I make no qualms about it, I love Disney animation. I remember vividly seeing Sleeping Beauty at the Patchogue Movie Theater as a kid and taking Shanna (the little girl I babysat) to see the new wave of animated features that began with The Little Mermaid and the sense of wonder that Beauty and the Beast revealed and the joy of watching them all again through the eyes of my nieces and nephews and now my own child.
Yes Disney is an empire. Yes the cross over product and domination of the under 8 crowd can be annoying. But all my memories of Disney revolve around friendship and moments I am fond of. Two weeks ago they re-released Sleeping Beauty on DVD, my enduring favorite in the princess canon. The animation is dated in many ways, but the great evil of Maleficent and the charm of Prince Phillip endure - as does the rival of the pink and blue fairies. I watched my daughter marvel in the silly fairies and yell at the TV "bad witch, you are not being nice!" Then last night we sat down and watched the newly released Tinkerbell. For the first time, I sat and watched a movie new with my child. There was a beautiful peace in the moment as she crawled into my lap and tucked into my arm as the big castle came on the screen to indicate there was movie about to begin. We both sat engrossed, by the vibrant colors, the sweetness of the story (a pre-quel about how Peter Pan's Tinkerbell got her start in the world). Delightful is a word that often feels patronizing these days, but in its purest form I think best describes this film. A story of self discovery and loving who you are for what you are and the accomplishments that come out of your individual talents. Like cotton candy the movie washes over smoothly and sweetly but not as though you had any substance once it ends. That's OK though, it's a fantasy about the life of the fairy.
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