Sunday, December 21, 2014

12 Days of Christmas: Thomas & Friends Season 18 - The Christmas Engines

Well, this was a long time coming. I know they'll be airing in the United Kingdom soon, but what the heck, I'm gonna go and review them now rather than later. As usual, here's the disclaimer:

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE

THIS BLOG CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS; READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

Three months ago, season 18 took a break from its run with Toad's Bright Idea, which has so far turned out to be a big favorite of mine. Can anything top that or No Steam without Coal? Let's find out!

Long Lost Friend
Written by Mark Huckerby and Nick Ostler
Is it me, or is Percy getting a lot of Christmas-themed stories? :P Anyway, this was another pretty good episode, and it was nice seeing Gator make a return visit for Christmas. The plot of the unknown delivery of rock salt was pretty amusing, and yes, the driver and fireman spoke for the first time in eight years! Now if only they were more involved in the stories... Something I find odd; how does Owen know Gator? Oh, and did anyone notice the Steamworks turntable got changed as well?

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Last Train for Christmas
Written by Andrew Brenner
Easily the best of the lot in my books; Connor and the slip coaches (glad they weren't forgotten about) got to play big roles in the episode, we get a large supporting cast and some great humor as well like the Harold/Santa confusion. Diesel showing some sensibility about the weather was really shocking; in the TV series, we're used to him being devious, not wise. Not that it's a bad thing; it was nice of Diesel to show wisdom there. The story was great, and therefore, a good episode.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Duncan the Humbug
Written by Davey Moore
When I first saw the title, I thought the plot was gonna have some resemblance to A Christmas Carol. Turns out it didn't, but that doesn't mean the episode was a downer; far from it! Although, again, Thomas' role was unneeded; if you replaced him with Edward or Henry, the story would be the same. Likewise for Henry's Hero when Duck's role could've gone to anyone. But for Duncan the Humbug, Rusty's role was perfect for him as Duncan's foil. The episode shows that despite his gruffness, Duncan can have a heart of gold somewhere in his smokebox. And that shot of the viaduct? Words can't describe how lovely it is...

Rating: 8.5 out of 10


The Perfect Gift
Written by Davey Moore
Now here's the episode that gave Reg is own chance to shine. The plot was reminiscent to The Party Surprise, only this time, Reg had more personality than Colin did. Even if a character is stuck in one place, they must have some personality to give life to their area. I definitely chuckled when Percy muttered "magical", and hearing him sing with the carolers was a nice touch.

Rating: 8 out of 10

I've already reviewed Duck in the Water, and the rating is still the same.

As for the episodes, all of them were very enjoyable, Last Train for Christmas especially. The team of Arc Productions really must enjoy animating weather scenes and times of day for these episodes. There are a few issues I have, but I don't think they're even worth mentioning. All I can say is that they're worth watching, hence the minimal amount of spoilers. Next year, I'll be reviewing the American DVD and comparing it to the UK release. In a month or two, I'll also be reviewing the Dinos and Discoveries episodes; they should be interesting, especially Emily Saves the World...

But now, let's go back to Equestria and review the season finales!

Tomorrow: The Best Night Ever + MLP Season 1 Overall
January/February 2015: Dinos and Discoveries + TTTE Season 18 Overall

Thomas & Friends Season 18 Scorecard (out of 10 possible points)
1. Old Reliable Edward: 9
2. Not So Slow Coaches: 9.5
3. Flatbeds of Fear: 7
4. Disappearing Diesels: 8
5. Signals Crossed: 6
6. Toad's Adventure: 8.5
7. Duck in the Water: 7.5
8. Duck and the Slip Coaches: 9
9. Thomas the Quarry Engine: 8
10. Thomas and the Emergency Cable: 8.5
11. Duncan and the Grumpy Passenger: 9
12. Marion and the Pipe: 8
13. Missing Gator: 8.5
14. No Steam without Coal: 10
15. Spencer's VIP: 9
16. Toad's Bright Idea: 9.5
17. Long Lost Friend: 8.5
18. Last Train for Christmas: 10
19. Duncan the Humbug: 8.5
20. The Perfect Gift: 8

Saturday, December 20, 2014

12 Days of Christmas: Santa's Little Engine DVD: US vs. UK

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE

The last of the three winter-themed CGI Thomas DVDs is getting a lookover! I won't be doing The Christmas Engines until next year when the UK version is out. So let's look at last year's Christmas release!

Santa's Little Engine
Released October 29, 2013 (US)/October 27, 2014 (UK)
Directed by David Baas and Greg Tiernan (US only)
Episodes Written by Andrew Brenner, Paul Larson and Laura Beaumont, and Alan Hescott (US only)

Episodes Featured (US/UK)
Santa's Little Engine
No Snow for Thomas
The Frozen Turntable
The Missing Christmas Decorations

Episodes Featured (US Only)
Snow Tracks

Bonus Episodes (UK Only)
Too Many Fire Engines
Henry's Hero
The Phantom Express

Definitely a good step up from the previous Christmas-themed DVDs we got and I'm so glad they changed Winter/Christmas Holiday to just plain Christmas. For the season 17 winter episodes, we have the title episode with the Fat Controller having trouble with going on a sleigh while dressed as Santa Claus. Definitely a humorous slapstick episode with Winston as a "sleigh" and the chase scene. How did Thomas rescue him, I'd like to know? In No Snow for Thomas, it was nice to see Emily back the way she was introduced, and it was a nice callback to Emily's New Coaches. The Frozen Turntable had a bit of wasted potential with James pulling the express, mentioned but not seen, but the moral about not being selfish was nice, and Gordon got consequences for it. The Missing Christmas Decorations is obviously my favorite of the lot; Diesel 10's return, the use of Sidney and Norman, and the Grinch-like story.

For the US, the last episode to make up five was Snow Tracks from season 13. Why on earth would they renarrate a story from the dark ages? Then again, it fits the winter theme so I'm not complaining. For the UK, they got three bonus episodes; the best of them was Too Many Fire Engines - about time Flynn and Belle were given the proper treatment. For Henry's Hero, the story was nice, but Duck's role could've gone to anyone, even Charlie or the Logging Locos. The Phantom Express was a little weak, but we get humorous dialogue from Stephen.

On the US DVD, some segments are shown in between the episodes; the first is Calling All Engines (no, not the special) talking about Thomas and Gordon. The Earl's Quiz features Toby's New Whistle and Tickled Pink; not a big fan of the former, but the latter is really good. Who's That Engine features Percy and his adventure in Percy the Snowman, which, despite the poor writing, perfectly fit the theme of the DVD. As for our friend Mr. Perkins, he now tells stories from the original Railway Series books and writes postcards to passengers. His story was The Flying Kipper, a very good choice to fit the theme, and his postcard was about Ulfstead Castle. These features also appear on the UK DVD.

The remaining US DVD features are Sir Topham Hatt's Frosty Friend, and the Guess Who puzzles are of Rocky, the Fat Controller, and Thomas.

Which version would I buy?

Both versions are pretty good in their own right, but not without flaws; the US is in fullscreen, as was The Thomas Way, but it was finally rectified with Spills and Thrills. As for the UK, it has less episodes on the main feature, but the episodes are in much higher quality compared to Curious Cargo or Up, Up and Away. If I had to choose, I'd say the UK is better in terms of aspect ratio (16:9 as opposed to 4:3) and number of episodes. I certainly recommend it for UK Thomas fans.

US DVD Rating:
7.5/10

UK DVD Rating:
9/10

Tomorrow: Thomas and Friends Season 18 Reviews - The Christmas Engines

Friday, December 19, 2014

12 Days of Christmas: Merry Christmas, Thomas! DVD: US vs. UK

Merry Winter Wish was a bit of a downer, but will next season's Christmas-themed DVD be any better? Let's find out!

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE

As we all know, season 15 was the lowest point in Thomas history, and like season 14 before it and season 16 after, it had its own Christmas DVD release. Unlike last time, I'll also be throwing in a US-only DVD with the season 16 winter episodes as seen in the UK version of Merry Christmas, Thomas!

Merry Christmas, Thomas!/A Very Thomas Christmas/Big Bang Surprise
Released October 11, 2011 (MCT US)/October 9, 2012 (AVTC)/October 28, 2013 (MCT/BBS UK)
Directed by Greg Tiernan
Episodes Written by Sharon Miller, Lizzie Ennever, and Max Allen (MCT UK/AVTC)
"Big Bang Surprise" Episodes Written by Jessica Kedward and Kirsty Peart, Gerard Foster, Max Allen, and Sharon Miller

Episodes Featured (US Only)
Let it Snow
Surprise, Surprise
Episodes Featured (US/UK)
Percy the Snowman
Tree Trouble

Episodes Featured (Merry Christmas, Thomas! UK/A Very Thomas Christmas US)
The Christmas Tree Express
Ho Ho Snowman
Salty's Surprise
Emily's Winter Party Special

Big Bang Surprise Episodes Featured (UK Exclusive)
Sodor Surprise Day
Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor
Percy and the Calliope
Happy Birthday, Sir!
Percy and the Monster of Brendam

Merry Christmas, Thomas!/A Very Thomas Christmas
The US has all four winter-themed episodes of season 15. Percy the Snowman was okay-ish for me, but it's still not good, whilst Tree Trouble was a fair episode for me, but the steam vs. diesel tones are getting very old. The season 16 winter episodes were featured on A Very Thomas Christmas for the US, and they were carried over onto Merry Christmas, Thomas! for the UK. The Christmas Tree Express and Ho Ho Snowman are obviously the worst, and in Salty's Surprise, why would a tree be carried in Edward's cab? Emily's Winter Party Special was, for me, the least bad of the season 16 winter episodes.

For the special features on Merry Christmas, Thomas!, the US has the Christmas Gift Matching game, while the UK has the Down at the Station segment on points, and the Guess Who puzzles are of Den and Dart together, and Rheneas. As for A Very Thomas Christmas, we get the Thomas' Christmas Journey game, and its Guess Who puzzles are of Charlie, Thomas, and Emily. In both US releases on digital download, the bonus episode is Buzzy Bees, which should literally buzz off.

On both versions of Merry Christmas, Thomas!, Mr. Perkins struggles to keep warm in the common room without any coal, but Thomas helps out with some coal of his own whilst snowed in at Knapford Station. In A Very Thomas Christmas, Mr. Perkins tries to get some sleep for an inspector's tour with Gordon in the morning, but has little luck.

And now we get to the UK's trump card; a bonus DVD!

Big Bang Surprise
For the episodes, Sodor Surprise Day is just stupid and dangerous, like the fireworks could've killed somebody! Thomas and the Sounds of Sodor is just boring, and considering Gerard Foster also wrote Percy's New Friends, why am I not surprised? Percy and the Calliope, however, is the gem of the UK release, for reasons I bet you know why. Happy Birthday, Sir! was also quite nice with the flashback of a young Topham Hatt (I don't believe he'd be the Fat Controller back then), and the old coach was nicely rendered. Percy and the Monster of Brendam is okay but not great, nothing more. One thing I must note - why was Bust My Buffers left out?

For its special features, the Down at the Station segment is about engines, and the Guess Who puzzles are Thomas and Percy together, and the Fat Controller. Its Mr. Perkins segment is the only one not to be released in America, in which he is asked by the Fat Controller to put on a show for his grandchildren.

Which version would I buy?

The only one worth the money would have to be Merry Christmas, Thomas!/Big Bang Surprise for the UK market. It's a hollow victory; the US version of Merry Christmas, Thomas! wasn't much better to Merry Winter Wish, and nor was A Very Thomas Christmas. Considering both US DVD releases are in full-screen, it also affects their scores.

Merry Christmas, Thomas! US DVD Rating:
3/10

A Very Thomas Christmas DVD Rating:
3.5/10

Merry Christmas, Thomas!/Big Bang Surprise UK DVD Rating:
7/10

Tomorrow: Santa's Little Engine - US vs. UK

Thursday, December 18, 2014

12 Days of Christmas: Merry Winter Wish DVD: US vs. UK

For the next three days, I'll be reviewing three winter/Christmas-themed Thomas and Friends CGI DVD releases. However, I'll be comparing the US DVDs to their UK counterparts and see which of them is better.

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE

Merry Winter Wish had it's initial release roughly a month after Misty Island Rescue came out, and roughly on the same week that My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic began airing on the Hub Network. These four episodes were part of season 14 which began airing in the UK at the same time. In the UK, the release was intended for October 31, 2011 (odd because the episodes are Christmas-themed and not Halloween-themed), but because of Hilary Fortnam calling Hit Entertainment out for the use of Winter Holiday and not Christmas (I'll deal with it on the 21st), the release was held back for a year to redub the lines. Had it been worth the wait?

Merry Winter Wish
Released October 12, 2010 (US)/October 29, 2012 (UK)
Directed by Greg Tiernan
Episodes Written by Miranda Larson, Jessica Sandys Clarke, and Sharon Miller

Episodes Featured (US/UK)
Merry Winter Wish
Thomas and the Snowman Party
Henry's Magic Box
Merry Misty Island

Episodes Featured (UK Only)
Let it Snow
Surprise, Surprise

Sadly, no. The season 14 winter-themed episodes were very poor to start with, and the fact the DVDs at the time had only four episodes doesn't help much. Okay, both countries got more episodes per DVD, but as for this DVD, Merry Winter Wish was simply dull, Henry's Magic Box was no better, and Thomas and the Snowman Party was the worst bringing out the wrong messages. The only bearable episode on the DVD was Merry Misty Island, but mostly for Ferdinand's "tree".

For the UK, they got Let it Snow and Surprise, Surprise, both were from season 15, and were originally on Merry Christmas, Thomas!, which I'll cover tomorrow. The latter episode is not so much my favorite winter episode of the Nitrogen Era, but it's the least bad along with Merry Misty Island. For the record, I know international versions have one or two extra episodes, but I'm only focusing on the US and the UK versions, so keep that in mind.

In the United States, Mr. Perkins decorates the Knapford Station engine drivers' common room for Christmas (I refuse to refer it as Winter Holiday), and as he does so, he sings with some uncredited extras as carolers, mixes up some presents, and takes over for Mr. Arkwright as Santa Claus. This is left out in the UK edition, which is confusing; if they could redub some lines, then why couldn't they refilm the segment from ground up? Oh yeah, time constraints; I understand.

For the special features, the US only gets the Sir Topham Hatt's Frosty Friend game. Moving onto the UK, their Guess Who puzzle is Henry, the Down at the Station segment is about coal, and the bonus song is All You Need are Friends.

Which version would I buy?

Sad to say this, but both actually lose. The UK release does have more episodes, but it doesn't excuse the poor quality of the episodes. The US fares worse due to being in full-screen, unless you buy it on digital download. For the US, I would recommend buying Ultimate Christmas to both versions. Yes, the model-era DVD was two previously-released DVDs mashed together, but at least it has quality stories (most of them). For the UK, buy The Completer 14th Series instead; it's cheaper than buying five DVDs with four episodes each on them.

US DVD Rating:
2/10

UK DVD Rating:
2.5/10

Tomorrow: Merry Christmas, Thomas! - US vs. UK

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

12 Days of Christmas: The Polar Express

For the first time on this blog, I'll be reviewing something not related to either Thomas or My Little Pony. It's a rail-transport film about Christmas, The Polar Express!

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; NOT THOSE BY ANYONE ELSE

Several successful films were released throughout the fourth quarter of 2004 - The SpongeBob SquarePants MovieNational TreasureA Series of Unfortunate EventsThe Incredibles, the first installment of the Saw film series, Finding Neverland, and of course, The Polar Express.

The Polar Express
Original Book by Chris Van Allsburg
Screenplay by Robert Zemeckis and William Broyles Jr.
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Released to Theaters November 10, 2004

On Christmas Eve, a young boy who used to love Christmas boards the Polar Express on its journey to the North Pole with other children. After several misadventures with the conductor, the engineer and stoker, a girl, and a hobo, the train reaches the North Pole. There, the boy, the girl, and a kid named Billy get separated from the rest of the kids when the observation car runs away after being uncoupled by mistake. They make their return just as Santa Claus comes out, and when a reindeer bell is shaken loose, the boy picks it up and hears its sound when he says he believes, and asks Santa for the bell, which is declared the first gift of Christmas. Sadly, he's lost the bell through a hole in his pocket, but on Christmas morning, the boy has it back again, and it rings for him and those who truly believe.

Ten years ago, back in November 2004 when I was in elementary school, my parents and I wanted to see Pixar's then-latest film The Incredibles, but tickets were sold out for said movie, but we did get to see The Polar Express instead, and my parents knew of my love for trains and the Christmas season. I really enjoyed myself, and a decade later I still do.

I also have the book version from 1985, where it was just the boy getting on the train, a brief journey to the North Pole, he's chosen, says he wants for Christmas, loses the bell, and regains it as a present from Santa. Bear in mind you often have to expand on the book to make it a full length movie, and it has advantages; you can have creative freedom with the characters and add new ones, plus add some subplots here and there. I mean, the 2012 film adaptation of The Lorax was focused on Ted (who was unnamed) wanting to impress Audrey by bringing her a tree, but the mayor wants to stop Ted from ruining his business.

The main character himself is expanded upon drastically from the original book, giving him a little bit of background and expansion on his family, and the three other major kids - the girl, the know-it-all, and Billy - also allowed to give the boy interactions while the train was headed for the North Pole. Interesting fact; Tom Hanks did the motion capture for the boy, as well as the father, the conductor, the hobo, and Santa Claus, as well as the boy as the adult narrator.

The locomotive for the Polar Express itself is Pere Marquette 1225, a 2-8-4 tender locomotive built in 1941 (in the film, the know-it-all said 1931). According to Van Allsburg, the engine was the inspiration for the book and its number, to him, was 12/25 (12 stands for December), Christmas Day. The actual locomotive was used to create its animated counterpart and its sounds were recorded from the real thing. Something I feel is worth noting is that the length of the train changes drastically during the course of the film. For instance, on the frozen lake, the train is five coaches in length, but upon reaching the North Pole, it's at least nine coaches long. I wonder why this is? There are at least four known coaches on the train - the coach with the kids, the observation coach, the buffet coach, and the coach of broken toys. And people say Arc Productions makes silly mistakes...!

Of course, I can't review the movie without talking about the musical numbers. My favorites from the film itself are Hot Chocolate and When Christmas Comes to Town. The former is more quirky and exciting with brilliant spoken singing by Tom Hanks ("Here we only got one rule: never, ever let it cool!"), whilst the latter is more gentle and expands on the friendship between the boy, the girl and Billy. The theme song as the train reaches the North Pole features Tom Hank's vocals in the soundtrack describes what it's like being on the Polar Express. The end credits song is Josh Groban's Believe, which I feel is the perfect song for Christmas.

Overall, this is my favorite Christmas-themed movie of all time. This isn't about being mindlessly cheerful for Christmas; there's a darker tone to The Polar Express and you don't know what to expect next. The basic plot was very much the same as the original book, down to the bittersweet final shot of the bell and the last line:

"At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe."

If you haven't seen the movie yet, well, where the heck have you been for the past ten years? The Polar Express is a film that must be seen to be appreciated with it's wonderful music and storytelling.

10 out of 10

Tomorrow: Top 10 Winter-Themed Thomas Stories

Saturday, December 13, 2014

TTTE S11E17 - Thomas and the Runaway Car

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE

Season 11, Episode 17
Thomas and the Runaway Car
Written by Sharon Miller

I don't know about a lot of people, but I really enjoy Thomas and the Runaway Car a lot. And you know what shocks me about this episode? It's from season 11, and it was written by Sharon Miller! Sound familiar? Yep, it's the same combo as Don't Be Silly, Billy. How could she nail humor in one episode, and introduce a one-off character in a terrible way? Either way, let's get down with the episode.

Thomas has got the task of bringing the Fat Controller's new car (really, it's the same car he's ALWAYS driven) to the Sodor Show. Gordon is to take the bandstand to the show, and challenges Thomas to a race. An impatient Thomas races off with the car on the flatbed, but it isn't coupled up to him, and it rolls away, causing havoc by scaring Arthur and throwing mud all over Rosie. The car goes flying into a haystack when the flatbed hits the buffers, and Thomas asks Gordon for help, and as thanks, he lets Gordon take the car to the Sodor Show.

Have I officially gone crazy? A Sharon Miller script that's actually very good? Well, it was nice to see that Thomas and Gordon still have that friendly rivalry, and it was nice seeing Arthur again. Just a shame it was his last speaking role; he has much untapped potential for good storytelling. It was also Rosie's third appearance in season 11, and the mud flying on her was brilliantly filmed, although it was the only time we saw her two new facemasks - eyes shut and cross. My only complaint is the use of "the runaway new Hatt blue car" - just "the runaway car" is enough.

A really good episode on whole, and a very funny one as well. Yes, it's unrealistic, but then, you often have to bend the rules a bit to make a good story, something that fans fail to notice...

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Tomorrow begins the Railfan Brony Blog's 12 Days of Christmas Review Series, and to kick off, we're going back to Equestria with Hearth's Warming Eve.

Thomas & Friends Season 11 Scorecard (out of 10 possible points)
13. Don't Be Silly, Billy: 0.5
17. Thomas and the Runaway Car: 8.5

TTTE S10E9 - It's Good to be Gordon

I've decided to review two good episodes from the Miller Era in order to compensate for Don't Be Silly, Billy and Day of the Diesels. The first of them, my personal best of season 10.

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE

Season 10, Episode 9
It's Good to be Gordon
Written by Abi Grant

Let's get an issue out of the way; this is NOT the first time Henry needed special coal again. It actually happened in Thomas and the Magic Railroad when Thomas says "I'm collecting one, two, three, four, five, six trucks of special Island of Sodor coal for you" to Henry, who replies, "Oh, thank you, Thomas - special coal will make me feel much better." Got that? Good. Now, let's get on to It's Good to be Gordon...

The basic plot has the Fat Controller telling Gordon that if he's on time with the express, he will have set a new record. However, Gordon takes on Henry's special coal by mistake (I'll get to that later) and although he does well, Henry billows black smoke and shakes about. After hearing about Henry's health from Thomas, Gordon feels guilty and gives up his record for the sake of his friend. Henry forgives Gordon and they swap tenders, making Gordon late, but he still feels proud for holding the record.

Yes, Henry doesn't need special coal after his rebuild in this episode, but do I care? No, because for me, personally, the episode feels like it wouldn't be out of place in season one. If possible, Henry could be in his old shape, and the story would still be the same, taking place in between Coal and The Flying Kipper.

Plus, Gordon's characterization was brilliant; he realized he did something wrong out of guilt, and he sacrificed his record to help Henry. We definitely need more episodes like that! This episode was also the last where the driver had spoken dialogue for eight years (background voices in Day of the Diesels do not count). Considering the crap we had to watch throughout S9-16, It's Good to be Gordon is definitely a gem in the pile of coal, and I'm proud to call this episode the best of season 10.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Thomas & Friends Season 10 Scorecard (out of 10 possible points)
9. It's Good to be Gordon: 9

Friday, December 12, 2014

TTTE S7E1 - Emily's New Coaches

For the past four Thomas-related blog posts since my Top 25 Thomas characters, I've reviewed a bad episode, a terrible special, a theory regarding Thomas and Victoria, and a currently outdated issue. But now, I feel like reviewing a good episode from the show, just to prove I do actually love Thomas and Friends.

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE

Season 7 was very much the transition season for Thomas and Friends; it marked the end of the classic era of Thomas after nineteen years, and it was the first season filmed while under Hit Entertainment. Michael Angelis continued narrating for the UK whilst Alec Baldwin left the show to continue his movie career, being replaced by Michael Brandon. So how did the first episode of the new era go down?

Season 7, Episode 1
Emily's New Coaches
Written by Jan Page

In short, it was pulled off absolutely brilliantly. Yes, there are faults here and there, but I don't believe they have any affect on the plot whatsoever.

Thomas arrives at Knapford station with red coaches (not Annie and Clarabel) where he meets with Emily. After a brief greeting, Emily sets off to the yards to collect some coaches to learn the line, but the only ones there are Annie and Clarabel (I believe Thomas picked up the wrong coaches by mistake, or they were undergoing maintenance). When Emily takes them, Thomas is cross, as are Edward and Percy. Like in Harvey to the Rescue, it was a bit out of character for Edward, but then, it had no bearing on the episode. If you replaced him with James or Gordon, the story would still be the same.

Meanwhile, Thomas is told to pick up new coaches, but he wants Annie and Clarabel back. Speaking of whom, Oliver (who replaced Toby in the episode) tells Emily that they're Thomas' coaches, and she decides to apologize to him, only to come across a signalman, explaining that Oliver hasn't cleared his signalbox. What's the problem? He's broken down on the crossing (shaped like an X, not switches) and Thomas is heading straight towards him without stopping! Why's he pulling trucks and not Emily's coaches? Was there meant to be a transition there? Well, anyway, Emily, without thinking twice, shunts Oliver out of the way just in time, and that near hit (not a near miss) was brilliantly filmed as well.

Some time later, the Fat Controller praises Emily's bravery and presents her with her new coaches, and she and Thomas make amends.

I honestly don't get the stick Emily's gotten over the years; she NEVER replaced Duck! If she did, she would be wearing the number eight on her cab or her tender, but she doesn't. And again, blame the executives for their decisions and be grateful Duck wasn't messed up! (even though I don't care from him anymore, he's far too overrated) As for the episode, I love it from beginning to end. Thomas caring about Annie and Clarabel is always good to show, and heck, even season eight's Thomas Saves the Day proved that! For Emily being ignored, it actually makes sense since she was new, and that rescue scene was just dramatic and well-filmed.

On whole, this was Hit's best episode in the model era, and it's up there with the ranks of Best Friends.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Thomas & Friends Season 7 Scorecard (out of 10 possible points)
1. Emily's New Coaches: 10

Tuesday, December 9, 2014

The Trouble with Day of the Diesels

In my reviews for the Thomas movies up to Tale of the Brave, I personally ranked Day of the Diesels as my personal worst, which, I imagine, confused some people. Now, I'm going to elaborate on why I think so.

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE

People hate on Thomas and the Magic Railroad. They also hate on Calling All Engines, and especially Misty Island Rescue. While Magic Railroad is debatable among the Thomas fanbase, and Calling All Engines gets the flack it doesn't deserve which I'll get to in a future review, but Misty Island Rescue cannot be denied. As for Day of the Diesels, I'm giving a more abstract opinion and I hate it more based on what it represents, not the overall production and story-lining.

The movie starts off with Thomas puffing across Sodor to a pointless, narrative monologue. This is a minute's worth of boring filler that has nothing to do with the rest of the special. Then Thomas sees some smoke and finds Percy helping firemen with a burning warehouse, and we're ripping off Thomas, Percy and Old Slowcoach. Yes, there wasn't a full explanation in the season five episode, but it did explain why the firemen used Thomas and Percy's water - James' oil tanker fire used up all of THEIR water! Then Belle comes in to save the day in an extremely convoluted manner from out of nowhere. I do like Belle, but please, explain where a character comes from if you're introducing them! Oh wait, this is the Nitrogen era where characters appear just for merchandising, I understand.

The fire is put out, but Belle is out of water so Thomas and Percy help, even if they said minutes ago they were low on water! Also, who is taking Percy's mail train? All it would've taken is that some other engine is taking the mail in his place! It might not be needed, but at least it wouldn't have been a plot hole! That's another problem with the movie; it has plot holes throughout. We're not even ten minutes in, and there's a bunch of problems already!

Soon, the Fat Controller arranges to bring Flynn to Sodor, and Thomas shows Belle around, when BOTH should be doing their work! This leaves Percy sad and alone, and Diesel takes advantage of this. Out of the characters, he was one of the few who was close to his original personality, but that's one of the few positives I can draw from this Great Discovery rip-off. Yes, Percy is in Thomas' wheels, who doesn't seem to give a damn about how his best friend is feeling! Oh, and it gets worst when he tells Belle, who had a positive interaction with Diesel, the movie's most infamous line:

"Sodor steamies don't go to the Dieselworks. It's dark, and it's dirty, and it's full of diesels. Diesels can be devious."

Wow. I mean, wow. That is like saying sponges are superior to starfish because they have powers that starfish don't! Saying that ALL diesels are bad to someone who was friendly with the first she just met would be incredibly insulting to the likes of Mavis, Salty and Rusty! I'm not over-thinking it; that is RACISM being spewed out! Do we want kids to imitate that crap?! Again, I find this movie the worst if we consider the actions and behaviors of the steam engines in Diesel's Special Delivery, Tree Trouble, Misty Island Rescue, and Bust My Buffers. If racism is being displayed, that is when action MUST be taken!

Anyway, Diesel tells Percy, who is taking the mail, that Thomas may not have time for Percy anymore, and the next day, when Percy is sent to deliver Flynn's hose to the Search and Rescue Center, Diesel then suggests that he go to the Dieselworks, as his friend would be glad of his company. After meeting with Thomas and Belle again, Percy once again feels ignored and heads off to the Dieselworks. Another issue here; Percy is being incredibly mopey and whiny for attention. That's a great moral for kids(!) Also, Diesel's role afterward was pointless.

Percy arrives at the Dieselworks where he meets Diesel 10, who says it's been a long time. We can see that the Dieselworks is rundown, and yet Thomas called all of them - yes, ALL diesels - devious?! This really enrages me so, because it represents a homeless shelter, and the diesels appear to be homeless! This is an insult to the homeless people behind their backs! We should be helping them, and not treating them like they're scum. I say this because a man in Florida got arrested just for feeding the homeless! This is just stupid; you can insult the homeless behind their backs and get away scot-free, but feed the homeless, and your ass is grass!

Anyway, we get cameos from diesels who do nothing for the next couple of years, and Percy is slowly manipulated by the diesels to help them. Percy remembers his job, but Diesel 10 sends in Dart to deliver the hoses. After Mavis and Salty arrive, Percy offers to tell the Fat Controller about the Dieselworks, since apparently, he only listens to steam engines. Wait, what?! Why would the Fat Controller also discriminate against the diesels? Doesn't he trust the likes of BoCo or Bear? Oh, wait, they haven't appeared in years...

Meanwhile, Flynn arrives on Sodor, and Percy once again feels left out, and becomes even more mopey than usual. Honestly, why can he not tell the Fat Controller himself?! Barring that, if you removed the pointlessness I mentioned earlier, the movie would've been over in nine minutes, tops! But no, we gotta pad it out to a full hour. Great(!)

Diesel 10 then further manipulates Percy to have him tell the Fat Controller about the diesels needing a crane. Percy finds Kevin at the Steamworks, who is willing to go to the Dieselworks. Once again, pointlessness with Thomas telling Percy about Flynn's hose and ignoring Percy later. Later at Tidmouth Sheds, Percy sees Flynn in his berth, which is another connection to The Great Discovery. I mean, really? Ripping off a good special? Miller, you can write better than that!

"You are a steam tram! Steam trams can't be rescue engines!"

Then again, maybe not, but I expect you to at least try! Is it that too much to ask for?!

Percy then brings (also known as cranenapping) Kevin to the Dieselworks, who then sets to work in helping tidying up. The next day, Gordon tells the engines that Kevin is missing, and when Percy reveals where Kevin is, he tells the others that the Dieselworks needs restoration. Victor leaves to tell the Fat Controller (despite being narrow gauge), while Thomas goes to the Dieselworks to fetch Kevin. That's where Diesel 10 reveals they're taking over the Steamworks. Wait, how do you go from one plan to the next? The shuts and cuts are fairly obvious in the movie, and what was the point of manipulating Percy just to take over the Steamworks?! If I talk about all the plotholes, we're gonna be here all day!

Thomas arrives at the Dieselworks, and then he and Kevin are taken hostage by Den and Dart while Percy leads the diesels to the Steamworks. At this point, you're supposed to be rooting for Thomas when he's captured - I'm certainly not considering his racism to the diesels and his ignorance by ignoring the engine who's supposed to be his best friend! Think of Demolition Doofus where Mrs. Puff attempts to get SpongeBob murdered, and yet he comes out on top in the end!

After following the map of the NWR - for once - Percy and the diesels are at the Steamworks where the diesels cause havoc and make a mess. After the racism displayed against the diesels, it's cathartic. Here, they're trying to get me to believe that the steam engines in Misty Island Rescue, Tree Trouble, Diesel's Special Delivery, and Bust My Buffers are the good guys, and the diesels in those episodes (and movie) as the bad guys. NO. You can't do that! You can't have two different things happening at once! In one scene, you're rooting for the steam engines, and in the next, you're against them! Yeah, the movie is just a bunch of subplots glued buffer to buffer. Plus, someone who is discriminatory by lumping everyone into the same category and hypocritical by helping those he's bullying is considered the bad guy; and no, I'm not condoning spreading lies to get even with someone, but at least Diesel had motivation to tell lies about Duck! In here, the diesels had no motivation to rebel against the steam engines other than to make Percy feel special!

Speaking of whom, he goes to rescue Thomas, only to find the Dieselworks is on fire, so he goes to find Belle and Flynn, but he still hasn't got his hoses. They race to the Dieselworks where the hoses have been hidden, and Thomas and Kevin are freed. Honestly, why are the hoses hidden there? As Belle and Flynn fight the fires, Thomas and Percy get the rest of the Steam Team to lead them to the Dieselworks. Seriously, what is the point of leaving everyone until the last few minutes of this pathetic excuse of a special? They confront the diesels only to be stopped by the Fat Controller.

He scolds Diesel 10 - who I actually felt sorry for, but his scolding was deserved to some extent - and when Thomas, Percy and Kevin explain why, the Fat Controller announces that the Dieselworks will be restored. No, it doesn't make things better, it makes things worse because Thomas made a racist comment against the diesels, and he gets away with it! Plus, him helping the diesels was VERY hypocritical when you consider that one line of dialogue! Eventually the work is done, and we get another infamous comment that none of the Fat Controller's engines are ever forgotten. Why don't you tell that to BoCo and Daisy, huh?! Also, why Thomas didn't apologize to Percy for ignoring him?

Day of the Diesels is simply terrible in every category - for one, Thomas has no consequences for his actions (very much like SpongeBob in A Pal for Gary and Demolition Doofus), and he was a racist, hypocritical prick for mocking the homeless - in this case the diesels! This was definitley his worst role for being a jerk! (Wonky Whistle is the worst he's done in the idiot category, for the record.) If you're a fan of Thomas as a character, stick with the first five seasons (possibly S6-8 as well, if you look at it in the correct light) as well as season 17 onwards. At least in those episodes, he wasn't flip-flopping between being an insufferable jerk or an unbearable idiot. Also, Percy is just a mopey, whiny idiot, the diesels have done next to nothing wrong, the plot is a jumbled trainwreck, there's too much boring filler, three themes are shown in appalling ways, a lot of characters were pointless, and the implications are just abhorrent! In short, it was the Thomas version of a SpongeBob ratings trap.

Why do I issues like racism and hypocrisy very seriously? Well, answer that to my reviews of Dragon Quest and Ponyville Confidential, even if they told their own stories! I still can't get past how horribly botched up they were; Dragon Quest very much tells me that you're only a true dragon if you're grown up, likewise in James to the Rescue where Toby is discriminated for not being a "normal" steam engine, and in Ponyville Confidential, the townsfolk got no consequences for treating the Cutie Mark Crusaders like pariahs, and also, Cheerilee did nothing until the last minute, making the entire episode contrived! It's a similar case in Duck and the Slip Coaches (yes, I'm going there again) where Emily was kicked out of Tidmouth Sheds for no reason, and with Pinkie Pie's characterization in Filli Vanilli. What I'm trying to say here is that if you don't proofread these little moments, it's going to have disastrous results.

So yes, everything about Day of the Diesels just makes me angry, and when you consider what I've pointed out, it's the worst movie based on what it tells - period! For me, Tale of the Brave and The Missing Christmas Decorations were both that movie done right. You can say what you want about Thomas and the Magic Railroad, but at least everyone was in character because even then, Britt understood the characters! Say what you like about the interactive segments to Calling All Engines, but they did at least move the story along! As for Misty Island Rescue? Well, at least it told a more-or-less complete, original story, but not without filler. No, I don't hate watching Day of the Diesels the most - there's episodes I hate watching more, Fiery Flynn and Wonky Whistle being two prime examples. On whole, Day of the Diesels... just sucks.

Sunday, December 7, 2014

Thomas and the Winter Holiday Debate

Ah, Christmas - whether you think it's the most wonderful time of the year or a bunch of "bah, humbug," it has always played an important part in the world of Thomas the tank engine and all his friends. It had begun back in 1952 in the final story of Toby the Tram Engine, Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas, where the elderly lady herself rescues Thomas and his passengers from a landslide outside her cottage, and in return, the Fat Controller sends her to Bournemouth to get better. One year later (in the books' timeline), Thomas and Toby repay her with a Christmas party at Tidmouth Sheds in Thomas' Christmas Party in 1984, which was adapted for the season one finale.

The significance to Sodor celebrating Christmas is because the Rev. W. Awdry was a clergyman, and therefore, Sodor was largely Anglican (Christian if you're unfamiliar with British terms).

Come 1986, for the season two finale, Christopher Awdry wrote Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree, and in 1992 for season three's finale, Britt Allcroft and David Mitton wrote Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure, which was also poorly rewritten for Thanksgiving in America. Seasons four and five had no Christmas stories, but they had one winter-themed episode each.

In 2002, for season six, we had our first Christmas-themed Thomas episode in ten years with It's Only Snow, involving Thomas helping to deliver a tree to the villagers with an old snowplough, but there was one teeny little issue here... The term Christmas had been dropped and replaced by Winter Holiday to make an inclusive holiday for all religions.

NO. You can't do that. You cannot change a holiday's name when the holiday in question is shown on the television screen! If you change the name, then it sounds like you're changing the meaning of it! That's like changing "shell shock" to soften the language like "post-traumatic stress disorder". Simple, honest, direct language is all you need - it takes much less syllables! Winter Holiday has five, and Christmas only has two!

For years, the issue went unnoticed, barring Not So Hasty Puddings in season seven, and in the Nitrogen Era, the term Christmas returned, but the writers kept flip-flopping between that and Winter Holiday. For example, someone says Christmas tree in one scene, and then Winter Holiday in the next.

Come October 2011, Awdry's daughter Hilary Fortnam called out on the 2006 UK DVD Little Engines, Big Days Out (Tales from the Tracks in the US) - specifically, the episode Keeping Up with James, as well as an interactive segment - for calling Christmas "Winter Holidays" and a Christmas tree a "tree with decorations". Hit Entertainment tried to defend by saying it was not a seasonal release, but because of the issue, Merry Winter Wish was delayed for the UK by a year in order to redub the audio.

There are several problems here:
  1. Changing Winter Holiday to Christmas Holiday - extra word: "holiday". Unneeded; just Christmas is enough! Simple, tells the story!
  2. Speaking of Christmas, it has been used in several episodes since Keeping Up with James aired.
  3. Why on earth would people complain over an episode that's six years old (at the time of controversy) when there's far worse being spewed out at the time? Racism and discrimination, rhyming and alliteration, reckless behavior, real-life heroes in a bad light, etc. - why did people not care?
What I'm trying to say is you can't have your money and spend it (you can't have it both ways, in other words), and that's what they did trying to be politically correct by not using the term Christmas. If you allow me to go off on slight tangent here, parents don't want children to see cripples or homosexuals on television, but pet abuse, murder, and suicide appear to be fine with them! If pet abuse and neglect is shown, parents need to take action and call out the studio for showing such abhorrent behavior! If I have children, I'd never let them see the likes of A Pal for Gary or One Coarse Meal; they deserve better than that crap!

Back to the Winter Holiday issue, in 2012, the UK broadcast of season 16 used the term Christmas, sometimes as Christmas Holiday, but the US was still annoyed with the use of Winter Holiday. Come season 17, we finally got Christmas back full time in Santa's Little Engine and The Missing Christmas Decorations. We thank you, Hilary Fortnam, for bringing this issue to an end; your father must be proud of you, I'm sure.

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Old Slow Coach vs. Victoria: Was RWS #41 Influenced from Season 5?

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE

There's something I had been wondering for a while, and yet no one seems to talk about it; Thomas and Victoria was most likely influenced from the season five episode Thomas, Percy and Old Slow Coach. Why do I say this? Well, let's see how they compare and contrast, shall we?

Both stories involve a run-down railway coach being discovered by Thomas (Old Slow Coach was also discovered by Percy) and the coaches were restored to help provide solutions to problems (Old Slow Coach was a replacement for a burnt down workman's hut, and Victoria helped Toby and Henrietta with the workmen to the quarry). Both have also made two physical appearances; for Victoria, it'd be three appearances if you count her lines in Overloaded, and Old Slow Coach only reappeared in Happy Ever After with a continuity nod to her previous episode.

For differences, Victoria has background with Edward, both being of Furness Railway origin, and she is a four-wheeled coach. Old Slow Coach is of Great Western origin, but it was never stated, and she is a bogie coach.

Now, the reason I bring this up is because after the Rev. W. Awdry's death in 1997, Britt Allcroft now had full control of the show and she and David Mitton began to write original stories and bring in new characters to the show - some stayed like Cranky, Arry and Bert, but others were forgotten about like Bertram and Old Slow Coach. To be fair, the Awdrys have featured characters that only appeared once like Caroline, 199, Frank, and Victoria.

While Thomas and Victoria was published in 2007, it was originally intended for a 1998 release with a new format with cropped images, which hadn't worked out and the Railway Series was in limbo for nine years. You see anything significant about 1998? That's the same year Thomas, Percy and Old Slowcoach aired! I wonder - was this a coincidence? Had Christopher Awdry read the script for said episode and wanted to try a similar idea? Answers on a postcard, please!

Throughout 1998-2007, the TV series had taken on a different direction from what the Railway Series initially had intended, and when Thomas and Victoria was published, there's a few things that strike my interest; Christopher might have used the idea of a one-off character correctly - he gave Victoria some development and background, and he remembers the characters he and his father created like Diasy in Eels on Wheels; although the story had nothing to do with the main storyline, it did at least show what happened during Victoria's restoration.

Then, when it came to book #42, Thomas and his Friends, in 2011, around the time season 15 aired, I believe Christopher had also written the book to show the writing staff at the time on how to write for Thomas and his friends; Thomas and the Swan showed an adventure taking place during the engine's daily life, Buffer Bashing is a three-strikes story done right, Gordon's Fire Service showed firefighters in the correct light, and Centenary shows respect to the man who created Thomas.

I believe that while the writing for the TV series went backwards, Christopher Awdry had Thomas and Victoria and Thomas and his Friends written to show children about how a railway truly operates; by taking passengers and goods to their destinations, NOT helping with parties or making kids happy. To be fair, there was the occasional story throughout S5-16 that wouldn't feel out of place in the books - Double Teething Troubles being a prime example. Whether Christopher liked any episodes throughout S5-16, we don't know for certain, but I can bet one of them would not be anything from S15. While the Railway Series may not continue after Thomas and his Friends, the show's future is looking bright with Andrew Brenner and his writing staff.

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

TTTE S11E13 - Don't Be Silly, Billy

Seeing as I've done more My Little Pony reviews than Thomas reviews, I feel that I should do reviews of Thomas episodes. However, I'll be reviewing them at random as there's episodes I feel the need to review as soon as possible. The first I'm reviewing is probably one of the worst.

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE

My least favorite of season 15 is fairly obvious, but I want to review what I think is the worst of season 11. Is it Toby's Triumph? Nope. Sir Handel in Charge? Not really. Skarloey Storms Through? Close, but no cigar. My personal worst of season 11 is Don't Be Silly, Billy, which I find strange as no one ever talks about this episode when it comes to worst episodes. Granted, it's easy to miss, but that doesn't excuse how bad the episode is.

Season 11, Episode 13
Don't Be Silly, Billy
Written by Sharon Miller

Even if I made Toby's Triumph and Skarloey Storms Through dishonorable mentions in my Top 25 worst episodes, they're still bad because of character derailment. To be fair, what they had in common was that they had decent ideas for storytelling, but they used the wrong characters. Sir Handel in Charge could've worked if it didn't rip-off The Green Controller. As for Don't Be Silly, Billy? Well, let's find out.

We start off with the 30-second montage of what the engines like to do, and considering S13-16, that's not a good way to start the episode. We know Gordon likes pulling the express, we know Percy likes pulling the mail, and we know that Thomas likes being given "special specials!" Even if they said he likes working on his branchline, it would still be repetitive!

Speaking of Thomas, he arrives at Brendam Docks to show Billy around. This is actually surprising; throughout the Miller era, Thomas has been shown to be a mindless idiot, but actually helping a new engine out is surprising, even if it could've gone to Edward or Toby. Anyway, the Fat Controller gives Billy his tasks; take empty chicken vans (livestock vans, for the record) to the farm and bring the chickens to the docks, deliver diesel fuel to the quarry, and take coal to the depot. Thomas is to help Billy, even if he should be running his branchline! Oh, wait, it doesn't exist in season 11... Anyway, as Thomas gives Billy some advice, the latter calls Thomas a bossy boiler, and steams away. Also, thank you, Salty for restating what Billy just called Thomas(!) Speaking of which, his role is pointless.

Thomas catches up to Billy at the farm, but he doesn't get the chickens loaded after he runs off. Strike one(!) Thomas then finds Billy at the quarry, but he runs off again having not brought diesel fuel with him. Strike two(!) Thomas follows Billy to the depot where he has one flatbed (not trucks) of diesel fuel (why wasn't it in tankers?), but runs away yet again and calls Thomas bossy yet again. Strike three, you're out!

Yes, repeating dialogue and tweaking it to make each scene "fresh" is not a good way to write stories. Considering S13-16, why should nobody be surprised? Also, Billy is such a horribly unlikable prick; his personality is that of Thomas' from S9-16, only ten times more irritating and annoying. He is also not a character, but a plot device used to tell a story! Say what you want about Charlie, but at least he was used more than once!

Billy leaves behind the fuel and Thomas chases after him yet again to the coaling plant, where Billy shunts trucks into Percy, who gets covered in coal as a result of Billy's ignorance and complete stupidity. Why didn't his driver stop Billy from doing such childish behavior?! Oh wait, drivers and firemen don't exist in this episode; they're completely forgotten about just for the sake of the story. By the way, don't remind me of a season six episode that's actually good in the middle of a really bad one from season 11. And how does Percy know Billy?

When Billy calls Thomas bossy again, the little blue engine is fed up and leaves Billy to do what he likes, only for the brat to run out of coal and water at the same time. HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE? Soon, Thomas brings Billy to the water tower where Billy agrees to allow Thomas to help him do his jobs properly. No, it doesn't make the situation better; it makes it worse since the Fat Controller should be involved and scold Billy for his childish behavior! Also, the moral is extremely forced.

Honestly, why does this episode not get more hate? The morals are terrible (if you disrespect those trying to help you, they'll come to your rescue no matter how selfish you were), the three strikes are obvious, and Billy is such an annoying brat; he just gets away with his bad behavior and got no scolding from the Fat Controller! Billy was there for merchandise only, and he's got no potential as far as I'm concerned. If you had Billy actually get punished for his actions, had drivers and firemen involved, remove the alliteration, rhyming and three strikes formula, then the episode could've worked!

This is probably one of the worst ways ever to give a first impression of a new character for a show. Okay, not THE worst way, but it is at least up there.

Rating: 0.5 out of 10

Thomas & Friends Season 11 Scorecard (out of 10 possible points)
13. Don't Be Silly, Billy: 0.5

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Thomas and Percy's Adventure: Christmas or Mountain?

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; THEY DON'T REFLECT ON THOSE BY THE THOMAS FANDOM ON WHOLE

Thomas the tank engine first steamed into America on Shining Time Station in 1989 with Ringo Starr portraying Mr. Conductor. To fit the American audiences, some lines were re-dubbed such as trucks being called "freight cars", the Fat Controller being referred to as Sir Topham Hatt, and some titles were also changed. For instance, The Sad Story of Henry became Come Out, Henry! (the ending was changed for some reason in the US dub, but that's another story, so to speak) and Thomas' Train became A Big Day for Thomas. I personally feeling changing the titles for American audiences is pointless, the only exception being Dirty Work (season 2) being referred to as Diesel's Devious Deed (otherwise known as Diesel's Devilish Deed for Thomas' Halloween Adventures), in which I find the American title more suitable, and Dirty Work being more fitting for the season 11 episode.

However, the one title they should never have changed was the season three finale Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure into Thomas and Percy's Mountain Adventure. However, the title change isn't the only problem with the American dub - it had been completely rewritten for American audiences in the episode Billy's Party (by this point, George Carlin is the role of Mr. Conductor) to include the holiday Thanksgiving. Why is it a problem? Thanksgiving is an AMERICAN holiday, and Sodor is a BRITISH island.

There's more reasons that rewriting the episode was a very big mistake - they reused the footage from the original Christmas Adventure episode which had snow and Christmas decorations. Let's face it - would it snow that much during November? That's a high possibility in Canada or Russia, but in America? That depends on where you live. It rarely snows in California where I live, and the weather is mostly warm, sometimes chilly when it's in autumn and winter. But snow? Probably not. Anyway, the inclusion of Christmas decorations makes it even more obvious as to why rewriting the episode was pointless. Plus, after the villagers thank Thomas and Percy for rescuing them (why they didn't credit Harold and Terence, I don't know), in the American dub, Thomas reminds Percy of his mail train, and the green engine puffs away to fetch it. Here's a comparison:

AMERICAN REDUB
"Well done, Percy! Well done, Thomas!" cheered the villagers.
"Percy, I've just remembered; your mail train is still back at the siding, isn't it?"
Percy hurried back to fetch it.

ORIGINAL BRITISH DUB
"Well done, Percy! Well done, Thomas!" cheered the villagers, "You're the best Santa Claus this village has ever had!"
"What's a Santa Claus?" asked Percy.
(Why he doesn't know who Santa is, I don't know either.)
"Santa Claus is someone who drops presents down chimneys at Christmas time."
Percy looked at his funnel. "I wonder if..."
"No!" laughed Thomas, "Chimneys, Percy! Not funnels! Which reminds me; your post train is still back in a siding, isn't it?"
Percy hurried back to fetch it.

That is a good 15 seconds of footage cut from the American dub! Afterward in both dubs, Toby and Henrietta come with hot drinks for the villagers, and they help them give the engines at Tidmouth Sheds a big surprise in the morning. Another problem is the sound syncing; on most US VHS/DVD releases, the final music cue, an instrumental of We Wish You a Merry Christmas, is cut because of the Thanksgiving theme, but on some copies of Percy's Ghostly Trick (early VHS releases), Thomas' Christmas Wonderland, and Ultimate Christmas, the cute is left in place, and the narration is out of sync. That's an example of lazy editing; they should've edited the sound effects in the US dub alongside the narration so it fits with the footage, especially when "the engines whistled in delight" at the end. The music, don't know if it could've been edited as well, but that can't excuse how poor the editing was for the US.

How could this have worked? Well, maybe if A) they'd chose another episode about being thankful and grateful for those around you, or B) if they filmed it as an American-exclusive episode, the US wouldn't have lost a great Christmas episode. As it stands, it's a good idea that was horribly botched up, and probably my least favorite George Carlin narration. It's actually watchable compared to S13-16, and it didn't turn Christmas into a generic non-denominational holiday just for political correctness, but Thomas and Percy's Mountain Adventure for the US is still not a great rewrite.

Thomas and Percy's Christmas Adventure Rating:
7.5/10

Thomas and Percy's Mountain Adventure Rating:
4/10

Brace yourselves, viewers - the Winter Holidays are coming on December 21!

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks - The Movie Review

Here we go; the big one for 2014! Unlike the previous Equestria Girls review, this time, it'll be a one-man show with yours truly.

OPINIONS IN THIS BLOG ARE SOLELY MY OWN; NOT THOSE BY THE MY LITTLE PONY FANDOM ON WHOLE

THIS BLOG CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS; READ AT YOUR OWN RISK

(all screenshots taken from the My Little Pony Wikia)

Upon the release of the original Equestria Girls, it had been met with mixed to positive reception by the fandom. Following the movie came the fourth season which brought forth many surprises. During that time, eight shorts that served as prequels to Rainbow Rocks came out, and it brought forth some excitement when it finally came out on September 27. Was it worth the wait?

My Little Pony: Equestria Girls - Rainbow Rocks
Written by Meghan McCarthy
Produced by Sarah Wall and Devon Cody
Directed by Jayson Thiessen and Ishi Rudell

The answer is a short, resounding "yes". As a matter of fact, it even blew the original Equestria Girls and season four out of the water! Most of the time, sequels aren't that great compared to the original like Batman and Robin, Jaws: The Revenge, or Superman IV, but there are cases where the sequel is as good as, or even better than, the original, like Toy Story 2 and 3, Shrek 2, and the whole Harry Potter saga. As for Rainbow Rocks, let's see how it went down, shall we?

THE SYNOPSIS

A musical showcase is about to be held at Canterlot High School to raise money for all after-school programs. Because of her actions in Equestria Girls, the student body ostracizes Sunset Shimmer despite her redemption, with her only support being the Human Five. Sunset shows three new girls - Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk, collectively known as the Dazzlings - around CHS and suspects there's something off about them, especially when their singing creates dissent among the students, turning the friendly showcase into a battle of the bands.

With the help of her book from Equestria, Sunset is able to contact Princess Twilight who goes through a modified Crystal Mirror back to Canterlot High. Twilight also has the knowledge that the Dazzlings are sirens who feed on negative emotions to control others with their singing, and were exiled from Equestria by Star Swirl the Bearded. As the Rainbooms practice for a counterspell against the Dazzlings, there is clear tension among the five members but Sunset doesn't say or do anything about it.

When it comes to the semifinals against Trixie and the Illusions, Rainbow Dash sings a self-praise song that nearly reveals their secret, but despite Sunset saving her, her actions are seen by jealous rage. Despite the bad performance, they advance to the finals, only to be trapped beneath the stage by the Illusions, and arguments erupt between the Rainbooms. Twilight and Sunset realize that their hostility has been preventing the spell from working, and after being rescued by Spike and DJ Pon-3, they fend off the Dazzlings in a musical finale.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS
Star Players

Unlike last movie, Twilight is very much the secondary protagonist to Sunset Shimmer, and it looks like she's still struggling to write with her hands, it seems. :P Even if she's a princess, Twilight still may not have all the answers everypony expects her to have, as she and Sunset discover. Spike also had a nice role as well, especially when helping save the Rainbooms from under the stage.

The Rainbooms very much had well-written roles throughout the film, and it seems that they still can't agree on certain things. :P Rainbow Dash plays guitar and lead vocals, Applejack bass, Rarity keytar, Fluttershy tambourine, and Pinkie Pie drums.

In the previous movie review, I said Twilight was the best character, but here, it was Sunset who was the best character. She has come a long way from being a mean-spirited bully to someone who wanted to make up for her misdeeds, and yet everyone refuses to let go of the past. To be fair, there's always two options if you mistreat people; they can help you despite the pain you inflicted, or they'll put you down like you did to them. The student body went and did the latter, and since I imagine Sunset did VERY serious damage, it feels fair, but at the same time, from her perspective, it kind of doesn't.

In the end, after watching Sunset help the Human Six in stopping the Dazzlings, they do eventually forgive her, and with her development throughout, I love her more than ever as a character.

Unlike the previous film where Flash had contribution to helping Twilight win the crown, he didn't play much part in the main plot, which is disappointing as there was much untapped potential. However, I will comment on his behavior towards Twilight when she helps the Rainbooms - remember when Shining Armor chewed her out for calling "Cadance" evil? He was under Chrysalis' spell, and therefore, it was out of his control; the same with Flash. It always irks me when people forget an important detail like that. Same thing when he calls Sunset the girl they love to hate.

That said, it was funny when he bumped into the wall while leaving the room the Rainbooms where practicing in, and I liked his facial expressions when he played against the eco kids. What's he got against hippies, anyway? :P Oh, and I can't leave out his near kissing Twilight before Trixie butted in.

Speaking of Trixie, during the second half, she plays a more supporting role in getting the Rainbooms out of the way so she can take her rightful place in the finals. I do enjoy her first singing role, Tricks Up My Sleeve, which I'll cover in the Musical Numbers.

Now the Dazzlings; Adagio is the leader, Aria is the more indignant, and Sonata is the more distracted, almost like a Three Stooges act. My favorite of them (probably like most) would have to be Sonata; she's the Pinkie Pie of the franchise's baddies, and yet there's moments that she is manipulative like her cohorts. My God, how did they do Adagio's hair? It must've taken AGES just to get it animated right! A bit of a shame that Aria's name wasn't mentioned at any one point... ah well, it still won't affect my rating.

As for their voices, Adagio is voiced by Kazumi Evans (the singing voice of Rarity and Princess Luna), Aria by Diana Kaarina (speaking) and Shylo Sharity (singing), and Sonata by Marÿke Hendrikse (who previously voiced Gilda; speaking) and Madeline Merlo (singing). Wow; Marÿke went from voicing a vicious griffon to an airheaded teenage girl; how often does that happen? Oh, and their pendants being destroyed at the end, losing their ability to sing as well, was extremely cathartic since they caused trouble at CHS.

Several background/supporting ponies make appearances; Bulk Biceps, Lyra, Sweetie Drops (or Bon Bon, if you wish to avoid confusing her with a certain Cutie Mark Crusader), Octavia Melody, Maud Pie, and the Diamond Dogs reappear after Player Piano. Plus, Octavia gets one line in a British accent played by Kazumi Evans ("I knew she was still trouble!") We also get two members of Photo Finish's band - Pixel Pizzaz and Violet Blurr. Can't make a full opinion on them since they've yet to play a role. And Derpy's band... who'd be that crazy to have her advance after one round?

But the background pony who played a major role near the end was DJ Pon-3. That's right, I'm saying so because while Derpy's role in Rainbow Falls could have gone to anypony, I feel that her role in Rianbow Rocks was tailor-made for DJ Pon-3. I mean, who else would have a car that can transform into a stereo system?

Hey! Haven't I Seen This Before?

I certainly can't leave out the reference to The Show Stoppers; they've really gone Alice Cooper again. Hopefully they'll get it right one day... There's also Fluttershy's stage fright (Filli Vanilli), the rap song by Snips and Snails (Testing Testing 1, 2, 3), pony Pinkie being called a genius (Luna Eclipsed, It's About Time), Sunset confronting the Dazzlings like she did with Twilight in the previous film, Rainbow Power (Twilight's Kingdom - Part 2), Trixie's final line and failed smoke out (Boast Busters), the list goes on. As for references to pop culture, just read this and go down to Shout-Out.

Musical Numbers

The intro song to the film is Rainbow Rocks; definitely a better idea than rehashing the original theme song into a rock song, and it's more original, very much like the introduction themes in the Thomas specials.

Better Than Ever is a personal favorite, showing the improvements Canterlot High's student body have shown since the previous movie - I think the song serves a metaphor here.

Battle of the Bands is the first villain song, taking place in the Cafeteria. This is the reverse to Helping Twilight Win the Crown - the latter was to get the students to join, whilst Battle was to get them to... ahem, battle to be the best, very much like Lightning Dust in Wonderbolts Academy.

I've already discussed Shake Your Tail in my review for the shorts, but for the movie version, I'm not going to bother with Applejack not noticing the magnets as it had no bearing on the story.

Under Our Spell is the second villain song; it's definitely quicker than sixteen different acts competing in an hour (real time), and it just cuts to the chase when Flash Drive (yes, that's the name of his band) is eliminated.

Tricks Up My Sleeve, I imagine, would be Trixie's theme. Kathleen Barr put on a great (and hopefully not too powerful) performance in singing.

Awesome As I Wanna Be was very much, as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride put it, full of self-praise and gas. Not that it's a bad song, but it isn't one I'd listen to all day.

Welcome to the Show is the climactic battle between the Dazzlings and the Rainbooms. On the soundtrack, it is the longest MLP song yet, clocking in at four and a half minutes at least. Plus, we get to hear Sunset's very first singing role. Between the Dazzlings' second verse and Sunset's first verse is the instrumental Rainbooms Battle - the action really spoke for itself there, and the music that went along with it is just intense.

The end credits song is Shine Like Rainbows when Sunset joins the Rainbooms as rhythm guitarist and backing vocals. As part of the credits, we're also given scenes of Sunset being re-accepted by CHS, and lovely artwork by Katrina Hadley.

Little Moments, Big Laughs

You'll notice I haven't included the Bad Counter Spell in the Musical Numbers section. I'm featuring it here because it's so bad it's funny. It's not just the lyrics, but there's outside reactions at Sweet Apple Acres; Granny Smith sticking apple cores in her ears (how'd they even fit?!), and Big Macintosh's response to Spike's comments:

Spike: Eh, that sounded... way better than the last... five times you've played it. Heh heh.
Big Macintosh: Nnope.

When that moment happened, everyone at the theater I was at to see the movie laughed, as did I.

The audience and I also laughed at Maud Pie's brief scene when she "fed" Boulder. (Who's gonna clean up her mess?) We also get a comment from Sunset how she's unable to believe Maud is related to Pinkie. Did you know the midnight snack scene with Twilight and Sunset was added late into production? Must've been the positive reaction to Maud Pie, I reckon!

At the sleepover, Rarity takes a selfie (that's a self photograph taken with a digital camera or cellphone if you're not tech-savvy) with Fluttershy and Sunset, with Spike photo-bombing much to Rarity's annoyance. Photo-bombing also occurs with Trixie during the Better Than Ever song. These moments and many more might be minor, but it's the little touches that make a world come to life, and I thought they were worthy of a mention.

FINAL VERDICT

Well, what can I say? Rainbow Rocks was just fantastic! There was excitement, comedy, emotion, and musical moments throughout, and it is probably my favorite My Little Pony production to date. The real icing on the cake was the development of Sunset Shimmer; she's definitely come a long way. Maybe one day we'll see her return to Equestria? I must say it's a film that must be seen to be appreciated, and I'm eager to see how Equestria Academy will turn out.

Human Twilight ponders the possibility of Equestria Girls 3...

Of course, I can't overlook the post-credits scene with human Twilight and Spike the dog; it definitely begs the question - will we see an Equestria Girls 3? Only time shall tell if we do...

10 out of 10