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Tinker Bell: An Evolution (Disney Editions Deluxe
She began as a flash of light in the mind of playwright J.M. Barrie, with a voice the sound of tinkling bells. And with a sprinkle of her pixie-dust, flight is possible! Yet, as magical as this little fairy is, she presented one of the more defining challenges to Disney's remarkable animators (and was the most expensive character to develop at the Studios up to that time).
Said Walt, "We could make the little sprite glow like a firefly as she darts through space and have her speak with the sound of bell." During her development for the film and then beyond, she has transformed from a tiny fairy ballet dancer - florally bedecked and aloof as a cherubim - to a high-tempered and ultra-feminine little vixen.
Over the past fifty years, Tinker Bell has evolved into a beloved icon embraced by millions of fans for her coy flirtations, her pixie antics, and her potent doses of Disney magic, whether it's on screen, in books, or setting off the fireworks in the Disney parks.
This book explores her origins and years of development from a sweet little spark of light with a Dresden doll's delicacy to a pom-pom-shoe-wearing, mischievous blonde top-knotted fairy.
- GenresArtNonfictionHistory
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 26, 2018
An absolutely magical book. The text is informative and well written, but the real star here is the incredible artwork. Illustrations from novels, concept art, storyboards, movie stills, it's all absolutely beautiful.
April 15, 2019
I have always been a fan of Walt Disney,especially his animation since I was a little kid.I also thought Tink was hot .This was a wonderful history of Tinker Bell with guest appearances and stories about James M.Barrie,Arthur Rackham and a cornucopia of great artists and art.
October 4, 2021
Es un libro increíble. Es supercompleto y exhaustivo. No le falta de nada, aporta mucha información pero también muchas imágenes para contarnos la historia de Campanilla desde sus orígenes, la obra de teatro de James Barrie en la que solo era un punto de luz, hasta el personaje famoso a nivel mundial que todos conocemos hoy en día, con sus propias películas y todo. Me ha encantado ver su evolución tanto física como en términos de personalidad, cómo fueron dándole carácter poco a poco, las actrices en las que se inspiraron, cómo llegó a ser el icono de Disneyland...
Evidentemente, hay que estar interesado en la historia de Campanilla por un lado y luego también en el mundo de la animación, pero si el lector reúne ambas cosas, el libro es una auténtica joya, tanto a nivel visual como informativo. No se deja ni un detalle pero a la vez es muy ameno. Sí que es cierto que a veces me he perdido un poco con la cantidad de nombres implicados en el proceso de dar vida a este personaje tan icónico, pero tampoco ha sido un gran problema.
Evidentemente, hay que estar interesado en la historia de Campanilla por un lado y luego también en el mundo de la animación, pero si el lector reúne ambas cosas, el libro es una auténtica joya, tanto a nivel visual como informativo. No se deja ni un detalle pero a la vez es muy ameno. Sí que es cierto que a veces me he perdido un poco con la cantidad de nombres implicados en el proceso de dar vida a este personaje tan icónico, pero tampoco ha sido un gran problema.
December 23, 2015
This was so interesting and there were surprisingly many things I didn't know about the world known fairy.
Definitely a recommendation to any who like Tinkerbell or just Disney.
Definitely a recommendation to any who like Tinkerbell or just Disney.
July 30, 2016
While there's actually a great deal of text, this is at its heart a large-format art book, and as such difficult for me (with very little art background) to review. I can say, "Gee, it's got a lot of purty pickchers in it," but that isn't really very helpful, is it? So I'll mostly review the text.
What Johnson does, she does in three parts.
The first part ("The World's Most Famous Fairy") is short, and describes, first, how J.M. Barrie came to invent Tinker Bell; second, how she has been historically portrayed on the stage; and finally, and least familiar to me, her portrayal in a 1924 silent Peter Pan film. Both on stage and in the cinema, Tink called for surprising amounts of innovation to carry off.
Part II ("The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up") begins with Walt and Roy Disney's boyhood visit to a theatrical performance of Peter Pan. The story fascinated him and, when he began producing cartoons, seemed to him an obvious subject for animation. It took years for Pan to come to a boil, beginning with some difficulty in obtaining the cinema rights for the story; and once Disney had them, WW2 intervened, pushing all his large animation projects out into the future.
In the meanwhile, designs came and went for the Pan sets and characters. Tink herself went through dozens of incarnations, until, in the early 50s, Marc Davis, one of the Nine Old Men (as they were not yet called...), came up with her final basic design. Several women posed for Davis as he produced style sheets and sample illustrations. Attempts were made to write and cast dialogue for her, but her voice was finally produced by Jimmy MacDonald, Disney's lead sound effects man.
And so, in 1953, the film debuted to a smashing success, or so the story goes. Tinker Bell became an icon, first as the intro/hostess for Disney's television program (originally known as Disneyland), then flying across the sky over Disneyland to introduce the nightly fireworks.
The book's final part ("Products, Pitches, and Pixie Dust") is, to my mind, the least interesting. It has its fascinating moments as Tink becomes the pitchperson from peanut butter to Hudson and Nash automobiles, but it is basically a recitation of the various Tinker Bell products that have come down the Disney assembly line over the years, from an early glow-in-the-dark wand that was sold as a Disneyland souvenir, to the Pixie Hollow direct-to-home "feature" films.
But I DO have to talk about the purty pickchers after all, because what intrigued me most, thumbing and reading, was the vast variety of Tinker Bells - drawings, animation cels, and live action, uh, actors - that have emerged from the House of Mouse, both before and after the release of the film when (you'd think) her form would be set in concrete. But that form did continue to evolve, and the latest form - the 3D animated Tink of the Pixie Hollow films - falls creepily close to the Uncanny Valley. I expect and hope that this iconic character will not only survive but recover from this.
What Johnson does, she does in three parts.
The first part ("The World's Most Famous Fairy") is short, and describes, first, how J.M. Barrie came to invent Tinker Bell; second, how she has been historically portrayed on the stage; and finally, and least familiar to me, her portrayal in a 1924 silent Peter Pan film. Both on stage and in the cinema, Tink called for surprising amounts of innovation to carry off.
Part II ("The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up") begins with Walt and Roy Disney's boyhood visit to a theatrical performance of Peter Pan. The story fascinated him and, when he began producing cartoons, seemed to him an obvious subject for animation. It took years for Pan to come to a boil, beginning with some difficulty in obtaining the cinema rights for the story; and once Disney had them, WW2 intervened, pushing all his large animation projects out into the future.
In the meanwhile, designs came and went for the Pan sets and characters. Tink herself went through dozens of incarnations, until, in the early 50s, Marc Davis, one of the Nine Old Men (as they were not yet called...), came up with her final basic design. Several women posed for Davis as he produced style sheets and sample illustrations. Attempts were made to write and cast dialogue for her, but her voice was finally produced by Jimmy MacDonald, Disney's lead sound effects man.
And so, in 1953, the film debuted to a smashing success, or so the story goes. Tinker Bell became an icon, first as the intro/hostess for Disney's television program (originally known as Disneyland), then flying across the sky over Disneyland to introduce the nightly fireworks.
The book's final part ("Products, Pitches, and Pixie Dust") is, to my mind, the least interesting. It has its fascinating moments as Tink becomes the pitchperson from peanut butter to Hudson and Nash automobiles, but it is basically a recitation of the various Tinker Bell products that have come down the Disney assembly line over the years, from an early glow-in-the-dark wand that was sold as a Disneyland souvenir, to the Pixie Hollow direct-to-home "feature" films.
But I DO have to talk about the purty pickchers after all, because what intrigued me most, thumbing and reading, was the vast variety of Tinker Bells - drawings, animation cels, and live action, uh, actors - that have emerged from the House of Mouse, both before and after the release of the film when (you'd think) her form would be set in concrete. But that form did continue to evolve, and the latest form - the 3D animated Tink of the Pixie Hollow films - falls creepily close to the Uncanny Valley. I expect and hope that this iconic character will not only survive but recover from this.
October 19, 2021
This beautifully illustrated coffee-table book traces the history of a single character, Tinker Bell. Through this lens, you get insight into J.M. Barrie's creation of Peter Pan, the original play, books and early movie. Walt Disney saw the play with his brother Roy when he was 12. He also played the role of Peter in a production of the play as a child. When he began his studio, Peter Pan was one of the first movies he wanted to make, beginning production in 1935, two years prior to the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It would be almost 20 years before the film was released. Because of this, there is insight into the beginnings of Disney movies and the war years.
It is interesting to see the interpretations and evolution of this character by different studio artists, and how she changed with the times. Also, because the studio was working on multiple movies at the same time, there is some cross over. One discarded idea for a pet caterpillar for Tinker Bell was ultimately used in Alice in Wonderland. The Blue Fairy of Pinocchio and the fairies from Fantasia were considered as Tinker Bell was being designed.
Peter Pan released in 1953, around the time of Disney's first foray into the new medium of television and not long before the opening of Disneyland. Tinker Bell was a key feature of both. With the recent release of the Pixie Hollow movies, the book concludes with a whole new interpretation of the character (the last movie mentioned is The Great Fairy Rescue (2010).
An entertaining and informative read with particular appeal to Disney fans.
It is interesting to see the interpretations and evolution of this character by different studio artists, and how she changed with the times. Also, because the studio was working on multiple movies at the same time, there is some cross over. One discarded idea for a pet caterpillar for Tinker Bell was ultimately used in Alice in Wonderland. The Blue Fairy of Pinocchio and the fairies from Fantasia were considered as Tinker Bell was being designed.
Peter Pan released in 1953, around the time of Disney's first foray into the new medium of television and not long before the opening of Disneyland. Tinker Bell was a key feature of both. With the recent release of the Pixie Hollow movies, the book concludes with a whole new interpretation of the character (the last movie mentioned is The Great Fairy Rescue (2010).
An entertaining and informative read with particular appeal to Disney fans.
July 9, 2018
Not only is this a fascinating look into the evolution of Tinker Bell from Barrie’s play to her recent, stand-alone films, it gives a detailed history of the Peter Pan story in general with wonderful illustrations throughout. More interestingly, it has a great insight into the complex animation process of Tinker Bell. Reading about the difficulties and triumphs of animators creating a completely pantomime character and the ink and paint department’s challenges with coloring (especially the detail about her translucent wings) gives me a much greater appreciation for the film. I also had no idea how extensive the character’s reach became after the film (not only in Disneyland but television and merchandise). If you enjoy reading books about anything Disney-related like I do, you can’t go wrong with this selection.
April 29, 2015
Johnson, Mindy Tinkerbell, 189 p. Disney Editions, 2013. $40. Content: G.
From the first glimmer of an idea, through the stage play, early concepts, the famous film and the modern movies, Johnson explores Tinkerbell in depth. For a child this may be information overload, but for an adult who has loved Tinkerbell from an early age, this is a perfect gift.
GIFT – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher
From the first glimmer of an idea, through the stage play, early concepts, the famous film and the modern movies, Johnson explores Tinkerbell in depth. For a child this may be information overload, but for an adult who has loved Tinkerbell from an early age, this is a perfect gift.
GIFT – ADVISABLE. Cindy, Library Teacher
January 4, 2014
Gorgeous pics, concept art, and a fun look at Tink's journey, from JM Barrie's original play all the way thru the recent Pixie Hollow movies. A must-read for fans of Tink! :)
November 29, 2025
I've loved Tinker Bell as a Disney character for a long time, but I didn't know much about her development. I'm familiar with the Peter Pan stage play (I've been involved in a production of it for local community theatre) but that portrays Tink as a point of light. Reading about how the Disney artists created a design for her animated version was a lot of fun. I especially enjoyed seeing the different artist interpretations of her, and watching her grow and change into the fairy we all know today.
March 6, 2021
I enjoyed learning about everyone's favorite pixie; I especially enjoyed seeing the vintage Disneyland merch that features her. However, I felt that the book could've been a little stronger in the design and captioning, hence the 4-star rating.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews