Secret of the Wings is a 2012 release from DisneyToon Studios directed by Bobs Gannaway and Peggy Holmes. It received limited release in theaters in the States, but is available everywhere in various video formats.

Tinker Bell becomes curious about the Winter Woods after her wings glow and sparkle when she flits across the bridge and crosses a little ways into the woods, even though it is forbidden for tinker fairies to cross over into the woods. After learning the Keeper of fairy knowledge lives in the Winter Woods, she devises a way to sneak over and meet the Keeper to see if he can help her learn about her wings’ unusual reaction.

Having been burned by lesser-quality releases such as The Return of Jafar in the past (when it came out, there were four of us in my family who watched it, and my dad stated, “It’s not worth the 25 cents we each paid to watch it.”), I was somewhat leery of another almost-direct-to-video release from Disney. However, I had also enjoyed some other releases such as Return to Neverland, a sequel of sorts to Disney’s classic Peter Pan animated masterpiece. So, I gave it a shot.

I’m glad I did. The CGI animation was very well done, even though it was obvious the film didn’t have as large a budget as a standard feature film. The animators paid special attention to cloth and hair, giving it excellent texture and flow. I thought the environments created by the animators were very detailed and very well done. I actually found myself forgetting I was watching a film a few times, so I think the animators and writers hit the nail on the head.

Now, the film is obviously aimed at a younger audience, so not all adults (or even, and maybe especially, older teens) are going to enjoy it. However, if you “put away childish things, including the fear of being childish and the desire to be very grown up” (to quote C.S. Lewis), I think you’ll enjoy this one. It’s not too long, it’s very cute, and I’m definitely going to be adding Secret of the Wings to my collection.

Release Date: August 31, 2012 (USA)
MPAA Rating: G

MySF Rating: Four point zero stars
Family Friendliness: 100%

Content:

Alcohol/Drugs: 0
Language: 0
Nudity: 0
Sexuality: 0
Violence: 1 (some mild fantasy violence)