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The Pirate Fairy (Blu-ray) Official AVSForum Review

2K views 13 replies 11 participants last post by  Daniel Smith 
#1 ·


The Review at a Glance: (max score: 5 )

Film:


Extras:


Audio/Video total rating:

( Max score: 100 )
94





Studio and Year: Disney - 2014
MPAA Rating: G
Feature running time: 78 minutes
Genre: Family

Disc Format: BD-50
Encoding: AVC (MPEG-4)
Video Aspect: 1.78:1
Resolution: 1080p/24


Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio, French/Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Starring: Mae Whitman, Tom Hiddleston, Angelica Huston, Megan Hilty, Lucy Liu, Raven-Symone, Christina Hendricks
Directed by: Peggy Holmes
Music by: Joel McNeely
Region Code: A,B,C

Blu-ray Disc release Date: April 1, 2014
"From the world of Peter Pan…."


Film Synopsis:


"The Pirate Fairy" charts a course for the most exciting Disney Fairies adventure ever! When a misunderstood dust-keeper fairy named Zarina steals Pixie Hollow's all-important Blue Pixie Dust, and flies away to join forces with the pirates of Skull Rock, Tinker Bell and her fairy friends must embark on the adventure of a lifetime to return it to its rightful place. However, in the midst of their pursuit of Zarina, Tink's world is turned upside down. She and her friends find that their respective talents have been switched and they have to race against time to retrieve the Blue Pixie Dust and return home to save Pixie Hollow. “The Pirate Fairy” is an all-new movie full of comedy, heart and epic thrills for the whole family.


My Take:


From the world of Peter Pan comes this new Disney animated adventure featuring the fairies of Pixie Hollow. The Pirate Fairy, is a swashbuckling tale about Zarina, a smart and ambitious dust-keeper fairy who’s captivated by Blue Pixie Dust and its endless possibilities. When one of Zarina’s secret experiments goes terribly wrong, she flees Pixie Hollow and joins forces with the scheming pirates of Skull Rock, who make her captain of their ship. Zarina returns to Pixie Hollow and helps herself to the Blue Pixie Dust in order to use its magic properties to make her pirate ship fly. Tinker Bell, Silvermist, Rosetta, Vidia, Iridessa and Fawn embark on an epic adventure to find Zarina and return the stolen Blue Dust. The determined pixies catch up to Zarina and go sword-to-sword with the band of pirates led by a cabin boy named James, who’ll soon be known as Captain Hook, himself.


I have seen all of the Disney Fairies stories on Blu-ray and have enjoyed each of them. The Pirate Fairy is special in that it integrates the world of Peter Pan, taking the fairies and story beyond the realm of Pixie Hollow. The swashbuckling fun combined with Zarina’s subplot and the magic of the fairies made for a wholesome and heartwarming experience. The story is wonderfully balanced and Joel McNeely’s beautiful music score provides an excellent backdrop for the film. Voiced by a great cast it brings back the charming characters from the previous two films, while adding a few new ones. The Pirate Fairy is positively reinforced family friendly entertainment that can be enjoyed by young viewers and their parents.


Parental Guide:


This film is appropriate for all audiences.


AUDIO/VIDEO - By The Numbers:
REFERENCE = 92-100 / EXCELLENT = 83-91 / GOOD = 74-82 / AVERAGE = 65-73 / BELOW AVERAGE = under 65

**My audio/video ratings are based upon a comparative made against other high definition media/blu-ray disc.**


Audio: 88

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Dynamics:

  • Low frequency effects:

  • Surround Sound presentation:

  • Clarity/Detail:

  • Dialogue Reproduction:

  • *Low frequency extension (non-rated element): NA


Video: 100

(Each rating is worth 4 points with a max of 5 per category)

  • Resolution/Clarity:

  • Black level/Shadow detail:

  • Color reproduction:

  • Fleshtones:

  • Compression:


The Pirate Fairy comes to Blu-ray from Disney featuring 1080p AVC encoded video that has an average bitrate of 32 Mbps and lossless DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio sound that has an average bitrate of 5.3 Mbps.


Each of the Disney Fairies films look beautiful on Blu-ray Disc and this presentation is no exception. Images are awash with lustrous and vibrant hues that are wonderfully diverse and make for visually engaging eye candy. Greens are particularly vivid with visible gradational stages that bring out subtle degrees of separation. Each of the characters has distinctive physical qualities that are attributable to the color of their clothing, hair, eyes, or skin. The video is immaculately resolved with pristine quality and fine minutia that shows strict attention to detail. The facial features of the various characters have lifelike quality that allows them to display a varied range of emotions. Contrast and black levels strike a great balance as whites are bright, detailed and punchy while blacks are deep, dynamic and exhibit appreciable delineation. This is a resplendent, polished, and beautifully rendered Blu-ray presentation that looks fabulous on my large front projection display.


The DTS-HD 7.1 Master Audio presentation makes excellent use of the surround platform and offers detail rich clarity, crystalline dialogue and ample low frequency support. This mix doesn’t bombard you with consistently active surround sound however it applies it when appropriate and combines discretely placed directional cues with rear channel ambience that fills the listening area nicely. The front and rear sound field’s never collide but work in unison to render the soundtrack with precise imaging and acoustic placement that elevates the experience. Dynamic’s are excellent and the LFE channel is actively engaged offering bass response that is punchy and clean. This is a well rounded overall presentation that compliments the source material.


Bonus Features:

  • (HD) Second star to the right: The legacy of Neverland – 4 minute featurette

  • (HD) Croc-u-mentary – 4 minutes

  • (HD) 4 deleted scenes with filmmaker introductions

  • (HD) The making of “The Frigate that flies” – 4 minutes

  • (HD) Animate shorts – “ Aaarrgh” & “Treasure chest”

  • (HD) Sing-a-longs – “Where I am” & “The frigate that files”

  • Bonus DVD

  • Digital HD Copy




Final Thoughts:

The Pirate Fairy is the fifth installment in Disney’s Fairy Series and is a swashbuckling and fun animated film that makes for wholesome family entertainment. Disney’s penchant for top notch audio/video presentations on their animated Blu-ray Disc continues with this Blu-ray Combo Pack that features superb high definition video quality and excellent lossless DTS-HD Master Audio sound. The noticeably light supplemental offering is the only complaint in an otherwise excellent package that is a worthy addition to the collections of Disney Fairy Series fans.










Ralph Potts
AVS Forum Blu-ray Reviews





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JVC DLA-RS4910 3D Ready 1080p High Definition Front Projector

(Calibrated with Calman 5 & C6 Meter from Spectracal )

Stewart Filmscreen - Studiotek 130 G3 100” 16x9 Screen
Carada Masquerade Horizontal Masking System

Marantz AV8801 11.2 Channel Audio/Video Processor

Sherbourn Technologies - 7/200 Seven Channel Amplifier

B&K Reference 200.7 Series 2 Seven Channel Amplifier

Oppo BDP-103D Universal Disc/3D capable Blu-ray Player (With Darbee video processing)

Panasonic DMP-BDT310 3D capable Blu-ray Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Toshiba HD-XA2 HD DVD Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

Sony Playstation 3 Blu-ray disc Player (HDMI Audio/Video)

System Controller: Apple iPad/iRule Pro HD Universal Remote Control

Canton "Ergo" Series speakers

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SV Sound PB-13 Ultra (Rosenut finish)

APC AV S15BLK Power Conditioner/Surge Protector

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#4 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormshadow4life  /t/1525491/the-pirate-fairy-blu-ray-official-avsforum-review/0_20#post_24559717


I actually do enjoy these movies. With my first daughter on the way....maybe I should just start buying them now.

Greetings,


Not a bad idea Ss4life. Congratulations...!!




Regards,
 
#6 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Suntan  /t/1525491/the-pirate-fairy-blu-ray-official-avsforum-review/0_20#post_24560550


Oh man, my daughter is going to burst a gasket. She loves these and "Jake and the Neverland Pirates."


Thanks for the head's up.


-Suntan

Greetings,


Sure thing. Enjoy...!




Regards,
 
#7 ·
My wife and i own and love every one of these so far, and have forced many people to watch them (after recommending them highly and finding out that no one ever does!) You'd think they wouldn't appeal to the child-free, but Anyone can get hooked on visual crack
Going to amazon right now to get this one. Thanks for the reminder Ralph - always love your reviews!
 
#9 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by DavidK442  /t/1525491/the-pirate-fairy-blu-ray-official-avsforum-review/0_20#post_24562514


I have an unnatural affinity for the Tinkerbell movies but after seeing the uninspired trailer for this 5th one had decided enough is enough.

...and now thanks to your glowing review Ralph I'm heading out this evening to pick it up.

Greetings,


Great DavidK442! I hope you find it was worth it...




Regards,
 
#10 ·
Never have liked the look of these cheaper straight-to-video CGI Disney offerings. The characters really take on a kind of plastic doll quality that's kind of creepy. It's the same kind of lower grade stuff Disney was known for with their hand animated sequels. If they're going to put the Disney name to it, they might as well go for top quality animation.
 
#11 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Hitchman  /t/1525491/the-pirate-fairy-blu-ray-official-avsforum-review#post_24565814


Never have liked the look of these cheaper straight-to-video CGI Disney offerings. The characters really take on a kind of plastic doll quality that's kind of creepy. It's the same kind of lower grade stuff Disney was known for with their hand animated sequels. If they're going to put the Disney name to it, they might as well go for top quality animation.

Sorry but I completely disagree. I think these Disney Fairy movies look wonderful. The animation is rich and very active in both the fore and background. The voice talent does a great job. These are actually good Disney films in my opinion. My daughter(3) liked this one the best out of all of the fairy films. I also enjoyed how it hooked in more with the Pan mythos.


I was disappointed to see this not get a 3D release where as the last title, Secret of the Wings, did. I'd also like to suggest to those of you that enjoy these films to check out Disney's Peter Pan sequel: Return to Neverland. The story is great, it looks and sounds great and it is by far my daughter's favorite movie.
 
#13 ·
I have found all of the Tinker Bell movies, including this one, to be very well done, especially for straight-to-video. I have two daughters, 8 and 10, who have loved them since the beginning, and I have to be honest, I kind of enjoy them as well. For any parent with a younger daughter or daughters on the way, these are pretty much "must-haves" in the video library. I'll be honest; when we got this last Tuesday and had a chance to watch it in the afternoon on Wednesday (we homeschool), I actually had some time to get out to my pole shed to work a little bit on one of my other hobbies (reloading, building rifles, etc.), and I actually decided to stay in with the girls and watch this because I wanted to see where the next journey of Tinker Bell and her friends went. And I'm man enough to admit that.
 
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