Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2014)

This film is misleadingly titled.  Tinker Bell is merely a secondary character in the narrative - and not even the most prominent secondary character, at that - with her animal fairy friend Fawn moving centre stage for what turns out to be the last of the Pixie Hollow series.  The upside of this is that I probably won't be getting any dust in my eye on a Monday night for a while.

When it comes to caring for animals, Fawn has a tendency to let her heart guide her much more than her head.  She's brought rats and snakes - and a vampire bat - into the Hollow before.  Her latest escapade really crosses the line: she's been raising a baby hawk that she found, after it injured its wing.  This is a big deal because hawks - once they're grown up - eat fairies.

This little escapade brings Fawn into conflict with Nyx, a new character who you can basically think of as captain of the fairy militia.  It also earns her a gentle admonishment from Queen Clarion, which is a Pretty Big Deal since Tinker Bell is about the only fairy to ever get one of those before.

Fawn resolves to be an upstanding citizen from this point on.  A resolve which lasts almost a day before she stumbles across a new type of creature she's never seen before.

This guy.

Fawn begins to study the creature, whom she dubs "Gruff", and he in turn slowly seems to warm to her.  But she's not the only fairy to take an interest in the strange new arrival.  Nyx has also been investigating, and she believes that Gruff will bring destruction to Pixie Hollow.

Are Nyx's fears justified?  Or is Fawn right to trust in the good nature of her friend?  Well to be honest this isn't really ever in any doubt.  But I frankly don't care because the film is full of lovely touches of humour and pathos.  A sound story well told beats innovation 99 times out of a hundred, especially when it ends as strongly as this one.

I wish Disney had made more of these.