Fly away with hairy tooth fairy

This 3-D film with loads of action brings to life the kidnap and rescue of the legendary mouse Perez.

If you are in the mood for a family movie with plenty of 3D animated characters thrown in, then The Hairy Tooth Fairy is a good choice to make.

This Spanish children's film revolves around Lucía, a little girl who suffers a domestic accident and loses a tooth. Upset by this episode, her mother Pilar, a successful but overworked architect, reassures Lucía by telling her about the legendary Hairy Tooth Fairy (a mouse named Perez) who will come to her bedroom to collect her tooth, leaving some money in its place.

Meanwhile, a mouse who had been monitoring the situation tells another mouse, who in turn tells another mouse … until finally the news reaches Pérez, who lives in a boat in the port along with hundreds of other mice. After collecting the teeth, the fairy gets busy cleaning, shaping and polishing the teeth until they are transformed into shiny round pearls. These pearls are then carried through the city's sewers until finally they reach the jewellers, where an old friend exchanges them for their weight in gold.

What would normally be a routine trip for the legendary rodent takes an unexpected turn for the worse when heartless, malicious scoundrels kidnap Pérez to take his boat and his fortune for themselves.

Lucía, with the help of her cousin Ramiro, disobeys her parents and sets out to rescue Pérez, thus beginning a fascinating adventure with an outcome that just goes to show that you don't have to be a child to believe.

The film is based on a myth that is popular in Spain and all over Latin America. It's believed that a mouse called Ratón Pérez collects the teeth that kids leave under their pillows by night, leaving a small present or money in return.

According to a website, the film was shot in 35mm on a budget of $2.7 million. It was selected for entry in the Toronto International Film Festival 2006.