Was Disney already planning to make Tinker Bell a bigger star before the Tinker Bell movies were announced?

[DodgerGirl]

When Disney's Tinker Bell debuted on DVD my mom became an instant Tinker Bell fan and I never knew that Disney's Tinker Bell would be the start of a whole line of Tinker Bell movies and so I wondered if Disney was planning to make Tinker Bell a bigger star due to the release of Disney's Tinker Bell? My mom has been a Tinker Bell fan since the movie came out and has office supplies and bedding and even handbags of Tinker Bell as well. Although Mom and I haven't seen the Tinker Bell movie yet we have seen parts of the other movies and we just love the amazing animation. I think Disney was thinking that the Tinker Bell line would be successful than the Disney Princess line

 

[Scootin'By]

The Tinker Bell movies are some of my favorites! I only watched them as an adult with my kids, but they are so good! I wish they would either make more of these or at least remake one as a live-action. Julia Roberts as Tink in Hook is still one of my favorite characters ever. I think that Yara Shahidi will do a good job in Peter Pan and Wendy, but she's obviously not the main character. I hope she gets a spinoff.

Tinker Bell and Stitch are definitely my two unsung Disney heros (although they are both getting a lot of love right now0.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Why I think Disney decided to make the Tinker Bell movie series was to see how successful Tinker Bell would become. And it paid off because I think next to the Disney Princesses Tinker Bell has become the second popular Disney character and I think when Peter Pan was released in a special edition DVD it's to blame for Tinker Bell's soaring popularity because if you go to any store you'll see more Tinker Bell merchandise than princess merchandise and I think when the Tinker Bell /Disney Fairies movie series was launched Disney had it right on target because soon after the Tinker Bell movie was released Tinker Bell's popularity began to soar and she is still continuing to be popular. I think Disney has lots more in store for Tinker Bell in the future

 

[BrianL]

Well, the real reason they started to make those movies was that when John Lasseter became head of all Disney animation studios, he wanted to move away from the direct-to-video sequels and instead focus DisneyToon studios on more original work. The Tinkerbell series was born from that, and it was in fact very popular and a smart move.

 

[HollowxBastion]

The Tinkerbell movie series was one of the smartest things Disney has done in the 21st century. When you think of it more, it's clear that Tinkerbell serves as the alternative Disney mascot to their main guy Mickey Mouse. So it makes sense that Tink got own series of movies, that built upon her character & lore. Around the time of the Tinkerbell movies, you saw a resurgence of her everywhere (merchandising, parks etc.), which in turn introduced her to a new generation of fans.

Nowadays, i am seeing TONS of nostalgia for the Tinkerbell movies & the Disney Fairies on social media. It clearly had it's intended effect, despite not seeing her or her fairy friends as much as we used though. It's a shame though, because the Disney Fairies as characters & movies are very beloved. I wish they'd revive the Fairies franchise, it works so seamlessly with the fantasy settings of the Lorcana TCG & the world building of Kingdom Hearts