As the clock is ticking away to finally end this crazy year of 2020, let's look back at some of the DVDs that were released during the 75th anniversary year. But first:
THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINONS AND ARE NOT INFLUENED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE
A RETROSPECTIVE OF
THOMAS & FRIENDS DVDS OF 2020
STEAM TEAM TO THE RESCUE
Score: 6/10
I sometime forgot that this was the first release for 2020. Looking back, this was a decent TV special, still better than 'Digs & Discoveries' to me still. I like how it showed the stresses of running a railway line through the Fat Controller with a lack of engines, despite that he had more than the steam team characters, but I understand that was to showcase the conflict that he and the engines are going through. If he had more engines doing work, like Duck and all, then what's the point of the conflict to drive the story?
THE ROYAL ENGINE
Score: 7/10
The first DVD featuring S24 of and released during the month when 'The Three Railway Engines' was published in 1945. Looking back, the special was a nice way to celebrate the 75th what with Thomas going to London, the connection that Awdry's creation has on the royal family with Prince Charles growing up with the Railway Series books and Prince Harry opening up the special as he grew up with the show back in the 1980's when the characters were models and were narrated by Ringo Starr. I will say the special could've had some tweaks made with maybe increasing the conflict towards Thomas, make him boastful and arrogant about taking the Fat Controller to see the royal family until he learned his lesson, I think Beresford's cameo, while charming, was a bit pointless to have as it did nothing but halt the plot. I also think the reference to 'Gordon Goes Foregin', while a nice reference for older fans would be confusing for most of the pre-school audiences, given that the Railway Series are only published in collection form every anniversary year and that the indiviual books hadn't been in print for sometime now due to them not being sellable compare to the likes of the TV tie-in books. Though that could be more of a nitpick. All-in-all it was a decent special. As for the additional episode, 'Emily to the Rescue', it was a mediocre Emily episode where it felt more like a Christopher Awdry story where something happened to an engine because it did. Emily didn't go through anything to make herself into a hero, it just happened.
CARNIVAL DAY
Review Date: 21/08/20
Score: 5/10
This was a meh release to me. I do like the Brazil episodes but the Sodor episodes were meh. I honestly didn't like Diesel's fantasy sequence in 'Diesel Do Right' as Diesel said he wanted to be more important and all it just was was just the intro of BWBA but with Diesel. Nothing really felt fitting about it, use the fantasy sequnce from Glows Away and it would make more sense. I didn't like the episode anyway as I think it could've been more of a Rebecca and Diesel episode. Have Diesel feel jealous that Rebecca gets all the glory for do her jobs properly and goes off and takes advantage of her trustworthy trait. I also didn't like how Marcia and Marcio appeared as a special feature but not their S24 episode, I honestly don't think it was that great but you think maybe HIT and Mattel would place it on their to fit the Brazil theming of this DVD?
MARVELLOUS MACHINEARY
Score: 7/10
Some odd transitions here and there when it comes to the two main features and then onto an episode but apart from that, this wasn't a bad DVD. Yes unrealistic and out of Thomas' world, but it was fun in the end. Still don't like the barebone feel of the special features still.
OVERALL
And so that was 2020, sadly it wasn't much of a celebatory year given the fact that the world is in a pandemic but we'd celebrated the 75th in our way none the less. I know that 2021 would now bring us a brand new show instead of a new season like every year and while I understand the dread of the outcome of this show I will say this. All the past content we had like the classic series and the Brenner/McCue era as well as the Railway Series books will always be there for us to enjoy, yes the new show isn't the Thomas we grew up with, but we just got to make do with it now. If a child does enjoy it just let them enjoy it and heck maybe the child might go and have a look at past content as well and maybe enjoy that too, HIT/Mattel may not have released model era content back when the show was CG because more people wanted new stuff, but kids these days have greater access to it, I know my nephew from America enjoys watching model era Thomas and BWBA Thomas. It's not going to go anywhere. Mattel isn't going to come over to your house and take away everything that was released years ago.
I would love for the show to have something similar to what I grew up with, but I do know that children's TV is changing and of course Thomas has to compete not just to Paw Patrol or Bluey, for the latter ALOT more better than the former in my opinion, but with other pre-school shows too, it's a competitive business. To me I'm just glad that Thomas is still going to be around, however long it goes for.
I also had come to terms, for a while now, that the show had never and never will market towards the older fandom. Mattel and the now-former production team knew we exist but we aren't the money makers they want for toy sales or appealing the show too, we are a minority. Thomas, before the Brenner/McCue era, had been successful before without the older fandom in mind. Not that I'm saying that pre-Brenner/McCue era was great, it never was great and still isn't great a decade later.
There are more S24 DVDs to look forward to and in future there will be the Marc Forster film coming out, hopefully we do see it in the cinemas.
So whatever 2021 will bring will bring. I just hope that the new year is kind to us compare to this year.
So I hope all of you have a happy and safe new year. Just remember to wash your hands, stay safe and wear a mask!
- NWR1991
