Thomas & The Magic Railroad (2000) - A Dysfunctional, americanised mess!

I have very fond memories of seeing this film as a easily entertained 3 year old upon it's initial theatrical release, as well as it's initial home media release. And throughout my childhood, I adored this film, simply because of my obsession with Thomas The Tank Engine. And while I have continued to hold onto my fondness for the early TV programs from the 80s and 90s, I quickly became distant from this film. And it became very clear when sitting down for this review... the film is a tragic mess.

Now is this film the worst ever made? Heavens no! It's not even in the bottom 10. But a faithful big screen adaptation it is not. It's well documented by fans of Thomas and films in general, that this film went through production hell. With test audience reactions forcing a major recut of the film, dumping large portions of the narrative, and practically changing the entire voice cast. This sadly resulted in a narrative which is near impossible to follow, which was one of the few problems I clocked onto as a child, despite it not ruining my enjoyment. And despite Thomas' clear British heritage, the decision to have a complete American voice cast was detrimental to the film's appeal, and gave more fuel to the accusations of americanisation. Having heard samples of original voices for certain characters, (mostly Thomas in early trailers) the original choices would've been a better choice than the squeaky, clown like voices the final cut presents us with.

An early draft of the script is available online to read, and while it makes more sense than the finished product, it still would've been a far cry from the TV programs, or the original books that kickstarted the brand in the first place. The concept as a whole was too far fetch to work as a theatrical film about Thomas The Tank Engine, and needed to be a far simpler and better focused storyline. The biggest issue hindering the film is it's connections to Thomas and even an TV Program, that had been used as a platform to launch Thomas in the USA. If you're child isn't aware of Thomas, this film is harmless and will entertain them, provided they just want to watch smiling model trains running around, without having to comprehend too much. Although, all the scenes with Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda and Mara Wilson may bore them a little. It certainly dragged for me as a child.

Now is there anything nice I can say about this film? Somewhat... yes! The model work does mostly match the same standards seen on the original TV series, and some moments truly felt atmospheric and grandiose, primarily the finale sequence. And while there's a strong case for the lack of moving mouths on the engines and buses, I personally think it was a wise move to keep them stationary as a form of familiarity for the younger viewers. The most shocking thing about the model work is the damage parts that can be spotted in plain sight during the film. While being transported to the model shoot in Toronto, many of the original TV props suffered varying damage. These things would eventually get temporary fixes, but the fact that nobody noticed the damage appearing on screen is a bit questionable...

The biggest praise I have for this film is the sublime music score by Hummie Mann, who produced a wonderful blend of thrilling suspense and adventure, down to sombre and heart warming moments. The subtle inclusion of music pieces originally composed by Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell for the TV series was masterful. The inclusion of one of the songs from the TV series was also beneficial to creating a sense of familiarity for the young audience, as well as helping to break up the convoluted plot line. No matter how many plot holes are found, I'll always be able to find endless enjoyment from listening to Hummie Mann's music. Why this man hasn't been given more exposure is beyond me.

After reliving what was my favourite film as a child, I can still enjoy this film as a nostalgia fuelled guilty pleasure. It's clearly bad, but I still find a sense of mindless enjoyment format. Sadly thou, while it is a harmless piece of fluffy entertainment, Thomas & The Magic Railroad offers very little for it's young demographic, whether they're already fans of the TV series, or even kids who long for a clear and understandable narrative. If kids just want to watch models trains running around, they'll get it here, but it might be easier to just stick the actual TV Show on. Mainly cause the stories are far easier for kids to grasp, and they don't have to sit through a depressing Peter Fonda performance, or seeing Alec Baldwin after one too many energy drinks. By no means the worst film ever, but certainly leaves a lot to be desired...

SCORES

Story - 0/5

Characters - 2/5

Production - 3/5

Acting - 1.5/5

Music - 5/5

TOTAL - 4.6/10