THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FAN BASE
SLEEPING BEAUTY
Originally Written by
The Rev.W.Awdry
Adapted for Television by
Britt Allcroft and David Mitton
Air Date:
20/09/94
Plot:
Thomas told the rest of the story about Duke and the Mid-Sodor line so far. As years came by, some people heard the story of Duke and want to find him. As they looked around, one explorer found by accident by falling down from the shed roof. Sir Handel and Peter Sam still remembered the old engine and Duke was taken back to the Skarloey Railway via lorry and then rail. Duke now lives happily at his new home.
PRO:
- Interesting to see a lorry carrying an engine.
CON:
- The Fat Controller owns the Skarloey Railway
- What's with Thomas telling the story, why can't Sir Handel and Peter Sam?
- The Skarloey engines weren't part of the rescue operations, it was the small railway engines.
- What's wrong with Douglas taking home Duke, like in the original?
Again, another episode out of Railway Series order and is filled with many flaws that didn't focus on the original. But it was interesting to see a lorry taking Duke halfway, shame that is rare in the show's history. But why did they make the Fat Controller the owner of the Skarloey Railway? Heck, HIT Entertainment even made a model of the Thin Controller, despite that the name was Mr. Percival. Also why did they shoe-horn the NWR engines in the episode? Would it be better if the story was told by Sir Handel and Peter Sam? They remembered the old engine more than Thomas. But it was also a shame that the Small Railway Engines were never featured in the series as they were never built and there railway is built over the Mid-Sodor Railway and they made Skarloey do the rescue instead on the Mid-Sodor line when really it would've been all teared up and bushes scrambled around it.
But what's wrong with Douglas taking Duke home. They did so in the original. The episode itself is OK, but there were many visual flaws that I prefer the original story.
Rating: 3.5/5
