DVD Review: The Royal Engine

We've just celebrated the 75th anniversary on May 12th with the 75th anniversary episode 'Thomas & The Royal Engine' and now we have it on DVD. So here are my views on it, but first:

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENCED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE

THE ROYAL ENGINE

Written by
Micheal White
Camille Ucan & Rose Johnson
Davey Moore
Beckey Overton

Episodes
Thomas & The Royal Engine
Heart of Gold
Crowning Around
Diesel Glows Away
Emily to the Rescue

Directed by
Joey So: 
Thomas & The Royal Engine

Dianna Basso:
Heart of Gold
Crowning Around
Diesel Glows Away
Emily to the Rescue

Produced by
Ian McCue (HIT/Mattel)
Tracy Blagdon (Jam Filled)

Special Features
Party Train - Music Video
Duchess - Meet the Characters

Release Date
4/05/20 - UK
10/06/20 - AUS

Distributed by
HIT/Mattel Creations - UK
HIT/Mattel/ABC Kids Australia - AUS

EPISODES

The episodes consist two S24 episodes and three S23 episodes. You can read my views of the episode titles above, 'Emily to The Rescue' will be out after its TV run. But I would point out some differences that the DVD gave. The Royal Engine special had cut out Prince Harry's message that was shown on television in the UK and Australia and on Netflix in the US. It really felt as a surprise to me but it kinda makes Thomas' narration less akward compare to what we got in broadcast version with Prince Harry 'narrating' it. The other surprise was that 'Engine Roll Call' had been replaced with 'The Steam Team Song' that was released in 2019. To be honest, the latter feels more like Engine Roll Call anyway so it really doesn't make any difference but it brings a nice change after years of hearing the former. Plus it feels more fresh compare to what we got in 2018 where the vocals changed from the chior that sung the song from S8-12 and then to additional kids that sang the verses for Nia and Rebecca. Plus it makes the song less dated compare to Roll Call when you have a lyric for Rebecca saying, 'She's new and lots of fun'. When she really isn't that new anymore compare to when she was in 2018. So I'm fine with the new addition, although I think they should find a way to edit it shorter instead of ending it abruptly. I also like the addition of 'Crowning Around' and 'Heart of Gold' since they both share the same theme as the DVD.

SPECIAL FEATURES

One thing that surprised me about 'Party Train' was that they got Sam Blewitt back to do the vocals and I'm so glad that it wasn't another Eggplant LF song, as I was expecting maybe more like a rap or pop styled song but it was a nice reggae vibe kind of song. The last time Sam sang for Thomas was back in 2015 for Lost Treasure and that was 'We Make A Team Together'. The song really gave me that vibe of what we got back then and I do like the new animation that Jam Filled had provided for the video and I also liked the diversity of some clips from past episodes and specials and the recreated JBS clip of Thomas puffing past the animals too. Hopefully whenever the hiatus ends we see more of Sam in upcoming songs.

We got another 'Meet the Characters' video which is pretty simple since it's all about Duchess and Thomas recounting his interaction with her from the 75th anniversary episode. Nothing bad and it adds a little touch to the whole themeing of the DVD.

OVERALL

I think the DVD was good despite the lack of special features but the two surprising additions like the cutting of Prince Harry's 75th anniversary message and 'The Steam Team Song' replacing 'Engine Roll Call' were something that makes it a bit unique, for the time being for the latter.

This might be my only DVD review for the time being, what with no new UK DVDs being revealed yet and more likely because of the COVID-19 pandemic that we're in right now. I know that were was suppose to be a 'Thomas & The Magic Railroad' Blu-Ray coming out from Shout! for its 20th anniversary, but had been pulled from its release schedule more likely due to the pandemic, but I won't be reviewing that whenever it comes out, because if you really want to see me bad mouthing it again for how terrible it was then you're more than welcomed to read my 2014 review of it. I know about the workprint leak too and condem the person responsible for uploading it for violating the wishes of the owner of the said tape and for former owner of Thomas, Britt Allcroft who wants it to be taken down. I will admit I had seen it but I will not be sharing it. Would I review it? Only time will tell and while I do not approve of there wishes being violated I will say truthfully that like George Lucas who'd wished he finds every copy of the infamous 'Star Wars Holiday Special' and smash it, once it's on the internet it's on the internet. It sucks and I'm sorry if this brings down some fans of the movie but it's hard to stop people from having a downloaded copy, unless, and from what I heard, Mattel's or Sony's lawyers do something about it.

I know that there are compilation DVDs from Universal, and one was released recently of the past movies for the 75th anniversary, but they are compilation DVDs. They add nothing new and I don't see that much value in having them when you can purchase the DVDs seperatley cheaper. Sure they add more space and there are parents out there who will give there kids a good amount of entertainment, but I much prefer getting them indivually seening as how there's more value in them.

And I do know that the S21 collection DVD has yet to be announced but I think it's delayed because of the global pandemic we are in. But whenever that is announced and released I will surely be reviewing it as well as the 'Marvellous Machineary' DVD since it was advertised on this DVD. There is a Japanese DVD I'm getting in the mail so maybe I might review that, depends how I feel. I hadn't reviewed one since 2013.

OVERALL RATING:
7/10

Movie Reviews Revisited P.II - The Great Race (2016)

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENCED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE

THE GREAT RACE (2016)

Written by

Andrew Brenner

Directed by

David Stoten

Produced by

Ian McCue (HIT)

Robert Anderson (Arc)

Release Date

5/09/16 - UK

7/09/16 - AUS

13/09/16 - USA

Distributied by

HIT Entertainment

MY VIEWS

Honestly I have been hearing people saying that this should be a Gordon story instead and while I definetly agree with that it would've been interesting, I think the head honchos at HIT and Mattel would've wanted more of a Thomas story. So I thought, why not have both? You can still have Thomas' story as the main plot and Gordon's story to serve as the subplot. Both engines have insecurities like Gordon feeling belittled by his brother, Flying Scotsman, being better than him because of his speed record and famous history and Thomas is insecured because he wanted to go to the Great Railway Show but feels that shunting isn't good enough and two engines (Ashima and Gordon) are living his dream and he wants to find ways like the streamlining phase and the best decorated engine phase, after all Thomas had always had a competitive nature to himself. To do that they should've just cut out Diesel's plot, that didn't go anywhere plotwise and was only added in for the comedy aspect. I think you can still inject humor in the story here and there with Thomas and Gordon's story.

Plus with streamlined Gordon, I think the whole safety valve thing was a bit underwhelming since the story felt arupt and maybe have Gordon's streamline being a rush job because he wanted the workmen to hurry up and they didn't add all the nesscary parts to keep the casing stabled and once Gordon ran at top speed, the casing was falling apart but Gordon kept on trying, have him almost beating Eitenne, Spencer, Axel and Flying Scotsman only to be beaten by the french engine in the end. Gordon got cross that he lost and it's all because his streamlining fell off but then his brother told him that he had kept on trying and had almost beaten him and that he was just being himself. Plus it would've added a bit more depth to the brothership of him and Gordon, he maybe a bit concieted but he still cares more about his brother than a race. Which I felt was a huge missed opportunity in the actual film, while Scott, as I call him in my series, was concerned for Gordon after his boiler expoloded, he put his mind on the race once Axel raced past him. I think they should've shown him crossing the finish the line and everyone was shocked to see him going around the track again despite loosing to Eitenne. However they all saw him helping his brother out to cross the finish line to at least finish the race with some dignity. It would've given the message that despite the teasing Scott cares deeply for his brother in the end, I also see Scott not taking himself too seriously unlike Gordon.

I will add this with the whole streamlined Gordon thing, I remember back in 2016 people were saying that he should've been a A4 but that simply wouldn't work. If you look at an A4 with its smokebox door opened it would look akward and yeah you might say but it worked with Spencer, that's because his face is rectangular, which is the same as the front of an A4. It makes more sense on Mattel and HIT's part to give Gordon an America-esque shape since they have a circular front for his face.

I also think Thomas' self-sacrifice to give Ashima the winning glory in the shunting challenge did show good sportsmanship and I think he was rightly rewarded in the end for it, sure I once said it was bad because it could've been good to showcase that loosing isn't bad, but also showing good sportsmanship is a good message to bring to kids too, Thomas gave up his winning spot because he thinks it wouldn't be fair if Ashima lost due to a derailed conflat blocking her path. However maybe he shouldn't have gotten a trophy but maybe a medal? As for Ashima, I feel that while she was nice and her friendship towards Thomas was nice, she really was bland to be honest. I still think Vinnie was a rather pointless villian, he had no reason to be hard on Philip. I say to at least have a reason, maybe have Philip calling him out on cheating and while everyone praised him, he hated it because he was disqualified. Plus have Philip stand up for himself, he really didn't do any of that in the movie and was being a jerk towards Ashima, even after she'd helped him to get away from Vinnie. This movie had some problems, but really looking back after nearly five years it isn't that bad as some people make it out to be. I think some people should try and make their own minds up without being influenced by any user they consider as a 'big user'. I personally hope no one does the same thing with my reviews over the years because that wasn't my intention to do so and I think it's wrong of people to be influenced by someone else's opinions because you're not really thinking for youself. The movie had some problems, like the bridge jumping scene not having much purpose and it was a bit underwhelming, the Fat Controller not being this tough but fair character etc. In the end, the movie, while not the best, wasn't really that bad to be honest looking back. I think there are much better opportunities for it but what we got is what we got. Overall I think the songs were nice addition and very catchy.

OVERALL RATING
7/10

Thanks to everyone who had the time to read my new viewpoints, I know some of you out there may not agree with me what I say and I respect that. I'll be reviewing more Thomas items in the months to come so stay tuned!

Movie Reviews Revisited P.II - Sodor's Legend Of The Lost Treasure (2015)

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENCED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE

SODOR'S LEGEND 

OF THE LOST TREASURE (2015)

Written by

Andrew Brenner

Directed by

David Stoten

Produced by

Ian McCue (HIT)

Jennifer Hill (Arc)

Release Date

8/09/15 - USA

23/09/15 - AUS

28/09/15 - UK

Distributed by

HIT Entertainment 

MY VIEWS

Honestly, I do like this movie. I do like its narrative, I love Thomas' character in the movie, I feel that he had gone through some good devlopment and his persona in this movie is something that can relate to kids and something that kids can learn from, sure we like to have a positive role model for children but kids also need to learn that not everyone is flawless and perfect unlike the 'Amazon moms' who thought otherwise back in 2015, so big thanks to them who wanted Thomas to be the bland good guy. I love the comedy that was Marion mistaking Oliver the excavator as Oliver the GWR engine, the little cameo easter of the Rev.W.Awdry was a very touching moment especially since this was released for the 70th anniversary including the inclusion of the Arlesdale Miniature engines, something that I never thought would've happened, and I love the scene with Henry running away from Sailor John and Skiff after they stole the treasure chest from the Fat Controller's office, the animation and lighting was superb and much better than what we got from KOTR and TOTB, the music by City of Prague was fantastic and it definetly made the Hartshorne go out on a high note. So those are my positives of the movie but there are some problems that I have with the movie, particulary the characters.

I'll start off with Ryan. I really feel that the rivalry felt very flat. Like the official webiste stated that Thomas saw him as a threat because he was more bigger and stronger than him but we never saw Thomas trying to be better than him at all during the movie, sure he had moved some flatbeds but it was more of him being ignorant than trying to be better than Ryan, I mean he'd never once acknowledged Ryan at all in that scene, and the only time the movie had ever acknowledged Thomas feeling threatened was when he was at the steamworks after his accident but Victor and Kevin reassured him and that was it. Plus Ryan didn't really have that much character too, he was just your bland generic happy engine. Sure his purpose was to work on the Harwick branch line but that's not a character trait. Originally he was suppose to be overconfident and dismissive and that, from his product description of his Wooden Railway toy, he was to look after Thomas' work while he was away at Harwick, I think that could've been a neat little story line and some character development for him or if they scrap that plot line in favour of Marion's plot line, because I think that was how the special was planned before they went with Marion since, as I heard, that the Arlesdale mini engines were a last minute idea, and retained his original persona (Ryan) and have that serving what we got now. Maybe have him like what Thomas was at the start, arrogant, cheeky, stuck up etc., of the movie and when Ryan came along Thomas and treated Thomas terribly, he realises that he was exactly like Ryan and apologises for what he had done earlier. Have Ryan go through some devlopment as well with his original persona as a tank engine version of Gordon, sure not original but unique still like Samson and like the steam engine villian idea, and thinks he was bought by the Fat Controller to replace him because he's stronger, let him deal with some conflict and then realises Thomas' own strength and then became a better engine. But we got this Ryan and I believe the powers that be were the ones who did that because Andrew Brenner did have to change the entire script, from what SiF had said on their old twitter account from memory before it was gone. 

Next is Sailor John and while I get that some in his fanbase loved him but to me he feels like a generic as well, please don't make a fuss as it's only my opinion. But I will say the late Sir John Hurt was fantastic at the voice. The character though, I never really find him that complex or interesting and he didn't have much of a motive on why he wants the treasure. I wish we know what it that got him into finding that treasure. Like sure the official website had stated that he was obssessed with finding it and OK that's good but why? Was it something precious? Was he related to the captain that buried the treasure and doesn't want it to fall into the wrong hands? Did he want to be rich? We don't know, he just wants it. I'm kind of into villians who are a bit complex and not just your one dimensional generic bad guy. I think Sailor John should've been like Sea Rouge from TUGS. He may look bad on the outside but on the inside he's a very different person. I mean James in TOTB at least had a reason on why he was a jerk to Percy, because he doesn't want to be seen as a coward himself among the other engines. In the end, he could've been improved better. I also think maybe the treasure could be the ship to get revenge on the navy for kicking him out.

Then finally, Skiff and I think he was the blandest newbie there is on par with Ryan and had his potential wasted for some character development. I didn't find him interesting and I think it was a missed opportunity to have the movie talk about toxic friendship if the movie had a longer running time. When you watch the movie, Sailor John beats him up, yells at him, harrassed him and even threatened to kill him, I mean there are some people who made a friend only to be used for their so-called friends misdeeds and I think they should've gone with that. Have Skiff just wanting to have a friend, have him go through with what Thomas was going through, feeling belittled by his bigger peers, then have Sailor John befriending him but only because he was using him to hide away from the law and to find the treasure into some small places. Skiff was happy and was in denial about the treatment from Sailor John that was until he met Thomas and when he saw how Thomas treats him like a true friend like maybe he was helping him not to runaway from the wind or being sympathetic about how he was treated by the bigger boats and ships goes and then he finally breaks through his denialism and saw that Sailor John was never a true friend. Once he found the treasure, Skiff was standing up to him about how he was horribly treated by him and how he was used and Salior John showed his true feelings about Skiff and maybe use the pirate ship as a getaway by dumping Skiff but then sunk due to wood rot. The whole theming of the 70th anniversary was about friendship and you think they might talk about that. There are kids who befriend someone only to be used for something in the end. This is why I liked Ace in 'Big World Big Adventures' because they showed the toxcity of his friendship with Thomas, he used Thomas to get to the salt flats in the US, belittled Thomas in front of the other cars to make himself look cool and Thomas had learnt who his true friend was and that was Nia whereas Skiff only had some development here and there. Sure an unpopular opinion to some but it was executed more better in the 2018 special than in this special.

Oh yeah and that scene with Duck being surprised by Donald and Douglas was unneeded but to be honest it still gave me chuckle on what the production team was trying to do with, it was a joke for the older fanbase. But for the young kids who are watching this, probably being new to Thomas, won't have any understanding of the context since these characters are new to them. Even when they're older and reminisce this special I belive they still won't get it unless they do their research, I think they should've ditched the idea and fill it up on why the line was being extended, after all we weren't given any reason for it. 

Plus I remember not everyone liking the Fat Controller's portrayal here. Thinking that he was too strict and it's not just a portion of the older fanbase, I'm also talking about the Amazon reviewers who had a problem with it and I think they were not really understanding where the Fat Controller was coming from. He's in charge of a railway, dealing with an extension and a tank engine being cheeky all at once, like a parent dealing with a kid and there own work and it could take such a toll of him. Plus the extension is rather costly and the scene when he scolded serverly at Thomas for dumping the dynamite had cost him money only to be wasted away by, from his perspective, Thomas' neglegence and cheekiness, I mean Thomas had create a large sink hole earlier due to neglegence. I mean even the scene when he saw Thomas pushing the trucks of explosives towards Ryan, you have to see it from his perspective. He wasn't there to see the whole picture. He wasn't there when Thomas told Ryan to watch out and because he's not interested in his excuse because he had trust issues with Thomas and if that isn't convincing then I don't know what will.  However I do think he should've apologised to him for being too hard on him and for not listening to him in the final act. I think his character was rather great and I think the song lyric from 'Thomas' Anthem' sums it saying;
 'The Fat Controller scolds him, but loves him just the same.' 

Look, I don't hate this movie. I think it was good as I stated earlier but I don't think it was the best special and maybe it was a little overhyped by the older fanbase over the years. I much prefer 'The Adventure Begins' over this because the characters were right and it was just a much more of a solid story. Lost Treasure had a good story, a great Thomas-centric special but its new characters could've been better.


OVERALL RATING
7/10

S24 Ep.3: Thomas and the Royal Engine

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENCED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE

THOMAS AND THE ROYAL ENGINE

Written by

Micheal White

Directed by

Joey So

Produced by

Tracy Blagdon (Jam Filled)

Ian McCue (HIT/Mattel)

Plot

An invitation from the Queen sends Thomas and the crew to London as they weave through delays and debacles while racing to a royal celebration.

Air Date

1/05/20 - US

2/05/20 - UK
4/05/20 - NZL
16/05/20 - AUS

---

I'll get some criticisms out of the way. I think having Thomas narrating a part of this story was a bit jarring considering that earlier we had Prince Harry introducing it. Perhaps Mattel doesn't want to pay too much for him for having a little part, because of his, now former, position in the royal family, but I think it would've been a little less jarring and akward if he had narrated it, plus it would be a little throwback to the time when the show had a narrator telling the story and you can have Prince Harry joining the line of other high end celebs that had narrated Thomas like Ringo Starr, George Carlin, Alec Baldwin and Pierce Brosnan. While the story was nice, and I will get to that later on, I feel that more could've been done for Thomas. Perhaps to increase the conflict have him being arrogant about going to London maybe have him chuckling at Gordon after he had recounted his trip to London with Henry and said, 'Oh Gordon, there's only one London!' Maybe have Thomas acting all high and pompous to Duchess saying that he had a royal duty to attend, perhaps Thomas' selfishness would make her forget checking her safety valve as she has to rush through to make for the Queen's special appointment, but Thomas didn't realised that she was more important than him anyway, but then he realises his mistake after a scolding from the Fat Controller or from Duchess after her safety valve had burst and they told him that he has to put others first, which would make the special's moral probably a bit more wholesome. I know people had a problem with Beresford but I'll be honest, it never bothered me, he had served more as a plot device and I was expecting that from him when the trailer was first seen back in February 2020. To me his role feels like Thomas in the Small Railway saga that we had in S20.

But don't get me wrong, despite these qualms, I had enjoyed the special. Although it's not 'The Adventure Begins' and really I never expected it to be in the first place, it was nice, tame and simple and it feels a bit like the classic series, maybe in its later days. I feel that special was wholesome and the addition of Prince Harry was a great choice on part of Mattel given that he was a fan of the show back in the early days when Ringo Starr was the narrator. Plus it's a nice reflection of Thomas' roots on where he came from first.

The little references like the J50 Thomas, Gordon refering his story 'Gordon Goes Foreign', when it comes to the various station names of London, a tidbit of the original Thomas theme, the mention of Doncaster and Crewe etc. were particulary great to hear, and it kind of makes Thomas more real for young kids, particulary the ones who live in the UK. Plus the Other Railway workers were wearing black suits, which is the colour that British Railways had on their uniforms back in the day and also Edward, Gordon and Henry being at Vicarstown was a nice subtle reference to 'The Three Railway Engines'. But I think it would've been great if you have many of the other Awdry made characters there like Toby, Duck, Donald and Douglas etc. 

Duchess to me is a loveable character and she is everything that her voice actress, Rosmund Pike, said she was. She's flustered when it comes to an important job but is sweet and kind to all others. I do see potential with her in future, that is whenever this hiatus ends. I do understand where people are coming from when it comes to Duchess' hiatus but I believe that it had to do with the design of the actual engine. According to this tweet, Mattel and TCC crew had gotten in trouble once with the National Railway Museum of using Mallard's design without permission and I think maybe that's why we see her as mish-mash and perhaps maybe the same could be said about Flying Scotsman in the series as well. Perhaps why is because the organisation that own these locomotives expect a donation in the end and Mattel just isn't interested in that. But despite the mish-mash of parts, I actually liked Duchess' design and I think she looks great in the cream livery with gold banding.

While I did like Prince Harry's introduction I feel that Mattel should've gone with Prince Charles for the introduction. After all he was a fan of the Railway Series books and it would be great to have him say; 'I'd once met Thomas many years ago when he'd visited London for a very important occassion...' since his animated counterpart was in the episode as a young boy. But I think him referencing about Thomas talking about the enviornment was a nice reference to Prince Charles' enviornmentalism, despite feeling a bit akward when earlier they had mentioned the books, and Sharon Miller was really good as the Queen too.

In the end, despite its faults, this 75th anniversary special was a very wholesome and simple episode.

Series Rating (So far):
A New Arrival - 7/10
World of Tomorrow - 7/10
Thomas and the Royal Engine - 9/10

Overall Rating (So far):
23/30

MORE OF MY VIEWS ON SERIES 24 
WILL BE COMING SOON

Movie Reviews Revisited P.II - The Adventure Begins (2015)

I kept the review for May 12th because it's just right. This special was made with the 70th anniversary in mind back in 2015 and of course five years had passed and we are now here celebrating the 75th anniversary. Despite no sequal for this movie, I'm just very happy that something like this had happened. But is it as good as it was when it was released back in 2015? Let's find out. But first: 

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENCED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS (2015)

Originally Written by

The Rev.W.Awdry

Adapted by

Andrew Brenner

Directed by

Don Spencer

Produced by

Ian McCue (HIT)

Jennifer Hill (Arc)

Release Date

3/03/15 - USA

27/07/15 - UK

4/11/15 - AUS

Distributor

HIT Entertainment

MY VIEWS

It's hard to believe that this, I'm not overstating it here, masterpiece is now five years old and after rewatching it for this review, it still makes me amazed that the Thomas production team had nailed this, and I do say this rarely, perfectly! One thing I'm glad to see from this special was that while it was based on the works of the Rev.W.Awdry it tries to be its ownself by adding its own twists and turns to not make it as a replica of what we got before. I remember reading on twitter from a fan who had spoken to Sam Wilkinson at a Star Tugs Trust event that originally the special was a last minute idea and that it was going to be a combination of Awdry's and Allcroft's dialouge and I'm glad it wasn't because I had the first series already. To me having something that stands out is more important than trying to be something that was.

 I love the Thomas and Edward dynamic in this special. Edward feels like the teacher to Thomas and it was done well and this special also shows how much Edward works as a secondary character instead of trying to give him a lead role in an episode that would just be the same story over and over again. Edward was giving Thomas wise advice and confidence as well. It would be great to see him helping out other characters too. The two characters were brilliant and I remember after watching this for the first it gave me so much love for Edward. I also like that Edward was scolded by the Fat Controller too, shows that while Edward is wise he can make some mistakes.

I like Thomas in this special. He retains his Awdry persona by being cheeky to the big engines but they've also added some naivety and child like traits within him as well. Gordon was also brilliant too, his character feels very Awdry like with his arrogance and boastfulness same can be said about the Fat Controller's father figure character, brilliant! I will also say while Henry wasn't excatly Awdry like in this special, I actually like him more here than what he was originally. Henry was actually begin scared of the rain was actually stated in the books and even in the picture he looked sad and worried too. But of course Henry was arrogant and grumpy about the rain spoiling his green paint but I think his scaredy attitude here just makes him stand out more and even during the year this was released, 2015, the writers I think got his scaredy persona right like with him being overly worried about chicken pox or an abominable snowman because those are things he'd never encountered before as an engine. Sure that isn't the Henry we all know from the classic series or the books but over the years I did see more of Gordon and James in Henry's original persona and I still stand by that.

And yeah, he wasn't in his old shape too but here's the thing. What would they use for his old shape after the movie? Ever since the movie's debut we never saw any episode or movie regarding any flashback. We now have the fantasy sequences in BWBA but they would hardly be used for flashbacks, I mean sure there was that one from 'Chucklesome Trucks' but it still does kind of come off as rare and I think the animators would still use Henry's new shape regardless of accuracy and pandering to older fans, because I also think its familarisation towards kids and parents of the general public. If Henry was given any toy with his old shape, that little bit of detail would probably be overlooked and wouldn't generate any sales. The last time we saw Henry in his old shape was back in 1984 and while some kids do have access to the classic series through streaming platforms and digital downloads it would only be for a short brief moment. 

The music recreated by Peter Hartshorne was a fantastic recreation of Mike O'Donnell & Junior Campbell's music. Sure there are some fans who would want to have the actual originals in this special, although that would be bad because to be honest the music that were created by them in the 1980's, while amazing and brilliant, do come off as rather dated with the modern animation, I mean if you watch any video from the CGI era that has there music on top to make it as a classic series episode, which doesn't make the episode anymore like what we had in the past, you can see why. The songs were great too of course. The camera angles and animation by Arc Productions was superb too. I especially like the scene with Thomas working hard in the yard and you have the day transitioning itself from day until night, brilliant! I had been reading SiF's Simon Martin's view on the movie and despite that I understand and respect his word on this film, I will disagree on him of this being a reboot. I had stated that term has becoming a dead meaning nowadays because some old show that have been revived just so it continue its story after so many years leaving it as a cliffhanger (e.g - 'Hey Arnold! The Jungle Movie') people still call it a reboot. I mean after this movie we still have references to past episodes as little easter eggs. The term has more meaning when something is an actual reboot, although some of them do turn out to be inferior versions of the original. I remember listening to ChrisTheXelent's, creator of 'Steam Locos In Profile' on YouTube, podcast review of the movie once a few years ago and he was saying that some older fans have concern about the continuity of the show and the purpose of the model era. While I understand there fear, there's this I always see when it comes to 'The Adventure Begins'. Look at all of the countless adaptations of Charles Dickens 'A Christmas Carol'. There had been countless and countless of adaptations of the Christmas classic through every form of media from film, television, various other books to stage plays and radio dramas, do you think people might've had some concern about the 'true' version? While that book had no continuity compare to Thomas, I just see it as another interpretation of Awdry's books. As the years passed since this special was released, we still had classic series references being made, even some being made as flashback like Terence and the ice. The classic series is still in tact and nothing has been disrupted.

In the end, the special was brilliant, it had aged very well like fine and despite no sequel to it, it still amazing that we had something like this done and it's still fitting for the 75th and any anniversary year in future. While I would love to see a sequel, and given how the show now has two 20 minute specials, I think it can work with the Railway Series. If you are a parent and your child is starting to like Thomas, I highly recommend it. It's on Stan here in Australia for streaming, even on buy it or rent on YouTube and Google Play too, it's still availble on DVD and digital download too.

OVERALL RATING

10/10

S24 Ep.2: World Of Tomorrow

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENCED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE

WORLD OF TOMORROW

Written by

Laura Beaumont & Paul Larson

Director

Joey So

Produced by

Tracy Blagdon (Jam Filled)

Ian McCue (HIT/Mattel)

Plot

Amid special demonstrations on Sodor, Thomas and the gang worry they'll be replaced by new inventions until a mission shows how useful they really are.

Air Date
1/05/20 - US

9/05/20 - AUS

To me, this wasn't a bad episode and although they had the 'fear of replacement' trope it didn't feel hammered down as what we got in the past. One of the things I loved from this episode is that they had added in women inventors, nice to see some encouragment towards the female audience that they can be anything. Plus it had some funny moments like Gordon getting covered all things metal, the Fat Controller getting covered in milk and controlling the robot and Baz and Bernie's antics. 

I've been hearing some fans saying that Sonny was more like Skiff but to be honest I see a major difference between the two. When we first met Sonny he was in part of Baz and Bernie's stealing spree but in this episode we see him wanting to be useful and that he had a change of character. Honestly I think Sonny was better than Skiff, yeah I know some fans treat Lost Treasure like an amazing thing but this is how I feel and you can see my recent views of the 2015 special later on this month. The thing is Sonny had some character development whereas Skiff sort of does but it felt very shortlived. 

The chase scene with Thomas, Gordon, Rebecca and Kenji was great and I like that they've acknowledged that Kenji runs of electricity and I was surprised to hear the mention of the Sodor Airport, which is funny because Paul Larson penned the 2005 special and I'm surprised that he'd mentioned it with Luara.

I do get it that the idea of hover cars and giant robots are an oddity for Thomas but I feel that it fits the 50's-70's timeline that Ian McCue had mentioned in an interview with 'The Big Issue'. At the time of the 1950's - 1960's, the idea of the 21st century sounded very futuristic and so the idea of flying cars, robots etc. was something to think about as that idea. The term for that is 'retrofuturism'. So I don't see a problem with all this over the top stuff since the idea of the 21st century back in those days does look ridiculous by today's standards. Kenji didn't offer much in this special but I suppose that's why he has an upcoming episode later on.

Looking at these two episodes, I feel that these were better than 'Digs and Discoveries' and these two specials kind of make the two episodic specials feel a bit more plain and underwhelming. All in all, this was good.

Series Rating (So far):

A New Arrival - 7/10

World of Tomorrow - 7/10

Overall Rating (So far):

14/20    

S24 Ep.1: A New Arrival

Series 24 has come quite early for people in the UK, USA and Australia with it coming out in May. My guess because it's the 75th anniversary and that the first book came out on May 12th it was approriate to release this early compare to the usual September release like every year. Sadly this will be the final series to be animated by Jam Filled with Mattel looking for another animation studio to look after the show and the last series for a while as it would go on a hiatus, as stated by SiF. The future is in limbo at the moment and I will have my take about it later on in my overall post in the coming weeks. But despite that, two episodes from the 24th series had been shown earlier on YouTube via Netflix over in the United States and had felt promising. Would the rest be good too? Let's find out. But first:

THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENCED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE

A NEW ARRIVAL

Written by

Laura Beaumont & Paul Larson

Directed by

Joey So

Produced by

Ian McCue (HIT/Mattel)

Tracy Blagdon (Jam Filled)

Plot

With a technology fair on Sodor, Thomas and the Steam Team tackle a flurry of tasks but can they complete their deliveries before the grand opening?

Air Date
1/05/20 - US
2/05/20 - AUS

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"And you better get used to see wonderful and strange things around here." is the quote that sums up what to expect in this year's two parter episode. It knows that it's going to be wild, chaotic and ridiculous but when you look at the idea of new inventions they are of course going to be strange and the idea of flying cars kinda fits well in the 50's-70's world of Thomas given that how back in the 1960's the idea of the world of tomorrow is something exciting, it gave me that very 60's vibe something that the likes of Walt Disney loved when it comes to the idea of the future. Heck there were expiremental flying cars back the 50's and 60's. 

Another thing that impressed me with the special was that while Thomas was worried about the idea of new technology, the other engines were actually excited about the idea of it all. Usually in the past we have the engines who fear about the idea of something new and that they would end up being scrapped. So it's something a bit fresh in my eyes. 

While Thomas was trying to find Rocky and Harvey after the accidents by Nia and Percy, I feel that the scene did kind of drag for a bit to fit within the time limit. Perhaps that could've gone to Baz, Bernie and Sonny and maybe give some back story on what they do, perhaps maybe a reason why Sonny was working with them in the first place since it added a bit of mystery. But I think what Paul and Laura were trying to show with that scene is Thomas proving to the Fat Controller that he is still useful despite of the new tech that was to be showcased.

For Ruth, I really like her personality. So warm, optomistic but can get worrying at times. I like how she's an inventor and since the show had an increase of female viewers over the years it's nice encouragement from Paul and Laura to showcase to young girls that you can be anything you want to be. You can be an inventor or scientist and you can love engines, something that I'm in favour for. It's just nice to see the show breaking some barriers. Plus I agree with her that steam engines are best inventions ever. Yeah, the jet engine scene was great. Loved the camera shots that Jam Filled had done and the music had really set in tone with the extreme and Rob Rackshaw's German accent for the inventor was great too adding to the comedic effect. But I'm very surprised that they didn't add a reference to 'Thomas the Jet Engine'. But then again we don't need a classic series reference for every little moment.

I also like that Kenji is a Shinkansen 0 Series bullet train, it really adds more to the 60's flair that the special gave given for the fact that his basis was built in 1964 and that it was a technological marvel back in its day, a time when western countries like Australia, the UK and the USA were running both steam and diesel still in their respective countries.

In the end, this was a nice series opener. 

Series Rating (So far):

A New Arrival - 7/10 

Overall Rating (So far):
7/10