The Tooth Fairy Story Review: Animated Adventure with a Touch of Kid-Appropriate Preteen Romance

In this cartoon journey aimed at tweens, the world of fairies focuses on gathering teeth from sleeping youngsters and leaving gold under their pillows. Board-riding youthful nonconformist fairy Van (brought to life by Booboo Stewart) shows little enthusiasm about devoting his life to gathering baby teeth—a sentiment that’s completely understandable. He is just a bit more interested in the underlying economics of the situation: the fairies hand over the molars to unseen goblins, who supply gold as payment. But Van’s curiosity is piqued when he spots a goblin (played by Larkin Bell), who turns out to be not at all the hideous gnome he expected.

An Unlikely Bond and Shared Threat

The stage is set for an exciting quest with a light sprinkling of young love (even though it remains very much suitable for children). The goblin and fairy communities are separated from each other, and nothing fuels the excitement of secrecy to unite beings together. Both groups as seen here are incredibly similar, yet each holds prejudiced beliefs about the opposite side. Fairies are supposed to be self-centered types, given to taking anything they want, while goblins are allegedly dim-witted, smelly, and primitive, but are actually intelligent and advanced in technology.

Of course, this scenario requires a shared foe to join forces against, and this is duly provided by some nasty spiders, with voices by Jon Lovitz and Fran Drescher. There’s no beating about the bush with these guys: they want to eat the goblins and fairies, and they serve as quite savage, though not especially competent, villains.

Ideal Viewers and Final Thoughts

There aren’t all that many children’s animations aimed at the viewer group that is beginning to have first crushes, but aren’t yet old enough for the content teenagers view these days instead of Twilight. If your child is in the right age bracket, it probably won’t to become their new all-time fave, but you could do worse.

A Tooth Fairy Tale arrives in movie theaters in Scotland starting October 10 and across the United Kingdom from 24 October.