DVD Review: Thomas & Friends: The Movie Pack (3 DVD Set)

Thomas The Tank will always have a special place in my heart. Back in 1993, when my kids were very young, and I was unemployed for a few months, Thomas was a big part of our lives. PBS had a wonderful lineup of children’s shows at that time. There was Shining Time Station (starring Thomas), Shari Lewis’ Lamb Chop‘s Play Along, and yes, even Barney. We would watch these in the morning while I made breakfast, then go to the park. Shining Time Station was always my favorite, not least because Mr. Conductor was none other than Ringo Starr, and later George Carlin. Very cool indeed.

Of course, that era ended much too soon, but Thomas remains a beloved character. I even recently saw a reference to him on the uber-nerd program The Big Bang Theory. So it was with a mixture of nostalgia and curiosity as to what Thomas is up to these days that brought me to the new Thomas & Friends Movie Pack three-DVD set.

Maybe 19 years have dulled my memory a bit, but things seem to have changed a bit on the Island of Sodor. On the one hand, the animation looks better than ever. But there seems to be much more “interaction” now than there previously was. This is actually a nice feature. For example, there is a segment in the first movie Hero Of The Rails, where Thomas wants to play a trick on the “bad guy” Diesels. They are supposed to be bringing building materials to their destination, and we are presented with three choices. To play a trick on the Diesels, should Thomas give them a car full of wood, or bricks, or bananas?

This is an interesting and (I suppose) educational element, and occurs often throughout the three movies. It is a bit of a distraction, although not so much as to become a major complaint. In fact, parents may very much enjoy this new element. Besides the fact that there are quite a number of these little “quiz” moments, the basics of the Thomas stories have not been significantly altered. And with DVD technology, there are quite a number of extra educational games and such included as well.

Article Author: Greg Barbrick

Greg Barbrick is a Seattle native who was first published in 1988, in his hometown music magazine, The Rocket. Since then his work has appeared in print and online for numerous sources. He Googles himself so often that his mother told him it would make him go blind.
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