After the success of 'Hero Of The Rails', HIT Entertainment were celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Railway Series, or in their eyes, Thomas & Friends in 2010 and in celebration, another DVD special is made, only this is made for the first time on Blu-Ray for Australia and America and that is 'Misty Island Rescue'. With the usual voice actors, great music and more new characters, the Logging Locos, Captain and a new location, the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre. So let's sit back at this DVD special, but first:
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THESE ARE SOLEY MY OWN OPINIONS
AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE
MISTY ISLAND RESCUE
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Written by
Sharon Miller
Directed by
Greg Tiernan
Produced by
Nicole Stinn
Release Date:
11/10/10 (UK)
VIEWS:
The special was first announced on the official Thomas and Friends website's 65th anniversary mini-site's 'Little Blue Book'. When movie finally came out, I liked it at first. It had great action and perfect animation and brilliant music. But later on, it began to be one of my least favourites. Yes, I get it, the overuse of rhyming and alliteration unsafe measures of Misty Island and of course Thomas' arrogance that he makes good decisions because the Fat Controller says so. Not only those, but the logging locos too.
They were good to begin with, but after re-watching some Season 14-15 episodes with them in it, they're really bland and one dimensional and mainly that is Ferdinand saying 'That's right' about seventeen times! and we only get one line from that has nothing to do then his catchphrase and that's 'I can feel, air on my funnel.' and also the mention of his name. And since that the logging locos are based on american locomotives, why can't they keep the US accents for the UK/AUS audience? Though I do like Ferdinand's UK voice.
But there is one scene that many fans don't like and that is when Thomas says, 'No Diesel, I'm sure the Fat Controller wants a really useful steamie, you'll never be that.' I know, steam engines and diesel engines have a rivalry together but since that Thomas is an educating show for pre-schoolers, they need to have the show to learn respect. This is considered as racial way of steam and diesel engines. Rev.W.Awdry shows this kind of rival in his books, but not in that kind of term, but as time went on with Christopher Awdry as the writer, many of the engines have accepted Diesels and James was the last one of the engines to accept and know that they are really useful. But also, the speed Diesel is just unrealistic when Thomas was chasing him down the line. I know Thomas is a kids show, but when Rev.W.Awdry wrote the Railway Series, he stuck with realism and when you see Diesel's basis, 08 class shunter, the top speed is either 15 or 20mph. When Whiff, Percy, Thomas and the three logging locos head to Sodor, how did Percy and Whiff turn around? I don't know.
Plus there was Thomas on a raft. Why is Thomas put on a raft? It looked unsafe and why can't the workmen told Thomas 'no'? It's that easy. But I guess if that happens we have no plot. And Captain's appearance. He was just there at the rescue centre with no reason why he's there, just there for toys and play sets.
I don't hate this movie, but I don't like it now as much as I use too back when it first came out. But their are a few positives with the movie. First off is the theme song, which to many of the fans sound like 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. At first when I saw the movie I thought I was watching Pirates. The intro's animation was very well done and the best of all, the music. Robert Hartshrone did wonders with the music, makes it sound theatrical mainly the music when Thomas and the Logging Locos were heading to Sodor through the tunnel. I'm also glad, Whiff had got a bigger role in this movie too. The animation of Misty Island, there's no denying it, Nitrogen was spot on and giving the island a scottish highland and canadian look with the waterfall and trees and I do like it how they set an era for the movie, 1960, like 'The Great Discovery' which was set in 1955 and there was the song at the end and I do enjoy listening to it. And there was also the comeback of Diesel 10 at the end of the credits.
I was very surprised that this movie is popular here in Australia due to the amount of DVD sales and it ended up having 'Day of The Diesels' and the recent 'Blue Mountain Mystery' having early cinema releases as America and the UK have it later. The movie is not a big watch for me, but I'll give it a little watch when I'm into it. But its certainly not the best Thomas movie made, but I think kids would like it, but they shouldn't learn from that scene of Thomas telling Diesel he can't be useful be he's a diesel or learning from Thomas from being arrogant about making good decisions.
Rating: 2.5/5
