The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (12, 169 mins) ***
Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis, William Kircher, James Nesbitt, Stephen Hunter, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, Dean O’Gorman, Aidan Turner, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, Peter Hambleton, John Callen, Jeffrey Thomas, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Barry Humphries, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood

Bilbo Baggins (Freeman) lives in the Shire, where he encounters Gandalf The Grey (McKellen) and a 13-strong company of dwarves, who intend to reclaim their lost gold from a dragon in his mountain lair.

After a sleepless night, Bilbo agrees to accompany dwarf leader Thorin Oakenshield (Armitage) and his troops on their perilous mission. En route, the brave souls encounter elvish allies including Elrond (Weaving) and Galadriel (Blanchett), as well as wretched Gollum (Serkis) and the corpulent Goblin King (Humphries).

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, reunites director Peter Jackson with cast and crew of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy, including cinematographer Andrew Leslie. The writer-director employs the same visual lexicon: sweeping aerial shots of characters traipsing over New Zealand landscapes, close-ups of ethereal figures in deep contemplation.

Nerve-racking scenes with Gollum are undoubtedly the highlight of this opening salvo. Jackson and co-writers Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro embellish JRR Tolkien’s novel to the point of creative obesity.

Visually-stunning flashbacks, which fail to advance the plot, are roughly hewn into a sprawling narrative that doesn’t kick into second gear for a good 45 minutes. Freeman brings a touch of humour to his pint-sized weakling, while McKellen and co ease back into familiar supporting roles.

Tinker Bell And The Secret Of The Wings (U, 72 mins) ***
Featuring the voices of Mae Whitman, Anjelica Huston, Timothy Dalton, Lucy Hale, Megan Hilty, Matt Lanter, Jesse McCartney, Lucy Liu, Raven-Symone, Debby Ryan, Pamela Adlon, Angela Bartys, Jane Horrocks, Jeff Bennett

In the magical realm of Pixie Hollow, which is ruled by Queen Clarion (voiced by Huston), fairies complete the final shipments of baskets to the Winter Woods.

When the time comes for the animals to cross the rubicon, Tinker Bell (Whitman) helps Fawn (Bartys) to lead the critters to the checkpoint and watches with envy as the four-legged charges magically sprout winter fur.

“There’s a whole other world over there,” coos Tink, all too aware that she and pals Fawn, Iridessa (Raven-Symone), Rosetta (Hilty) and Silvermist (Liu) are forbidden from crossing the divide into the kingdom ruled by Lord Milori (Dalton).

Curiosity gets the better of the mischievous fairy and Tink hitches a ride inside the last basket to the Winter Woods, where she discovers she has a sister called Periwinkle (Hale). T

inker Bell And The Secret Of The Wings is the fourth computer-animated feature based on JM Barrie’s fairy, co-directed by Peggy Holmes and Bobs Gannaway. It is lightweight enchantment, contrasting the colourful flora of Pixie Hollow with the snow-laden landscapes of the Winter Woods, which should provide the animators with myriad opportunities for visual invention.

Unfortunately, imaginative flourishes are in short supply and the level of detail of the animation on both characters and backgrounds is merely adequate. It is especially noticeable during major set pieces. The plot is as flimsy as one of Tink’s wings.

Vocal performances are solid. Whitman is suitably chirpy and Huston and Dalton bring gravitas to their roles as the guardians of neighbouring fairy realms.