Disney enlists Tinker Bell and fairy friends

Tinker Bell, after many decades with no lines, is finally getting a starring role.

Long one of the studio's most popular classic characters, but one always consigned to flitting in the background, Tinker Bell is being recast by Walt Disney Co. in the hope of launching a new billion-dollar Fairies franchise aimed at young girls.

"Tink" never spoke in Disney's 1953 "Peter Pan" movie -- the few words she utters in creator J.M. Barrie's 1911 novel involve an un-Disneyish expletive. Her elevation to pantheon status, the studio is betting, will lead girls to a new online fairy world in addition to spurring purchases of fairy-themed books, toys, lip gloss and stationery.

It begins, as do many Disney launches, with a movie: The spunky sprite will star in her own film, "Tinker Bell," due out on DVD on Oct. 28. The movie, remade under the supervision of Pixar Animation's creative force, John Lasseter, is the first of four planned home video releases that executives see as appealing to young girls who have outgrown princesses but are too young to be into tween idol Hannah Montana.

"I think Fairies has the potential to be as big as Princesses," said Andrew P. Mooney, chairman of Disney Consumer Products.

The consumer products division had been rummaging through the studio's animation vault, searching for new merchandise possibilities, with an eye to repeating the success of the Disney Princesses franchise. That pink-hued line of toys, clothing and other merchandise featuring eight heroines is expected to generate worldwide sales in excess of $4 billion this year.

Tinker Bell's enduring appeal prompted Disney's consumer products unit to place her at the center of its next girls' franchise, in an attempt to capture slightly older girls who no longer play dress-up or live in a pink world.

A recent survey by Los Angeles marketing agency Davie Brown Entertainment shows Tinker Bell is more popular than Peter Pan and better known than contemporary Pixar characters such as Woody, the cowboy hero from "Toy Story," and the namesake clown fish from "Finding Nemo."

Tinker Bell also has been holding her own in Disney's parks and resorts. Tinker Bell paraphernalia -- such as miniature fairy dolls and bubble bath -- racked up $800 million in sales last year.

Mooney knew that the consumer products unit couldn't just float out Tinker Bell and her new fly pals as a merchandise collection without a new introduction. "We needed a back story," he said.

So Mooney approached Disney Publishing Worldwide in 2004 about developing a fresh narrative for Tinker Bell.

Newbery Honor-winning author Gail Carson Levine was approached about the project. Levine said she found it problematic to build a story around taciturn Tinker Bell.

"The only thing she says in Barrie is, 'Silly ass!' That's her line. And she tries to have Wendy killed a couple of times," Levine said. "But she also saves Peter. She drinks the poison to keep Peter from drinking it. I built on that, on her love for Peter, her loyalty, her courage."

The success of the Fairies books set the stage for Mooney to ask the studio about a direct-to-DVD release based on Tinker Bell's new exploits. Disney Home Entertainment was so enthusiastic that it took the unusual step of greenlighting four films at once.

Martin Lindstrom, a brand consultant and author of the forthcoming book "Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy," said there were risks to updating any classic.

"It's really dangerous," Lindstrom said. "The big challenge Disney has is to change it on one hand, so it becomes more modern and appealing for the next generation, but on the other hand they're almost changing a religion. They can very easily trip and fall down."