Monday, October 19, 2009

"Thomas and Friends: Hero of the Rails The Movie" review

If you have toddler or pre-school aged boys I'm feeling pretty confident in guessing that they are Thomas the Train fans.


Noah was a huge fan when he was three and four, and one of my favorite memories with him at that age is taking him to a Day Out with Thomas at Strasburg Railroad, in Strasburg, PA. 


When I received a copy of the new Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails The Movie DVD I was excited to have a chance to introduce Kiel to Thomas.


Unlike Noah at that age Kiel is actually happy to sit and watch a video or age appropriate TV show. (Yes, I let my toddler watch TV. I value what sanity I have left.)

Kiel, with his love of trucks, trains and planes, was immediately hooked! No surprise there.

Noah was happy to sit and watch the movie too. Talk about a win-win for Mommy!

Unlike the Thomas episodes I'm used to watching, which aren't more than five or ten minutes long, this is a full length movie (approximately 60 minutes). It's also, according to the press release I received the first time individual character voices are heard for the engines. 

Here is a synopsis of the movie:

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In this action-packed tale of friendship, determination and teamwork Thomas discovers an abandoned and broken down engine named Hiro from an exciting far away land.  Fearing that he will be scrapped, Thomas enlists help from many friends including Victor, a new steam engine and Kevin, a new crane vehicle who both work at the spectacular Sodor Steam Works. But mishaps, mistakes and one boastful engine could foil their plans for a heroic rescue.  Can the engine pals work together to help their new friend?  Join the adventure and find out!

There's a really good plot recap of the movie here. I love that it also includes trivia and goofs that point out inconsistencies in the movie. As an adult watching a kid movie I think it makes it a little more fun for me to look for those things. Of course I don't point them out to my boys!

What did I think? Well, in general Thomas kind of annoys me, but less than some other stuff my boys like. Like all Thomas stories there is a message in the story line, which I appreciate. I don't like the teasing and general bullying of some of the engines. Noah has never been able to separate the good from the bad with stuff like this, so I have to be extra conscientious about not letting him watch Thomas without guidance.  That's just another bonus of the autism spectrum disorder.

What did my boys think? They loved it of course. They have watched it several times and it is in regular rotation now with the frequently asked for DVD's.

I definitely recommend this if your kids are Thomas fans!



1 comment:

  1. my little guy just discovered thomas, so i'll have to add this to his christmas list.
    (thomas isn't NEARLY as annoying as the wiggles. so i'm okay with him ;-)

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