One of the most recognizable and beloved characters in Disney animation history, Tinker Bell has been flying over Cinderella’s Castle and dusting TV screens with a little pixie dust for decades.But before the platinum-haired fairy became the Magic Kingdom’s mascot, she appeared in the 1953 animated adaptation peter pan, Adapted from the stage play and novel of the same name by JM Barrie.
Dink may be a fairy, but she makes a lasting impression, looking and acting differently than artists or actresses have previously portrayed her. It’s amazing to see a character who usually has to be portrayed on stage with a flashlight suddenly come to life, but fans may not remember a lot about Tinker Bell and her origins.
She’s not imitating Marilyn Monroe
With her distinctive hourglass figure and platinum-blonde hair, it’s easy to think that Dink’s petite frame might be a copy of another famous sensual beauty, Marilyn Monroe. It was not Monroe (who was not yet a recognized Hollywood star at the time) who provided the bodywork for the Tinker Car, but Margaret Cree.
Carrey, 22, not only posed as the real-life Tinker Bell, but also performed a number of moves with oversized props (including trying to fit through a keyhole and standing on top of a giant mirror). Her voice can also be heard in the film, voicing the red-haired mermaid when Peter and Wendy visit the lagoon.
She is very different from the stage version
In JM Barrie’s play, Tinker Bell is never embodied in form, let alone human. Eventually, she was endowed with certain traits, such as courage and temper.
exist You Can Fly – The Making of Peter Pan mark Davis explained that because the elf was purely a pantomime character, she needed extra attitude to express her feelings.
she never speaks
As expressive as Tinkerbell is, she never utters a word throughout the film. Instead, exaggerated body language and other techniques reveal Tenke’s thoughts and feelings. When she was particularly angry, her whole body would turn red and hot to the touch.
Even though Jingle never said anything, she was an electric presence that stole every scene she appeared in, often adding to some of the film’s funniest vignettes, like when she measured her hip with a hand mirror and stomped his feet in disgust.
Her fairy dust isn’t always magical
JM Barrie’s stage play contains fairy dust, but it doesn’t have to help Peter Pan and the Lost Boys fly. All they need are happy thoughts.
Disney believes that Tinker Bell can sprinkle pixie dust not only on people, but even on things like Captain Hook’s galleon, thereby enabling other people to fly. Since then, fairy dust has become as synonymous with the magic of the Disney series as the movies.
She never carried a wand
Although the Disney mascot is known for flying around many theme parks and creating magic with just a flick of his wand, Tinker Bell doesn’t carry a wand in the movies. Her fairy dust sends Wendy and the kids flying, and many of the magical events they encounter occur.
However, in Disney marketing materials, like in this vintage lithograph, Tink is never without it.
She initially betrayed Peter
In the animated film, Tinker Bell betrays Peter only after being kidnapped by Captain Hook, who promises to remove Wendy from Peter’s life and spare her if Tinker tells him the Lost Boys’ secret hiding place. Over Peter.
The novel tells of a raucous party at the Lost Boys’ hideout that humiliates Dink, who deliberately goes to see Captain Hook and tells him their location. In the movie, however, Tinkerbell is kidnapped.
She almost poisoned Peter
In Barry’s play, Captain Hook poisons Peter’s potion, and Clank sacrifices himself to save his life. To bring the fallen fairy back to life, the audience would applaud, and thunderous applause would bring her back to life.
In the movie, instead of using poison, Hooker tries to kill Peter with a bomb, and Clank dies in the ruins of the Lost Boys’ hideout offscreen. However, she was not gone forever, and Peter’s care and love pulled her back from the brink.
she fell in love with peter
Although Tintin never expresses her feelings for Peter in the movie, it’s clear that she’s jealous of Wendy. As a human girl, Wendy has everything she can’t be, and in her mind, Wendy is Peter’s Potential partners. She even tried to get the Lost Boys to shoot her, an act that only brought Peter and Wendy closer together.
In Barry’s plays and novels, Jingle tries to convey her love to Peter, but it’s an unrequited, over-grown emotion for the boy who never wants to grow up. The underlying romance is more obvious, but the visual medium of animated film makes it even more visceral.
She died of old age
In the plays and novels of JM Barrie peter panIn his world-building, no one can age in Neverland, and if fairies die, they can be resurrected by clapping their hands. However, in Chapter 17 of the novel, Tinker Bell fans are horrified to find out that she died of old age after her adventures with Peter.
To make matters worse, when Wendy mentions Tinker’s whereabouts, Peter can barely remember who she is because “there are too many fairies” and he suspects she died somewhere. It turned out to be a poor send-off for one of the most beloved characters in children’s literature, thankfully Disney chose to drop him from the film.