Fans of the TV show Once Upon a Time (now enjoying its fourth season on ABC) will most definitely get a kick out of this latest news.
According to Animation World Network, Ginnifer Goodwin, best known to fans as Snow White on the show, will be lending her voice to next year’s Disney Fairies film Legend of The NeverBeast. In the film, she replaces Angela Bartys in the role of Fawn, Tinker Bell’s friend and animal faerie. Here is a clip from the film featuring the titular NeverBeast, Gruff:
The film is described as follows:
The story explores the ancient myth of a mysterious creature whose distant roar sparks the curiosity of Fawn, an animal fairy who’s not afraid to break the rules to rescue the NeverBeast before time runs out. The fairies meet Gruff who is a massive creature and the subject of an ancient Pixie Hollow myth. Hidden in a dark lair on the fringes of the fairies’ beloved home, Gruff is discovered by curious and empathetic animal fairy Fawn, who sees something special in his glowing green eyes. His penchant for stacking rocks mystifies Fawn and her friends — but Gruff’s true purpose is the real surprise.
“Fawn is a character who loves all animals unconditionally,” said director Steve Loter. “She will help any animal that needs her, but sometimes Fawn thinks too impulsively, when she should be thinking with her head, as well as her heart.”
Goodwin joins a returning voice cast that includes Mae Whitman (Tinker Bell), Megan Hilty (Rosetta), Lucy Liu (Silvermist), Raven Symone (Iridessa), and Anjelica Huston (Queen Clarion).
Legend of the NeverBeast will be the last film released under the Disney Fairies banner and to a larger extent, the last film to feature Tinker Bell as a central character (for now). Production on what would have been a seventh and eighth film have been canceled last October due to declining DVD sales (there was also word that the seventh film was reportedly axed due to story problems instead).
With this being the final film in what was a very profitable direct-to-DVD franchise, DisneyToon is put in an even more tumultuous position. With a reduced staff and the future of the Planes franchise in question even after a stealthy comeback overseas, choices will inevitably have to be made if the studio wants to be on solid ground again.
Legend of the NeverBeast will arrive on March 13, 2015
What do you think? How do you feel about Jennifer Goodwin’s addition to the cast? Is there hope for DisneyToon yet?
