Does Tinker Bell have ADHD? The Disney movie sure seems to indicate that she does, not directly, but if you know and understand the symptoms of ADHD then you will probably recognize some of the most common in Tinker Bell via her all new animated Movie!
Plot: Enter
the magical world of fairies and meet the enchanting creatures of Pixie Hollow, who “nurture nature” and bring about the change of the seasons. Changing the colors of the leaves, moving a sunbeam to melt snow, waking animals from their winter slumber, or giving a patch of sproutlings a sprinkle of water are all within the realm of these seasonal specialists. Tinker Bell thinks her fairy talent as a “tinker” isn’t as special or important as the other fairies’ talents. But when Tink tries to change who she is, she creates nothing but disaster! With encouragement from her friends Rosetta, Silvermist, Fawn and Iridessa, Tink learns the key to solving her problems lies in her unique tinker abilities … and discovers that when she’s true to herself, magical things can happen.
Tinker Bell, the animated movie, is about Tinker Bell trying to be something she is not because she thinks the traits and talents others have are somehow better. The little ball of fire and energy, which is Tinker Bell, causes chaos like no other fairy doing all the things she should not be doing and falls victim to the bully of the movie by her vulnerability in believing she can be something ‘different’. Tinker Bell is constantly distracted from her work by the lure of “The Mainland” and because she is a ‘Tinker’ fairy she is not allowed to go there. “The Mainland” is only for Garden Fairies and so Tinker Bell reasons she should learn how to be a Garden Fairy, but the problem is that she is not a Garden Fairy no matter how much she wants to be one.
I had to chuckle a bit to myself while watching Tinker Bell, throughout the movie she finds ‘lost’ things, they are shiny and catch her attention away from anything else she is doing. She can’t seem to stay focused on anything, but when she starts to repair ‘lost’ things or invent new things from them, she becomes hyper focused and does not detect that she is being watched by her friends – she, herself, doesn’t even realize what she is doing! I am telling you, this movie seems to be showing classic ADHD symptoms at their most obvious.
If Tinker
Bell has ADHD then it will be no surprise to anyone that she becomes the most famous fairy ever! No wonder! To understand what I mean, you will have to watch the movie and then be sure to comment here with your thoughts.
What I liked most about the movie, and it is a very, very good movie throughout, is the fact that Tinker’s problem stems from the fact that she cannot focus on the work she is instructed to do and is distracted by so many other things; however, it is this distraction which leads her to her REAL talent of salvaging ‘lost’ things and inventing new things! Had she not been distracted and interested in other things she would never have found her true talent and become the Tinker Bell we know and love today – the most famous fairy ever!
To me, the moral of the movie is that you cannot fit a circle into a square hole no matter how hard you try! But that’s exactly what we do in today’s civilized world with across the board standards. I am quite sure if Tinker Bell had been subdued with medication she would have been able to perform in the required manner of a ‘Tinker’ and not hyperactively and impulsively leave her education and duties constantly to find her passion and true talent. No, I am not saying medication is bad and doesn’t help. Actually medication does help many of us fit into society better and not cause the chaos that Tinker Bell caused during this movie. The question I would like to pose is: If Tinker Bell had been diagnosed with ADHD before her true talent came to fruition would she have become the Tinker Bell we know and love today? Watch the movie first! Then come back here and tell us your opinion.
Children today must meet an abundance of standards in education and have plenty of homework along with regular school – how much time do they have to adventure and explore their personal talents and traits? Kids are growing up under stricter and much more restrained conditions every generation. And sadly, with over population and saturation of the job market, not too many who actually do somehow find the time to discover and nurture their personal talent will ever have the opportunity to work in a job that allows him or her to use it. Or am I just being cynical? The world has changed so much in the last century and I sincerly believe that many of us with ADHD are equiped for a world and lifestyle that simply doesn’t exist anymore. Many of us make do and some find ways to succeed anyway, and yet we still feel empty and lost for something more… off to never, never land Peter Pan!
~Bryan
Tinker Bell images copyright Disney
