt Hough
Charlotte, NC
