Scrolling through Netflix on a quiet Friday night, cozied up in a blanket with some warm green tea in my hand, I was searching for a movie that would make me feel happy like a good Nicholas Sparks romance or a classic Disney movie. While I was looking, I came across “Tini: The Movie-The New Life of Violetta”, a Disney movie. This movie was first released in Spain in April 2016 and was originally in Spanish, but then was dubbed in English for release in the USA. Directed by Juan Pablo Buscarini and produced by Pablo Bossi, Tini: The Movie flawlessly takes the viewer through the coming-of-age journey of Violetta, a superstar who is caught up in tabloid drama related to her boyfriend Leon, played by the handsome Jorge Blanco.
At the start of the movie we see Violetta playing piano on a beach. Wind catches the pages of music she is playing and they start to fly away. Leon comes looking like her prince in shining honor going after the pages that are flying away. The start of the movie gives the viewer the feeling of the characters being in a fairytale. When we see Voiletta sleeping on a plane going back to California after her world tour, the viewer knows that this movie is going to be a “real life fairytale”.
Violetta’s boyfriend Leon is in California shooting a music video with a conniving girl named Melanie, played by the well-known Disney star, Sofia Carson. Leon and Melanie are rumored to have been spending a lot of time together outside of the music video shooting. After hearing about this, Violetta tries to call Leon but Melanie picks up the phone and says that Leon cannot come to the phone right now because he is in the shower. After all this drama Violetta decides to escape the pressures of her personal life being in the spotlight by going to the countryside of Italy.
In Italy, Violetta meets a charming helmsman named Caio (Adrián Salzedo) who is the captain of a ship she is taking to a home where other young artists are staying. She becomes friends with the artists and runs into the helmsman late at a beach party where she sees him dance with another group of dancers. Violetta is having a great time away from everything but is still distracted with issues related to her boyfriend. She is worried so much it is difficult for her to remember the song that “came to her in a dream” but she slowly starts to remember. She also finds that her mother came to Italy often when she was a young artist and even did a concert.
A women named Isabella who runs the home for young artists keeps calling Violetta “Tini”. Violetta asks her why she is calling her that many times and finally Isabella reveals that “Tini” was actually the first name of Violetta when she was younger but no one told her after her mother’s death. After discovering her original name, “Tini” decides she wants to do a concert like her mother did. With the help of the other young artists she begins preparations for the concert. While she and the others are preparing for the concert, Leon decides to take a plane to Italy after finding out Violetta was hurt by the rumors about him and Melanie. She also becomes closer to Caio and they almost kiss. The audience is put on edge because Leon sees them and assumes they did kiss even though they did not. Violetta decision between the two men surprised me a little just because I think the audience might not have expected it because they were leading us to believe something else. I liked that the ending was the way it was because I think it stuck with the concept of the message of the show which is even if it takes some time you will find where and who you are supposed to be and who you are supposed to be with.
Overall this movie is a very motivating and uplifting. After watching the movie I felt inspired to “find who I really am” and I also had the sense that just like for Violetta, all the things I was worried about in my life from homework to relationship issues, I knew everything was going to work out in the end. I suggest this movie to anyone that wants to escape reality just for an hour and a half and get motivated about their life again! Tini: The Movie can be found on Netflix. Go watch it!