Customer Reviews

10 Years of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends - Best Friends [VHS]

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

My 2yr found this video A+, he has not let this tape rest since we brought it home. Some reviews have criticized george carlin as the story teller and the train footage between the stories, but I thought it was a great intro into getting to know THOMAS THE TANK. This video is one you must have if you are just starting your collection or your little one is just now into Thomas. The video is 63 mins and is well worth $$.

This was our first Thomas tape and my son was hooked instantly. I've read the other reviews here, and I would agree that if you are used to the format in the older Thomas tapes you would be disappointed with this one. We liked it because it introduced a lot of the characters for us so it was a good place to start. The older tapes are definitely better. George Carlin is wonderful even though I'll admit that Ringo Starr is better.

I have a 16 mo old and a 3 yr old. and they are hooked. we watch this at least 4 times a day. Its the only thomas the tank video we have, but have the my first thomas the tank set. and the kids love it.. I hope they come out with a DVD real soon

Our 3-year old loves this video. Not only does he love the stories, he loves to see the real Thomas in the Strasburg Railroad footage. It's a great introduction for a new Thomas fan.

Now this tape is a great tape because it has a story about every Thomas character and you can see your favorite one at his/her best. But I just can't get over why they put that weird footage in here. All it shows are the Day Out With Thomas events and they interview kids that are way too little because they can't speak into the camera very well.

Here are the Thomas stories featured on this video(they are the most popular ones I would assume):

1)Thomas & Bertie's Great Race 4.5/5
2)Old Iron 4/5
3)The Trouble With Mud 4.5/5
4)Terence The Tractor 5/5
5)Percy's Ghostly Trick 4/5
6)Mavis 4/5
7)Henry & The Elephant 5/5
8)Percy's Promise 4/5
9)James Goes Buzz Buzz 6/5
10)All At Sea 5/5
11) Thomas Anthem: Grand Finale

Now I wouldn't have picked this particular selection of stories for this video but maybe you feel different. For the music video they said that it would show every single engine Thomas has ever met. They did but it was just little snip-its of each engine.

So I would still recommend this video if you an upcoming fan of Thomas but it isn't a necessity to your collection. I hope my review was helpful:)

First of all, let me say that I love Thomas the Tank Engine. My 6-year-old son has loved Thomas for 3+ years running and I am very grateful for all the good times the three of us have had. That having been said, this is a compilation VHS. You will not find any new stories on this one. However, it is worth viewing (and getting, if you don't have a big collection) if you have children. We got this as a gift from friends, so having duplicates of the stories was not a big problem with us. Interspersed between the stories is what seems to be an advertisement for the "Day Out With Thomas." It is interesting to watch, but is not informative for one actually thinking about participating in one of the programs.

The 10 stories (4 more than the usual offering) featured on the video are as follows:

Thomas & Bertie's Great Race: This is one of the formative Thomas stories and is a welcome addition to anyone's collection. This particular episode is referenced in several subsequent episodes.

Old Iron: This is a charming story where Edward saves the day. However, this one is frequently recycled on Thomas' compilations. We already have it on at least 3 videos.

The Trouble With Mud: Fans of Gordon the Big Blue Engine will appreciate this one. It is included on the Best of Gordon video as well.

Terence the Tractor: This is another story which is essential to Thomas lore. Terence and his funny caterpillars save the day when Thomas get stuck in the snow. The song "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover" is based on this one.

Percy's Ghostly Trick: This is a cute little story where Percy gets to play a little trick on Thomas.

Mavis: This story features the lovely little diesel as well as an always-lovable Toby. Toby has to show impatient Mavis the ropes in this one.

Henry the Elephant: The circus is on the Island of Sodor and the engines are always ready to be really useful, even when 5 tons of pachyderm are on the line. This is a charming story which is not on any of our other collections.

Percy's Promise: Percy saves the day and does not let axle-deep water put a cramp in his style.

James Goes Buzz-Buzz: We also have this episode on the Best of James collection, but it is a good story and features some nice stop-action animation as well as little-seen figures such as the Vicar.

All at Sea: Duck wonders about life beyond the horizon in this lovely story. Harold the Helicopter puts aside his usual haughtiness to help him out. I've never seen this one, so it was a treat for my son and I.

Thomas' Anthem Grand Finale: A rousing musical way to end a very well-spent hour on the tracks.

George Carlin is the narrator for all 10 of the stories and he provides suitable voices for all the characters. I enjoy hearing him, although he is not as lovable as the quirky Ringo Starr.

All in all, this video is well worth watching and would be a great way to start a new Thomas lover's collection. Check it out if you get a chance!

One day, Thomas had a race with Bertie in "Thomas & Bertie's Great Race" - then, James was hot and Edward's Driver attached a rope to James's right buffer in "Old Iron". Then, Gordon must take another shower covered in mud in "The Trouble With Mud" - then Thomas meets the horrible tractor called Terence in "Terence The Tractor" where the lime was everywhere and they think Percy's a ghost in "Percy's Ghostly Trick" and Toby meets a female diesel engine named Mavis in "Mavis the Diesel Engine". Henry hates tunnels where the elephant grunts in "Henry & The Elephant" and Percy despites a terrible storm in "Percy's Promise". James was swarmed by bees in "James Goes Buzz Buzz" and they are all at the seaside in "All At Sea". Narrator is George Carlin { but Ringo Starr is better }.

Michael Higham (regards)

This is one of the greatest videos I've ever seen. If you've ever been to a Day Out With Thomas yourself, you'll like it even more! The video has a nice selection of stories. I like Old Iron (James, Edward), Mavis (Mavis and Toby), Percy's Ghostly Trick (Percy, Thomas, Toby), Thomas and Bertie's Great Race (Thomas and Bertie), Henry and the Elephant (Henry, James, Gordon, Percy) - this is a good one! - and the classic, James Goes Buzz, Buzz (James, Boco, Trevor, Duck and Bill and Ben).

My 2yr found this video A+, he has not let this tape rest since we brought it home. Some reviews have criticized george carlin as the story teller and the train footage between the stories, but I thought it was a great intro into getting to know THOMAS THE TANK. This video is one you must have if you are just starting your collection or your little one is just now into Thomas. The video is 63 mins and is well worth $$.

This VHS version of 10 years etc has its good points and its bad points, though my son (20 months) may disagree about the bad.
So, the good points: the stories are mostly fine. some are very good, some less so (I admit to having read the books over and over as a child plus at least once since - I usually know when they depart from the written version; I can get a bit worked up when there is no good reason for this departure). The scenery is an unmitigated pleasure - time and care went into producing these. Many details are faithfully, even lovingly reproduced. The engines, necessarily, have fairly limited expressions: dumb, happy and grouchy, with the continual possibility of freely spinning eyes.
The bad points: George Carlin is not the world's most involved narrator. I don't buy the Ringo is Best argument, but Carlin could definitely have done better. He reserves his accents for minor characters as Harold the Helicopter (has to be heard to be believed) and the vicar(???!!!). I have watched this video too often in the last few weeks, and keep listening for some of the 7 banned words sotto voce. Alas, Carlin plays it straight. Far too straight. I haven't heard Alec Baldwin, but I humbly put myself forward as the best potential narrator.
Worse, far worse, than the narration, however, is the extraneous "stuff". This includes the songs, which are indelible (try working with "let's have a race, have a race" going through your head. Or the utterley irrelevant "Never judge a book by its cover". Awful. I can't even determine that my son really likes them). And then there are the interviewees, culled from a Day out with Thomas at Strasburg, Pa (which looks great). No, Percy does not "back forward". Was it really necessary to prove in such a manner that a dozen or so people think Thomas is great? There are some nice bits and some less than nice bits, but the whole is unecessary and unwelcome - it does not provide context for the selection of stories and you end up wishing them away (with the songs) so you can get to the next good bit. Being made to wait, in this case, does not instill virtue (it merely gives daddy a greater opportunity to use some profanities).
In summary, this is perfectly acceptable entertainment, and even adults can sit through it (mostly, though sometimes it helps to have the radio on louder). I suspect that there are better collections to be had. But don't not acquire it on account of this review; simply take care.