Whether you stumbled across one of the movies airing on TV, or suddenly had an urge to revisit one of the most iconic fairies in pop culture, you might be wondering how to watch the Tinker Bell movies in order. This article will have you covered with everything you need to know about this franchise, and how it compares to the original.
These movies, as one might expect from Disney, have a younger target audience, and each contains a valuable lesson to be learned. But regardless of whether you’re looking up this list for a young one in your life, or for those young at heart, keep reading to find out more about Tinkerbell before she met the boy who refused to grow up.
Who is Tinker Bell?
Tinker Bell almost requires no real introduction. She lives in the hearts of all who believe and has left many children — and adults — envious of her stash of fairy dust. But since this very jealous fairy who loves to be the center of attention would demand an introduction, we thought it would be best to comply.
While many may have first seen the hot-tempered and stubborn fairy for the first time in Disney’s 1953 film Peter Pan, the character was of course created by the Scottish novelist and playwright J.M. Barrie.
While her name has become more commonly spelled as Tinkerbell, in Barrie’s original works — and in Disney’s — the proper spelling is Tinker Bell. And for very good reason.
That’s because Tinker Bell is, perhaps a bit self-explanatory, a tinker fairy. This means she belongs to the group of fairies that mend pots and pans.
As well, a tinkling bell took the place of her voice throughout most early iterations. The language she speaks is incomprehensible to humans and often it is Peter who translates for her.
Part of her personality, and temper, according to Barrie is due to her tiny stature. She can only feel one emotion at a time. Therefore, if she gets mad all she feels is that anger, and has no counter-balancing emotion to maintain any semblance of equilibrium.
Tinker Bell first appeared in Barrie’s 1904 play Peter Pan, and then again in his 1911 novel Peter and Wendy. She is iconic alongside this cast of characters, but never received the main character treatment so rightfully befitting such a fairy until Disney’s 1953 adaptation. Since then, she has become one of Disney’s most iconic characters.
Since Tinker Bell relies on children believing in her for her continued existence, this high accolade is perfect for the character.
About the Tinker Bell Movie Franchise
But now let’s learn a little bit more about the Tinker Bell films.
The Tinkerbell movies are animated films produced by DisneyToon Studios as part of the Disney Fairies franchise. These films include a star-studded voice actor cast with the likes of Mae Whitman, Lucy Liu, Raven-Symoné, Kristin Chenoweth, Jesse McCartney, and more.
The movies are essentially prequels to the existing Peter Pan films. They take place before Tinkerbell meets Peter Pan and therefore contain no mention of him. Instead, the movies focus on Tinkerbell’s early life in Pixie Hollow and the shenanigans she got up to before meeting Peter.
If you are a massive fan of the original play, book, or movie, you might notice a slight change in Tinkerbell’s characteristic demeanor within the Disney Fairies franchise. That is because Disney toned down some of Tinkerbell’s dramatics for this iteration. That means there will unfortunately be no flailing or pointed assertions; however, with the intended audience of this production being younger, maybe that’s a good thing.
Another big difference, and perhaps an obvious one, is that Tinkerbell speaks in these movies.
Tinker Bell Movies in Order of Release Date
Now let’s finally dive into the movies. The best way to watch the Tinkerbell movies in order is by following the release dates.
While each movie contains its own individual story arc, watching the movies in order of release date does follow a chronological timeline. Therefore, if you watch the movies in this order, you will be able to watch the character development and progression of Tinkerbell as the writers intended.
- Tinker Bell (2008)
- Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (2009)
- Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010)
- Secret of the Wings (2012)
- The Pirate Fairy (2014)
- Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2014)
Additional Tinker Bell Shorts in Order of Release Date
And if those six movies left you wanting more Tinkerbell content, within the Disney Fairies franchise there is one TV special from 2011 which is 23 minutes long, and a short from 2013 that is six minutes long.
- Pixie Hollow Games (2011)
- Pixie Hollow Bake Off (2013)
Will There Be Another Tinker Bell Movie?
Unfortunately, another Tinkerbell movie in the franchise seems highly unlikely since the seventh movie was cancelled and the studio producing the films shut down.
While Disney initially had plans for a seventh, and maybe even an eighth, movie, plans met an abrupt end in 2013 with the announcement that the sixth movie would be the last in the franchise. The reason for the cancellation of a seventh and any future films were due to story-writing issues.
However, while details remain sparse since the 2015 announcement, Disney appears to be working on a live-action film, Tink, which will feature Tinkerbell as the main character. Reese Witherspoon is signed onto the project as a producer.
And then more imminently, there is a live-action film that will air on Disney+ in 2022. While Tinkerbell won’t be the titular character in the Peter Pan and Wendy adaptation, she will certainly play an important role. Yara Shahidi will portray Tinker Bell.
Are There Any Other Tinker Bell Adaptations?
Within the Disney Fairies franchise there have been multiple adaptations of your favorite fairies in addition to the films. There are multiple books and video games that have been released to coincide with the films. In addition to one short film and a TV special.
A Summary of the Tinker Bell Movies in Order
Now that we’ve listed out each available film in the list of Tinkerbell movies in order, let’s dive into a bit more about each film. Our below summaries will include a brief synopsis for the movie, as well as a list of the voice cast. Just in case as you’re watching you can’t quite recognize some of these familiar voices.
1. Tinker Bell
The first Tinkerbell movie sets up the story of Tinker Bell. Born from a child’s laughter, Tinker Bell is transported by the wind to Pixie Hollow on the island of Neverland. It is there she learns that as a tinker fairy she is destined to repair broken items.
Tinker then meets some new friends: Water fairy Silvermist, garden fairy Rosetta, and animal fairy Fawn. Following which, she realizes that she won’t be travelling to the mainland to help bring about spring. Discouraged by the realization, she struggles to reconcile who she is and who she wants to be.
The animation is directed by Bradley Raymond, and the screenplay was written by Jeffrey M. Howard. The story was written by Bradley Raymond, and of course the characters are from J.M. Barrie’s beloved tale.
Mae Whitman voices Tinker Bell with Lucy Liu voicing Silvermist. Kristin Chenoweth voices Rosetta, and America Ferrera voices Fawn.
2. Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure
With her fiery personality and stubborn nature, Tinker Bell often finds herself in trouble. Despite this, Pixie Hollow has entrusted Tinker to make sure their magical moonstone keeps their pixie dust in plentiful supply.
But things take a turn for the worst when Tinker accidently breaks the moonstone. Now, if she wants to fix the broken stone, Tinker must find an enchanted mirror and accept help from the pixie Terence.
This installment was directed by Klay Hall and the writers for the project were Evan Spiliotopoulos and Klay Hall. In addition to the voice actors from the first film, Jesse McCartney plays a prominent role as the voice of Terence.
3. Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue
In the third movie, Tinker visits the meadows of England in summer, where she develops a special bond with a child in need of a friend. When the other fairies launch a daring rescue, Tinker Bell must take a huge risk to keep all of fairyland safe.
The director for Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue was Bradley Raymond. The writers were Bob Hilgenberg, Rob Muir, and Joe Ansolabehere.
Mae Whitman returns as the voice of Tinker Bell, with Lauren Mote voicing Lizzy Griffiths and Michael Sheen voicing Dr. Griffiths. Pamela Adlon voices the fairy Vidia and Raven-Symoné voices the fairy Iridessa.
4. Secret of the Wings
In this installment, Tinker Bell learns more about her family and herself. It happens when curiosity gets the better of Tinker Bell while she is guiding some furry friends to the Winter Wood to hibernate. The Winter Wood is off-limits to residents of Pixie Hollow, but that doesn’t stop Tinker from entering the forbidden land.
Bobs Gannaway and Peggy Holmes directed Secret of the Wings. Both also wrote the screenplay, in addition to Ryan Rowe.
Joining the original voice cast is Lucy Hale as Periwinkle, Timothy Dalton as Lord Milori, and Debby Ryan as Spike.
5. The Pirate Fairy
The fifth film is the first one to venture ever-so-slightly closer to the familiar storylines of Peter Pan. In this movie Tinker Bell and her friends are searching for a wayward fairy, Zarina. She has fled Pixie Hollow after stealing the Blue Pixie Dust and joined with a band of scheming pirates led by the future Captain Hook.
Peggy Holmes returned to direct The Pirate Fairy. The writers for the project are Jeffrey M. Howard, Kate Kondell, and John Lasseter.
The original voice cast is joined by Christina Hendricks as the voice of Zarina and Tom Hiddleston as the voice of James, the future Captain Hook.
6. Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast
The last movie on our list of the Tinkerbell movies in order shifts focus slightly with the animal fairy Fawn taking a more prominent role. The trusting fairy brings a baby hawk into Pixie Hollow despite knowing that adult hawks eat fairies.
Queen Clarion reprimands Fawn, which encourages her to make things right. But then Fawn finds a strange creature lying in an underground cave. Is the peaceful Pixie Hollow in danger?
Steve Loter directed the sixth movie in addition to being a writer on the project alongside Tom Rogers and Bob Schooley.
The role of Fawn was recast in this movie with Ginnifer Goodwin voicing the animal fairy. Alongside the original voice cast Rosario Dawson voices the fairy Nyx.
Final Thoughts on the Tinker Bell Movies in Order
Now that you know about all the Tinkerbell movies in order, you’re all set to snuggle in for an evening of movie watching. Keep an eye out for the second star on the right, and you’ll be all set.
Looking for more movies in order?
Check out our list of the Chronicles of Narnia movies in order for more family friendly fun.
