Movie Info:
Rating: G
Studio: Hit Entertainment
Release Info:
DVD Release Date: September 9, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon for $17.99
For the last twenty or so years, one of the most popular kids shows has been Thomas & Friends. While Thomas can be a hit or miss with parents, most adults seem to be able to at least tolerate it and the kids all seem to really enjoy it. It’s surprising that this is the first full length movie to come out of the show since it has been on the air.
While the show has had a couple of narrators in its day, this time around the narrator is Pierce Brosnan. This may not be that impressive to the kids, but parents should appreciate the big name, talented celebrity. He also does a pretty good job here, which will add to the pleasing nature of the film.
The animation here is a little different than the average cartoons of today. It’s live action-ish animation. You can see the trains moving more than anything, but the people rarely move. It is the sharp writing and witty storytelling that will please children more than anything. It’s also this very thing that will help adults watch the show without getting the boredom effect that sometimes happens with other shows.
The Thomas and Friends: The Great Discovery Plot
Thomas is on the Island of Sodor doing his thing when he ends up getting lost. He is in the mountains, unsure of where he is when he comes across an old town off the beaten path. The town, Great Waterton, is a great discovery so when Thomas informs Sir Topham Hatt he orders the restoration of the town. As Thomas found the town, Sir Topham is nice enough to allow Thomas to oversee the restoration.
Thomas takes his job very seriously and begins working on things immediately with plans of making the town better than it’s ever been. While Thomas oversees the project in the mountains, a new train makes his way to the island to take over Thomas’ duties.
The new train, Stanley, is shiny, new, and bigger than Thomas. He not only replaces Thomas in his job, since Thomas is away, he also begins to get close to all of Thomas’s friends, too. Thomas gets upset and starts to feel like he’s been replaced when he finally meets Stanley and sees that he has taken over his old life. Being jealous is a dangerous thing, which Thomas learns when he tries to show everyone how weak Stanley really is.
Once he realizes he has done wrong he goes about trying to fix the situation, but he ends up creating even more danger in the process. Thomas cannot believe what has happened or that he is to blame for it, but when all hope is lost, an unlikely person rushes in to save the day, if Thomas will accept his help that is.
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Audio/Visual:
Thomas and Friends: The Great Discovery offers an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Shown with fullscreen visual capabilities, things like good overall. The colors here are bright without being annoying. It is about what you would expect from a children’s show, if not nicer than that. There were no major visual problems. I did not notice any compression errors or problems with noise. The kids will love it and the more discriminating eyes of adult viewers will find this to be suitable, as well.
Audio comes in Dolby Digital Stereo in English, French, and Spanish. The soundtrack here is clear for the most part. I did not spend time playing with my volume and everything was easy to understand. The kids enjoyed the sound effects and the dialogue came through like a charm. Everything was acceptable on this end, much like the visual presentation.
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Bonus Features:
Thomas and Friends: The Great Discovery has a couple of bonus features available on this disc. “You’re the Leader” offers an entertaining music video and a chance for the kids to join in with Karaoke. There are also two other featurettes that come on this disc. The first is called “Learn with Thomas” and the second is a “Behind the Scenes with Pierce Brosnan.” The kids won’t find the last featurette nearly as fun or entertaining as the first two, but as far as special features go, these certainly serve their purpose.
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Bottom Line:
Thomas and Friends: The Great Discovery is a cute movie. Kids that love Thomas are simply going to adore this movie. Meanwhile, mom won’t mind the inclusion of Pierce Brosnan. If your child is a big Thomas fan this is going to be a must have DVD. This will be perfect for a special gift or a Christmas present. If you are not sure how well your child likes Thomas you might want to rent this, but be prepared because if your child loves it, they will bug you until you finally get them their own copy!
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Technorati Tags: DVD Review, Hit Entertainment, Thomas, Stanley, Island, Friends, Jealousy, Cartoon, Thomas & Friends, Mountains, The Great Discovery
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Kassidy received her degree in Journalism in 2002. She lives in the Midwest with her husband of six years, Jason, their two little girls, Madison (6) and Emma (3), and four month old, Little J (Jason Jr.) . The couple is very excited to welcome their first son. Passions in life for Kassidy include painting, writing, being a Mommy, watching romantic comedies, and dancing.
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