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WARNING:
CHOKING HAZARD -- Small parts. Not for children under 3 yrs. |
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
See Thomas & Friends™ like never before in this new action-packed movie. Follow Thomas as he discovers Hiro, an abandoned engine from a faraway land. Fearing that Hiro will be scrapped, Thomas enlists the help of many friends, but mishaps, mistakes and one boastful engine could foil their rescue plans. Watch and find out if they can work together to help their new friend in the most heroic movie of the year!
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Product Description
See Thomas & Friends™ like never before in this new action-packed movie. Follow Thomas as he discovers Hiro, an abandoned engine from a faraway land. Fearing that Hiro will be scrapped, Thomas enlists the help of many friends, but mishaps, mistakes and one boastful engine could foil their rescue plans. Watch and find out if they can work together to help their new friend in the most heroic movie of the year!
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
43 of 43 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
The fourth Thomas movie down the line (after "Thomas and the Magic Railroad", "Calling All Engines", and "The Great Discovery"), "Hero of the Rails" makes the biggest change in Thomas's history so far; the entire film is done in CGI animation produced by Nitrogen Studios in Canada. All of the characters are now individually voiced, although Micheal Brandon returns to narrate through the film.
In the story, Spencer, a big silver engine from the mainland, is visiting Sodor to help build a private summer house. Thomas, after being teased about his size, foolishly tries to compete with Spencer, but ends up crashing onto an abandoned old line. There he finds Hiro, an old abandoned engine who once worked on Sodor long ago. Wanting to prevent him from being scrapped, Thomas promises to help return him to his former glory, along with the help of Victor and Kevin (a steam engine and a crane, respectively), who work at Sodor's famous "Steamworks". Along the way, he has to avoid the suspicious eyes of Spencer, and keep Hiro's secret from Sir Topham Hatt.
Not spoiling the end of the story, it's vaguely similar to "Magic Railroad", but it was fantastically executed overall. Hiro's character is very believable and likable, and Victor and Kevin make a wonderful pair on-screen. The story's moral is laid in through the narration, but isn't thrown right into the viewer's face, unlike most children's films, which is a refreshing change.
The film's main focus, however, is the new animation. While the original model series was wonderful, the new CGI is a breath of fresh air. The moving faces give a whole new life to the characters, and each locomotive looks as realistic as they can be. The backgrounds, scenery, and buildings are far more detailed than something I would have expected from a film for children. There are plenty of new camera angles, too, that could never have been achieved with the models, such as shots from under the engine, or swooping shots of two engines racing side by side, or panoramic shots of morning skies across massive mountains.
The voice acting is fantastic as well. Thomas's new voice fits his personality to the tee. Hiro has a gentle Japanese accent, which suits him very well. Michael Brandon does an even better job at narrating than ever, and he really helps to bring the story to life. I would advice the scriptwriters to work more on the actual lines though; the format used in the film gets repetitive over time (for example, "Thomas's wheels whirred and wobbled" "Thomas's boiler was bubbling" or "his pistons were pounding) and the "phrases" the engines use come and go ("Fizzling fireboxes!" "Blistering boilers!" "Rattle my rods!" "Cinders and ashes!").
Overall, however, I feel that "Hero of the Rails" is one of Thomas's best films yet, and I can't wait to see Thomas in his new animated format in the near future. HiT Entertainment and Nitrogen Studios put a lot of work and effort into this new film, and it shows. Old and new fans alike are sure to enjoy Thomas in his newest adventure.
In the story, Spencer, a big silver engine from the mainland, is visiting Sodor to help build a private summer house. Thomas, after being teased about his size, foolishly tries to compete with Spencer, but ends up crashing onto an abandoned old line. There he finds Hiro, an old abandoned engine who once worked on Sodor long ago. Wanting to prevent him from being scrapped, Thomas promises to help return him to his former glory, along with the help of Victor and Kevin (a steam engine and a crane, respectively), who work at Sodor's famous "Steamworks". Along the way, he has to avoid the suspicious eyes of Spencer, and keep Hiro's secret from Sir Topham Hatt.
Not spoiling the end of the story, it's vaguely similar to "Magic Railroad", but it was fantastically executed overall. Hiro's character is very believable and likable, and Victor and Kevin make a wonderful pair on-screen. The story's moral is laid in through the narration, but isn't thrown right into the viewer's face, unlike most children's films, which is a refreshing change.
The film's main focus, however, is the new animation. While the original model series was wonderful, the new CGI is a breath of fresh air. The moving faces give a whole new life to the characters, and each locomotive looks as realistic as they can be. The backgrounds, scenery, and buildings are far more detailed than something I would have expected from a film for children. There are plenty of new camera angles, too, that could never have been achieved with the models, such as shots from under the engine, or swooping shots of two engines racing side by side, or panoramic shots of morning skies across massive mountains.
The voice acting is fantastic as well. Thomas's new voice fits his personality to the tee. Hiro has a gentle Japanese accent, which suits him very well. Michael Brandon does an even better job at narrating than ever, and he really helps to bring the story to life. I would advice the scriptwriters to work more on the actual lines though; the format used in the film gets repetitive over time (for example, "Thomas's wheels whirred and wobbled" "Thomas's boiler was bubbling" or "his pistons were pounding) and the "phrases" the engines use come and go ("Fizzling fireboxes!" "Blistering boilers!" "Rattle my rods!" "Cinders and ashes!").
Overall, however, I feel that "Hero of the Rails" is one of Thomas's best films yet, and I can't wait to see Thomas in his new animated format in the near future. HiT Entertainment and Nitrogen Studios put a lot of work and effort into this new film, and it shows. Old and new fans alike are sure to enjoy Thomas in his newest adventure.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
My 4 year old went bananas when he saw that I bought this for him. He was so happy. I watched it with him the first time and I was impressed with it. The Thomas movies have always been good for kids and now that they are animated it is even better. Not quite as creepy I think! So if you have a Thomas fan in your house this is a must see & buy.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
My daughter loves Thomas the Tank Engine but sometimes the videos make me want to eat nails. That stupid song gets caught in my head and the stories just seem so short and underdeveloped. This movie is very different. The music is more modern (read: no annoying children's choir)and the character voices are much more natural. The longer story was developed well and did not seem to end abruptly. I actually enjoyed watching this Thomas video with my daughter.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
My young toddler loves it. Not scary.
My almost 3 year old loves this movie. It has good messages and is not scary like some of the other Thomas movies can be for little ones. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Amy
Neat Story!
This is a very good story. We believe it teaches compassion and kindness. It also illustrates through one character, a lack of those values. Read more
Published 4 months ago
My daughter loves this movie
I originally ordered this movie on netflix but my little girl loved it so much that we had to buy it for our collection. Read more
Published 8 months ago by shpanyuk
My son just LOVES this movie!!
We bought this movie for my 5yr to watch during our family vacation and he just loves it! Worth the purchase!
Published 9 months ago by nluvwbaby
Becoming like all the other shows....
I bought this for my son, who LOVES Thomas, and was very disappointed that the movie is nothing like the classic Thomas episodes. For one, the animation is like any other cartoon. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Oshimamma
Hero of the Rails DVD
My 21th month old son will ask to watch thomas by saying "Choo Choo". This is a pretty good thomas DVD to watch without driving the parents nuts!
Published 12 months ago by sharrel
Kids loved it
My kids -- both 5 -- have watched this over and over. What's great is the story is not the same old same old. Read more
Published 13 months ago by EMS
Great video, kids love it...
Not much to say...except it is the first feature length Thomas video we bought. Keeps the youngsters occupied, and gets them all riled up to watch their buddy Thomas. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Ronald M. Adkins
I just love this movie... the favorite of my son!!!
This movie is so beautiful, and my son just love it. He is always asking me for "chou chou train...hero" I prefer the animated Thomas and is a movie that I can enjoy with my son. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Ms. Sonia S. Sierra
3 1/2 year old loves it.
My 3 1/2 year old loves Thomas and has many trains, and has watched the show for a year. He loved this DVD and watches it over and over and sings the Go Go Thomas song all over... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Ali W.
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