The Tooth Fairy Story Review: Cartoon Journey with a Touch of Kid-Appropriate Preteen Romance
Throughout this cartoon adventure aimed at tweens, the world of fairies focuses on gathering baby teeth of sleeping children and placing treasure beneath where they sleep. Board-riding youthful nonconformist fairy Van (brought to life by Booboo Stewart) shows little enthusiasm about spending his future to gathering baby teeth—a feeling that’s completely understandable. He’s only a bit more interested in the underlying economics behind it all: the fairies hand over the molars to unseen goblins, who supply gold as payment. But Van’s curiosity is piqued when he spots a goblin (voiced by Larkin Bell), who proves to be far from the hideous gnome he had imagined.
A Forbidden Connection and Shared Threat
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 bring people as one. Both groups portrayed in the film are remarkably alike, yet each holds prejudiced beliefs about the opposite side. The fairies are said to be self-centered types, given to taking whatever they fancy, while goblins are reportedly stupid, foul-smelling, and primitive, but are in fact bright and technologically advanced.
Of course, such a setup requires a shared foe to join forces against, and that need is met by some nasty spiders, voiced by Jon Lovitz and Fran Drescher. There’s no beating about the bush about their intentions: they aim to devour the fairies and goblins, and they make for quite savage, though not especially competent, villains.
Ideal Viewers and Final Thoughts
You won’t find all that many animated films targeting the kind of audience that is starting to experience first crushes, but are not old enough for whatever teenagers view these days instead of Twilight. If your child falls into this age group, it probably won’t to become their new all-time fave, but you could do worse.
The Tooth Fairy Story arrives in Scottish cinemas starting October 10 and across the United Kingdom from 24 October.