The Tooth Fairy Around The World. Who is the Tooth Fairy? Has anyone ever seen a Tooth Fairy? Does the Tooth Fairy really exist? For most children it does. It's part of growing up. The tooth fairy comes when a child has lost a tooth. No-one sees her because (1) she is very tiny and (2) she comes in the middle of the night when everyone is sound asleep. Children leave their tooth under his or her pillow, so that the tooth fairy can take it during her visit. She has takes the tooth and she leaves a small amount of money exchange. She then takes the tooth/teeth to her fairy tower. Pictures of the tooth fairy have been captured in everything from storybooks to art. The painter Maxfield Parrish is said to have depicted her once in the corner of a painting. Fairies (faery, faerie, fay, fae), which didn't always have wings. in general are considered to be great influences in art, with folklore and legend surrounding each fairy tale. Many folk cultures marked the loss of a child's baby or milk teeth. Some cultures placed the tooth in a tree or threw it to the sun. Other rituals involved having an adult swallow the tooth or burn it. Even the Vikings had their own ritual called "tooth fee" whereby a small gift was given to a child when its first tooth appeared. Although it varies, children generally lose their first baby tooth between the ages of five and seven years. The lost tooth is then placed under the child's pillow, in a special Tooth Fairy pillow or in a container. During the night, the Tooth Fairy visits and makes an exchange, usually monetary, for the tooth. Today, many people keep their child's baby teeth to pass on later when the child has grown up. Not every culture has a tooth fairy. In Mexico a mouse, takes the tooth from under the pillow during the night, leaving money for the child. One tradition in England held that if a child's tooth fell out, that child must drop it into a fire, to avoid having to look for it after death, and this may be the origin of the importance of a lost tooth. This tale was handed down during the Middle Ages to smaller children during the teething stage. The addition of fire into the story may have conjured up images of witchcraft. Suspected witches were often burned, because people believed money appeared after they threw articles into fire. From this myth comes the importance of keeping a tooth. When a witch burned a piece of hair, clothing or teeth from a person, it was believed she obtained power over them. Parents may have prompted children to keep teeth or burning the teeth themselves in order to keep themselves free of demon possession. In Mongolia, the dog is respected and considered to be a guardian angel. It is fed the tooth in the belief that a strong tooth will grow to replace the lost one. In Japan, the teeth are either thrown straight up in the air or on the ground. The Japanese believe this will make the upper and lower teeth grow straight. In Vietnam, both the upper and lower teeth are thrown up over the house. From parts of Lowland Scotland comes a tradition similar to the fairy mouse: a white fairy rat which purchases the teeth with coins. In Italy also the Tooth Fairy (Fatina) is often replaced by a small mouse (topino). In France, this character is called La Petite Souris ("The Little Mouse"). In some Asian countries, such as India, Korea and Vietnam, their usual custom is that he or she should throw it onto the roof if it came from the lower jaw, or into the space beneath the floor if it came from the upper jaw. While doing this, the child shouts a request for the tooth to be replaced with the tooth of a mouse. The Inside Story. The Inside Story Filming "Tooth Fairy" was in some ways like making three different movies. Production began with the story’s high-octane hockey sequences. Producers Mark Ciardi ("The Game Plan") and Gordon Gray ("Invincible"), through their company Mayhem Pictures, have considerable experience in bringing to life sports action on screen, having produced "The Rookie", "Miracle", "Invincible" and "The Game Plan", the latter starring Dwayne Johnson as a football player Joe Kingman. "For Tooth Fairy", we felt it was very important to make a portion of Derek’s life really masculine and sports-oriented, and from this came the idea of making him a hockey player," Ciardi recalls. "We brought in ‘Coach’ Mark Ellis as our hockey stunt coordinator, to bring authenticity to the hockey sequences." For Michael Lembeck, a longtime hockey fan and director of seven episodes (1989 - 1990) of the two time EMMY and five time ASCAP Award winning TV Show "Coach", filming the hockey sequences was one of the highlights of the shoot. "I was determined not to capture what we’ve seen in hockey movies before, but really get on the ice and feel the grace, skill, speed, pace and visceral quality of hockey," says the man who directed Toni Collette in Connie and Carla". "It’s been a thrill for me to come in with a particular vision and work with 'Coach' Mark Ellis to choreograph the plays. Our skaters were fantastic: ranging from kids who skated first line on their college teams, to several guys who played professionally. It was breathtaking to be on the ice with the cameras down low and feel the sheer power of what these guys do." 'Part two' of the shoot focused on the characters of Derek, Carly, and youngsters Tess and Randy. These scenes grounded the film in the reality of the characters day to day lives. For 'part three' of the shoot, cast and crew moved to Mammoth Studios, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, to take up residence in 'Fairyland'. Here 2002 Art Directors Guild winning production designer Marcia Hinds ("Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" & "Fired Up!") modeled the bustling hive of activity, where fairies come and go on tooth-collecting assignments around the globe, on an enormous train station. "The idea is that there are no doors, allowing the fairies to move through this open-ended structure that floats in the sky," Hinds explained. One of today’s most popular actors, Dwayne Johnson’s juxtaposition of sharp comedic timing and impressive physicality has delighted audiences in pictures like "The Game Plan", "Get Smart" and "Race to Witch Mountain". His latest effort, "Tooth Fairy", brings together several elements he thought would be fun to explore. "It’s a story with universal appeal," says seven time WWE World Champion Johnson. "It’s a fish out of water tale about believing in the impossible and the magic. It’s for families and everyone. The Tooth Fairy is part of our culture and part of the wonderment of being a child. It’s a character that’s never been explored, to this extent, in the movies." To most of the world, the Tooth Fairy is a magical figure. Like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy is both an inspiring and comforting character who teaches children to use their imagination and to dream. And while there are no definitive renderings, most of us envision the Tooth Fairy as a gentle sprite who magically appears during a child’s slumbers to take his or her newly-displaced tooth from under the pillow and replace it with money. It’s a safe bet that no one has imagined the Tooth Fairy to be a hockey player and enforcer: until Derek Thompson, beloved by his fans for his hyper-aggressive play on the ice, becomes the newest addition to ranks of Tooth Fairydom. Derek had been a major league hockey star, but after suffering an injury, he never found his way back to ruling the rink. Instead, he settled for being a hockey tough guy: a bruiser who takes out opposing players as his fans chant "The tooth hurts!" and "You can’t handle the tooth!" "Derek still aspires to be great," says the man known to WWE fans as 'The Rock', "but he’s lost his way and isn’t sure how to come back and recapture his dreams." Derek is a good guy at heart, but his own lowered expectations have caught up with him. When one, excited young autograph-seeker asks Derek if it’s possible for the youngster to achieve hockey stardom, Derek discourages the boy’s hopes. "Derek is not saying those things to hurt the kid," says Johnson (Sarge in "Doom"). "In Derek’s mind, it’s a very sensible approach and good advice. He has yet to learn the bigger, more valuable lesson of the importance of dreams." His dream-killing faux pas will lead to a life changing experience. Awoken at night, Derek discovers he has mysteriously received a summons accusing him of Violation 70136: Dissemination of Disbelief. Before Derek figures out what that even means, he suddenly sprouts wings and is sucked up into a vortex that deposits his now tutu-clad frame in a pastel alternate universe known as Fairyland: a magical version of a massive train station, which is about to become Derek’s new training ground. Derek’s chief accuser is Fairyland’s no-nonsense matriarch Lily, played by Oscar ® winning actress Julie Andrews ("Mary Poppins"). She sentences Derek to two weeks of hard time as a Tooth Fairy. Getting Andrews onboard was a major casting coup. "We were so thrilled that Julie agreed to join the team," says producer Jason Blum ("The Reader"). "There is no better person to play this role." Blum credits director Michael Lembeck, a former actor (TV'S "The Love Boat" & "One Day at a Time"), with playing a key role in bringing Andrews aboard. "Julie’s casting was largely thanks to Michael, who was an actor for a long time and is great with making actors feel comfortable and safe. With comedy you really need that safety net." Andrews says she found much to appreciate in films message. "The thing that really sold me on doing "Tooth Fairy" was its message that children must be allowed to dream and fantasize and use their imagination. I think what makes a good family film is a quality of joy and perhaps a certain innocence. It’s great for a film to be funny and smart, but children also need a sense of wonder. We all need it!" While it’s Julie Andrews’ Lily who lays down the Fairydom law for the increasingly bewildered Derek, she leaves it to an administrative fairy, Tracy, to make sure Derek fulfills his sentence. It’s far from a magical alliance: Derek and Tracy get off on the wrong foot and things quickly go downhill from there. Taking on the role of the put-upon caseworker is comic actor Stephen Merchant, who achieved international renown for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais on the U.K. series "The Office" and "Extras". "Derek and Tracy are at loggerheads throughout the story," says the three time BAFTA and two time Broadcasting Press Guild Award winner, Merchant. "Derek resents being sentenced, and Tracy’s bureaucratic officiousness irks him even more. Tracy aspires to be a real Tooth Fairy because that’s where the glamour is. He resents that Derek’s been given this plum assignment as a winged Tooth Fairy, though Derek doesn’t see it that way." The pairing of Johnson ("Welcome To The Jungle") and Merchant provides many moments of physical comedy, some of which stem from their contrasting physiques: Merchant is very tall and thin, while Johnson possesses what Merchant calls a 'superhuman' body. 1994 Independent Spirit Award winner Ashley Judd ("Ruby in Paradise") play mum of two (five year old Tess and fourteen year old Randy) and Derek's girlfriend, Carly. "Both kids are at an age where dreaming and setting goals are vital," says Johnson. "Derek doesn’t quite get that, until he sees their dreams are being shaken: by him." The Derek-Carly dynamic is clearly a case of opposites attract. "Derek and Carly are like the cowboy and the showgirl, you know, or the longshoreman and the debutante," Lembeck (who attended the same high school as Angelina Jolie, Nicolas Cage and Richard Dreyfuss) explained. "Only in our film, it’s the tough hockey guy and the really articulate, wonderful, sophisticated mom. They’re so different that it makes their relationship really special." "Derek is basically an overgrown child, and Carly and her kids help him find his childlike spirit," says Judd (Dr Kate McTiernan in "Kiss The Girls" & Libby in "Double Jeopardy"). If Derek thinks jugglind a girlfriend, two kids, a ice hockey career is hard, he's soon under the pump on another front. Not only does Derek have to come to grips with being the "Tooth Fairy", he's also under pressure on the ice rink from brash newcomer Mick Donnelly (played by skateboarding phenomenon Ryan Sheckler), who shows him no respect at all. But as hockey's "Tooth Fairy" slowly adapts to his new role as the real-deal, he will make the most unexpected discovery of all: his own dreams. And that is the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth. Synopsis

Derek Thompson is a hard-charging hockey player known as the Tooth Fairy, a nickname earned from his habit of separating opponents from their bicuspids. But lately, he's changed. Derek's become a little arrogant and believes the game is all about him. Later, while playing poker with his buddies, he finds himself busted. He wants to stay in the game but no-one will stake him. Then he has a brainwave. His girlfriend Abby's daughter Tess has Tooth Fairy money under her pillow. He'll use it. When Abby arrives home, he's sprung. To make matters worse, he derides Tess's belief in the Tooth Fairy. Little does he realize he's just made a huge mistake. Woken in his sleep, he's summoned to appear before the Tooth Fairy Queen. He's been sentenced to one week’s hard labor as a real tooth fairy, complete with the requisite wings and a magic wand. Can Derek handle the tooth: the whole tooth?

The Verdict "Who would have ever thought the day would come when we'd see Seven time WWE wrestling champ Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson in a 'Tooth Fairy' outfit. Well, that day has arrive and you'd better believe it. From a taxi-driver transporting visitors from another planet in "Race To Witch Mountain", to a rough and tumble ice hockey star who must serve two weeks as the Tooth Fairy! What has the world come to? A lot of good if you're into funny and a little silly, family entertainment. Hang on. That can't be right can it? Does that mean anyone who hasn't any children won't get a kick out of watching super fit, muscle man Johnson squaring off against tall and bespectacled, lightweight, Stephen Merchant. Of course they will. As you'd expect, Derek, who can't reveal he's a tooth fairy, finds himself in plenty of trouble when it comes to recovering teeth from under 'tooth fairy believing' childrens pillows. Comedian Billy Crystal, who was last seen in "Analyze That" but heard in "Cars", makes a great cameo appearance as Jerry. An enjoyable rom/com/send-up that's certainly worth having a look at. 3 1/2 STARS." Who's Who?

Dwayne Johnson Ashley Judd Destiny Grace Whitlock Seth MacFarlane Julie Andrews Stephen Merchant Ryan Sheckler Chase Ellison Brandon T Jackson Ellie Harvie Barclay Hope Michael Daingerfield Josh Emerson

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Derek Carly Tess Ziggy Lily Tracy Mick Donnelly Randy Duke Permit Woman Coach Announcer Kyle

The Crew

Director Screenplay Story by Producers Original Music Cinematography Film Editor Casting Production Designer Set Decoration Costume Design

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Michael Lembeck Lowell Ganz/Babaloo Mandel/Joshua Sternin Jeffrey Ventimilia/Randi Mayem Singer by Jim Piddock Jason Blum/Mark Ciardi/Gordon Gray George S Clinton David Tattersall David Finfer Heike Brandstatter/Mindy Marin/Coreen Mayrs Marcia Hinds Mary-Lou Storey Angus Strathie

Run Time 101 minutes Rated G [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Fox Films - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services. All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian and International Copyright. Trademark Laws and Intellectual Property Rights apply.