After some delay, Peter Pan’s fairy friend will finally get to shine in her own movie next year. Walt Disney Pictures announced that Tinker Bell, an all-new, CG-animated feature, will be available on home video in the fall 2008. The Buena Vista Worldwide Home Entertainment title is being produced by DisneyToon Studios and will feature Brittany Murphy (King of the Hill) as the title sprite first introduced in James M. Barrie’s classic children’s tale, Peter Pan.
Originally slated for release this year, Tinker Bell was to be a centerpiece for the new Disney Fairies franchise, which will have to continue to grow through publishing and various consumer products before the animated movie is released. Rumor has it that the project was one of several that went back into the woodshed for retooling when Pixar’s John Lasseter and Ed Catmull took over Disney’s toon unit.
Disney Consumer Products introduced Disney Fairies in 2005 with the release of the New York Times best-seller Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg from Disney Publishing Worldwide. The book was followed by an apparel line, toys, a global magazine launch and a series of award-wining chapter books released in 2006. The product line is set to launch into new categories such as role play, youth electronics, stationery, home decor and personal care.
Murphy, best known to animation fans as the voice of Luanne on Fox’s King of the Hill, will be the first voice ever given to Tinker Bell, who was a silent character in Disney’s 1953 animated classic, Peter Pan. As the star of her own movie, the sassy sprite will introduce kids to her secret, magical world of Pixie Hollow and a new circle of enchanting fairy friends voiced by other Hollywood talents.
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