Thrifty parents know toy wooden Thomas play sets are quite dear; the toy engine included in this set will set you back about ten bucks - for one single car! It's a great extra, even though it will undoubtedly set you on the path to collecting. Something less wooden these days is the animation for Thomas & Friends: Team Up With Thomas, which features CG-animated faces for the engines. Little wooden train cars still puff about elaborate sets (the show is a Lionel fan's dream) but now they have faces that move. Kids can see the engines' mouths move as they talk, wiggle their eyebrows and scrunch up their cheeks. Even Sir Topham Hatt waggles his tongue and arms.

This is a huge change from almost entirely static characters of the past - a past when all human characters were motionless dolls, and the engines could do naught but roll their eyes as they rolled down the track. Purists will be alarmed with this sea change from slightly staid to radical articulation, but kids love it. Asked what she thinks of this innovation, my daughter says "it's goood," as if she's referring to a gooey bowl of deluxe macaroni and cheese. You quickly realize how much charm is added, your kids can relate even more closely as the gang becomes more convincingly alive.

As usual, engines Get In Trouble in these four ten-minute episodes, Causing Confusion and Delay, by acting reckless. Refusing help, they attempt pulling more weight than they can handle, or otherwise trying to do more than they are capable of. And they keep secrets, they're always afraid to tell someone when they've made a mistake, even if it means tons of steel pulling bunting and ice cream crashes into the river or something. They refuse to listen to reason! Yet lessons are always learned, easily digested as basically: ask for help, don't act like you're Superman, and finish your chores.

This collection also finds Thomas meeting two new friends in never-before-seen episodes; a comely Steam Tram named Flora (at last Toby gets a friend!) and the biggest, strongest Engine yet, Hank. In between episodes we find a live action framing device: an eager-to-please Engineer making a cardboard Tank Engine for Topham Hatt's grandkids, and enjoying a sandwich. If you extrapolate information well, you'll figure out how to make your own cardboard Engine, too. New animation, familiar stories your kids will love, and your very own toy Thomas Engine make this a good value for those looking to go further down the road of brand accesorizing.

The DVD

Video:
1.33:1 ratio engines race about with the usual grace. Colors are nice and bright and the image is fairly sharp. Some aliasing and edge-enhancement seem fairly standard for this type of DVD, which will certainly meet with your kid's approval.

Sound:
Dolby Digital Stereo Audio is clear and clean, with decent balance and songs not too loud compared to dialog and narration.

Extras:
Closed Captioning and English, French and Spanish audio tracks team up with a Bonus Episode: Roary The Racing Car - "Roary Takes Off", and two simple games: Spot the Difference and Sir Topham Hatt's Helping Hands Game. Oh yeah, there's that Thomas The Tank Engine railway car, too. Sweeet.

Final Thoughts:
New animation so the kids can watch the Sodor crew move their mouths, two new friends, and a free Thomas toy: this is the Thomas DVD to get my friends. The stories don't break much ground, still just a bunch of reckless preschoolers getting in trouble, but the appeal never flags, either. Highly Recommended.

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