A Tooth Fairy Tale Film Analysis: Cartoon Adventure with a Touch of Kid-Appropriate Tween Love Story
Throughout this animated journey for preteens, the world of fairies focuses on gathering baby teeth of slumbering children and leaving treasure beneath where they sleep. Skateboarding teenage rebel fairy Van (voiced by Booboo Stewart) shows little enthusiasm about spending his future to gathering baby teeth—a feeling that’s entirely reasonable. He is just a bit more curious about the underlying economics of the situation: the fairies hand over the molars to mysterious goblins, who provide metal in exchange. But Van’s curiosity grows when he spots a goblin (voiced by Larkin Bell), who turns out to be not at all the ugly creature he had imagined.
An Unlikely Connection and Shared Threat
The stage is set for an adventure with a gentle touch of young love (though it’s very much suitable for younger kids). The fairy and goblin communities are estranged from one another, and nothing fuels the excitement of secrecy to unite beings together. Both groups as seen here are remarkably alike, yet each holds biased views about the opposite side. Fairies are supposed to be self-centered sorts, prone to stealing anything they want, while the goblins are reportedly dim-witted, foul-smelling, and primitive, but are actually intelligent and technologically advanced.
Of course, such a setup needs a common enemy to join forces against, and this is duly provided in the form of a group of vicious spiders, voiced by Jon Lovitz and Fran Drescher. They make no secret with these guys: they want to eat the fairies and goblins, and they serve as quite savage, if not especially competent, villains.
Target Audience and Overall Impression
You won’t find very many animated films aimed at the kind of audience that is beginning to have first crushes, but aren’t yet mature enough for whatever teenagers view these days instead of popular teen sagas. If your child falls into this age group, it probably won’t to be their next favorite movie, but you could do worse.
A Tooth Fairy Tale releases in movie theaters in Scotland from 10 October and the rest of the UK beginning October 24.
