tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1941188284965945680.post2774803686645490427..comments2023-10-03T09:26:12.492+01:00Comments on Ffarquhar Branch Line Studios Reviews: Series 19: Who's Geoffrey?Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16256608035072085353noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1941188284965945680.post-74506013685103054092015-11-13T13:06:58.967+00:002015-11-13T13:06:58.967+00:00I know this is a relatively old post, but I though...I know this is a relatively old post, but I thought I'd reiterate my thoughts on the new Engine Roll Call that I expressed on SiF back in September:<br /><br />I wasn't disappointed that the "classic theme" ended up being Engine Roll Call. Back when Eggplant LF confirmed that they were revamping the classic theme I was more than happy to accept that said theme could easily be Engine Roll Call, but I expected them to do the following:<br /><br />a) scrap the kids' choir, and have an adult singing the song (perhaps with kids providing the backing vocals) to bring the song more in line with the songs we've been getting since the move to CGI,<br /><br />and b) change the lyrics or drop them all together, since the concept of the "Steam team" is a relic of Seasons 8-12.<br /><br />So I was a little disappointed when it turned out that, in fact, neither of these things were rectified. They've made the song more pop-like, presumably to make the song appeal more to a slightly older demographic, which is all wonderful and everything but the fact that a kids' choir is still doing this singing just nullifies this to some extent, and it makes it seem like the new Engine Roll Call doesn't know what it wants to be.<br /><br />And in an age where any engine can get their own episode, the lyrics have no place in the series. Yes, visually the intro shows us that there are more than just the Steam Team on the railway, but my point is, why can't the visual and auditory sides of the intro work in harmony, rather than clash with each other? What does "they're two they're four they're six they're eight" even mean anymore?<br /><br />I feel that Engine Roll Call should have been given more drastic changes to make it more reflective of the current series. I suppose it could be argued that HiT/Mattel want to retain a sense of familiarity for their existing viewership, but the bitter ten-year-old in me says that HiT shouldn't worry about that, since Engine Roll Call itself was an example of changing something from the ground up, familiarity be damned. <br /><br />Don't get me wrong- between what we've seen of Series 19, The Adventure Begins and Legend of the Lost treasure, it's been a great year for Thomas. But considering how Mattel wants to make the series less babyish and more appealing to the broader demographic, it seems odd that they'd revamp Engine Roll Call only to not change the vocals, and reshuffle the voice cast only to not drop/downplay William Hope.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09419745279899833616noreply@blogger.com