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Thomas and the Magic Railroad
List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie:
Material for children occasionally comes along that the whole family can be entertained by. Examples include "My Dog Skip", "Prince Of Egypt" and "The Iron Giant". While "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" has become quite the popular children's tale, the movie doesn't provide too much entertainment. Most of it seems rather bland, and the two adult stars (Alec Baldwin and Peter Fonda) judgement in taking these roles raises some questions. Baldwin, who hasn't had a success in a while, I can understand - Fonda, after "The Limey", acts a bit more than required here.
Personally, I've always felt the series was mildly creepy, as the train characters move their eyes and nothing else when they talk, and look as if they could turn on each other within moments. But, maybe that's just me. The rather talky plot involves the train line between the island of Sodor and the talking trains that make the trip on the line, but not all the way through. Burnett Stone(Fonda) is the one who's guarding the train that can make the trip, and he and his granddaughter(Mara Wilson) set out to save the day. Fonda, depressed that the train he's looking after isn't working anymore, acts like he's trying to get Oscar consideration. Baldwin, as the magical Mr. Conductor, gets the tone of the part right, but it's rather odd to see a previously dramatic actor in the role of a little magical train conductor.
Anyways, at the same time, apparently Thomas's enemy, the diesel train, are also planning to stop them. Or, something like that. The conclusion here though, is that kids will probably enjoy this feature, but it's really got a "straight-to-video" look, and probably should have started at this level in the first place. Personally, I found it to be a bit of a mess as the plot went down one track and then another, and often adds sappy songs that feel out of place. Suddenly, there's the addition of a surfer dude, and I had no idea why.
A strange movie that feels entirely too long and talky at 90 minutes for a kid's film.
The DVD
VIDEO: Tristar presents the film full-frame, and it's very solid looking throughout. Sharpness is great, as is detail and clarity throughout. There are some very minor, brief instances of pixelation, but these don't prove to be a distraction. The print used is clean and clear, free of marks or other distractions. Colors are also enjoyable, as the greenery of the surrounding area looks natural, and the bright colors of the trains also look vibrant.
SOUND: The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack suprised me a little bit as there's more surround use than I'd anticipated going into a film like this. Trains often pass by convincingly, and although I wasn't pleased with the songs, they sound clear and clean. Dialogue is clear but not terribly natural, as well. Again, certainly more active than I'd thought it was going to be.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with images from the movie serving as backgrounds. It would have been interesting to have some animation of "Thomas" introducing menus or other similar openings.
EXTRAS: Trailers for "Thomas", "Stuart Little", "Madeline", "Muppets from Space", "The Adventures of Elmo In Grouchland" and "Jumanji". Also, talent files and a deleted scene.
Final Thoughts: Parents may want to rent this for their little kids, but I don't think parents themselves will want to watch "Thomas".
Material for children occasionally comes along that the whole family can be entertained by. Examples include "My Dog Skip", "Prince Of Egypt" and "The Iron Giant". While "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" has become quite the popular children's tale, the movie doesn't provide too much entertainment. Most of it seems rather bland, and the two adult stars (Alec Baldwin and Peter Fonda) judgement in taking these roles raises some questions. Baldwin, who hasn't had a success in a while, I can understand - Fonda, after "The Limey", acts a bit more than required here.
Personally, I've always felt the series was mildly creepy, as the train characters move their eyes and nothing else when they talk, and look as if they could turn on each other within moments. But, maybe that's just me. The rather talky plot involves the train line between the island of Sodor and the talking trains that make the trip on the line, but not all the way through. Burnett Stone(Fonda) is the one who's guarding the train that can make the trip, and he and his granddaughter(Mara Wilson) set out to save the day. Fonda, depressed that the train he's looking after isn't working anymore, acts like he's trying to get Oscar consideration. Baldwin, as the magical Mr. Conductor, gets the tone of the part right, but it's rather odd to see a previously dramatic actor in the role of a little magical train conductor.
Anyways, at the same time, apparently Thomas's enemy, the diesel train, are also planning to stop them. Or, something like that. The conclusion here though, is that kids will probably enjoy this feature, but it's really got a "straight-to-video" look, and probably should have started at this level in the first place. Personally, I found it to be a bit of a mess as the plot went down one track and then another, and often adds sappy songs that feel out of place. Suddenly, there's the addition of a surfer dude, and I had no idea why.
A strange movie that feels entirely too long and talky at 90 minutes for a kid's film.
The DVD
VIDEO: Tristar presents the film full-frame, and it's very solid looking throughout. Sharpness is great, as is detail and clarity throughout. There are some very minor, brief instances of pixelation, but these don't prove to be a distraction. The print used is clean and clear, free of marks or other distractions. Colors are also enjoyable, as the greenery of the surrounding area looks natural, and the bright colors of the trains also look vibrant.
SOUND: The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack suprised me a little bit as there's more surround use than I'd anticipated going into a film like this. Trains often pass by convincingly, and although I wasn't pleased with the songs, they sound clear and clean. Dialogue is clear but not terribly natural, as well. Again, certainly more active than I'd thought it was going to be.
MENUS:: Menus are non-animated, with images from the movie serving as backgrounds. It would have been interesting to have some animation of "Thomas" introducing menus or other similar openings.
EXTRAS: Trailers for "Thomas", "Stuart Little", "Madeline", "Muppets from Space", "The Adventures of Elmo In Grouchland" and "Jumanji". Also, talent files and a deleted scene.
Final Thoughts: Parents may want to rent this for their little kids, but I don't think parents themselves will want to watch "Thomas".
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