A Tooth Fairy Tale Film Analysis: Cartoon Adventure with a Sprinkling of Kid-Appropriate Preteen Romance
In this cartoon adventure aimed at tweens, the world of fairies is dedicated to gathering baby teeth of slumbering youngsters and leaving gold beneath where they sleep. Board-riding youthful nonconformist fairy Van (voiced by Booboo Stewart) is less than thrilled about devoting his life to collecting baby teeth—a sentiment that’s completely understandable. He is just a bit more curious about the underlying economics behind it all: the fairies hand over the molars to mysterious goblins, who provide metal as payment. However, Van’s interest grows when he spots a goblin (voiced by Larkin Bell), who turns out to be not at all the hideous gnome he expected.
A Forbidden Connection and Common Enemy
Everything is prepared for an adventure with a gentle touch of young love (though it’s very much suitable for children). The goblin and fairy communities are estranged from one another, and nothing fuels the excitement of secrecy to unite beings together. The two species portrayed in the film are incredibly similar, yet both maintain biased views about the opposite side. The fairies are said to be self-centered types, given to taking anything they want, while the goblins are reportedly stupid, smelly, and backward, but are actually bright and technologically advanced.
Of course, this scenario needs a common enemy to join forces against, and that need is met by a group of vicious spiders, voiced by Jon Lovitz and Fran Drescher. There’s no beating about the bush with these guys: they want to eat the fairies and goblins, and they make for fairly bloodthirsty, if not especially competent, villains.
Ideal Viewers and Overall Impression
There aren’t very many animated films targeting the viewer group that is beginning to have first crushes, but are not mature enough for the content teenagers are watching in lieu of Twilight. If your child is in the right age bracket, this is unlikely to become their new favorite movie, but you could do worse.
A Tooth Fairy Tale arrives in Scottish cinemas starting October 10 and across the United Kingdom from 24 October.
