Thomas Goes 2D

Well, this has caused some controversy, because... of course it has.

Some background. A couple of weeks ago, Mattel announced that there would be more content next year, but there would be, you guessed it, another shake up of the formula.

Whether that means the show moving away from the global aspect the show went in for the past few years is unknown (but it would be unsurprising), but it does mean that the storytelling style is changing again, with more focus on Thomas being the star of the show.

And this is the first issue. Executives want to put more focus on Thomas because kids identify with him more than the others. But the previous writing style enforced on the team by the executives hasn't allowed kids to fully connect with other characters!

BWBA had Thomas appearing everywhere. Other characters on Sodor barely got a starring role to themselves. And even if they did, more often than not, Thomas was always right behind them.

This problem was made ten times worse when things went international. The executives had so little faith (or, most likely, no interest) in the other members of the Steam Team (remember that?) that Thomas had to be in every single one, either as the star or as the character who, more often than not, caused the conflicts.

So, in essence, they're taking the idea of the global episodes and applying it across the whole series. This means that Thomas' personality could become even more muddled to the point where it becomes so dry and uninteresting that I wouldn't be surprised if the target audience started to notice. Whether they'll care or not, we won't know. Some, possibly most, parents still shove their kids in front of a TV (or a tablet now, if they can afford it) because it's easier for them than looking after their kids (in fairness, most parents barely get any help from governments so that they can have a proper break, so it's understandable in a way. And I'm not saying that using screens is a detriment to a child. There just needs to be a better balance of screen, parental responsibility and support for parents and carers).

Things went quiet for a while and it seemed like things would return to normal with older fans whining about insignificant things as per usual. And then... and then.

October 12th, 2020. Business Wire published a report offiially announcing that Thomas and Friends was returning for 104 new episodes (four series of 26) and two specials. Nothing special there, right? Well, they also announced that the franchise would be animated in 2D by Nelvana and Corus Entertainment, while publishing the above promotional image.

Cue massive meltdown from older fans. Especially the ones outing themselves as fascist sympathisers.

Now, let's be honest here: we all knew that there would be changes with the animation when the show returned. Jam Filled announced on their Instagram last year that they'd moved on from the franchise. And although the animation wasn't as good as when Arc was in charge (before they went bankrupt), it still looked unique from any other show.

The reboot, however... doesn't. It feels really cheap, and it looks bland and uninteresting. And that is something that has never been felt before with the franchise. Even the Railway Series had some top quality artwork for its illustrations. Series 13-16, in hindsight, rested on its laurels a bit by doing nothing to make things look better or more striking (Arc and Jam Filled constantly tweaked the lighting, camera angles and even the models). But that could never be described as unappealing visually.

Let's be fair here. This is just one promo image. That's not a good indicator of how good or bad the end product will be. That can only be judged when a trailer comes out and we see it in motion. Likewise, we can't be sure of the story quality until next year. But with everything that's been revealed so far, it's going to be interesting to see what the reaction from the target audience will be.

The biggest problem for me is that the show is in danger of losing its identity. Changing a show's formula every four or five years (seriously, since 2004, things have been altered every four years. Either due to a change in management, financial issues or, since 2017, just because) makes a show seem desperate and cloying. Shows like Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol probably haven't changed much since they were born, but they're still relevant and popular today. Hell, Fireman Sam hasn't changed much (other than the switch to CG and the use of updated tech) and that feels like it has more of an identity than Thomas at this point.

The sad thing is that, while it had a really slow start (and I was switched off by it during the first series), Big World, Big Adventures was really coming into its own. Thomas & the Forest Engines is one of my favourite episodes of that era of the show, maybe of the franchise in general (I've been meaning to talk about that since I saw it), and the episode quality in general was becoming more consistent. It could've been something really great had it been given time. But alas, executives have no time for slow burns when they demand instant returns.

How this next reboot will go over with younger fans, time will tell. I hope it's a success; it would be a shame if this generation of kids was the one that dropped off of Thomas & Friends. But if it is, there's no one to blame but the pricks at the top who constantly cut the tracks away from the franchise the minute it finds some stability.

"But what about the older fans?" Frankly, I don't care. The franchise has never been catered towards anyone beyond the age of 8. Older fans only watch it now either out of habit or because they want something to hate in their lives, which is a sad existence to lead.

Let's be blunt here, most older fans don't care about children (although some could care about them in an intimate way, but that's another issue entirely). They only care about themselves and going back to where things were. Every single complaint I see is one rooted in nostalgia. "I want the models back!" "Bring back BoCo and Bertram!". Hell, even if they got exactly what they wanted, they'd still find a way to bitch about it. That's all that older fans care about; whinging about a franchise they supposedly care about because they'd have nothing else to do otherwise.

I'm willing to watch it and give it a chance. If it doesn't click, I won't watch it again. If the target audience likes it, that's all that matters. Older, entitled brats have no right to dictate what kids should and shouldn't like.

Emily the Enigma

It's been a while..! It seems the show is either coming to an end or going on hiatus for a year. So with series 24 beginning to air in the UK (after it's aired in Australia and the US), I think it's time to look back on the most controversial of the main characters. Well, until two years ago..!

Emily was a real base breaker from the get go. One year after a trio of solid appearances, she became a main character in an attempt to push more prominent female representation, while fan favourites from the Little Western were abandoned for years. The problem is that... well, it didn’t make much of a difference. Probably because they thought it a great idea to change her personality from stern, caring mother to spoiled, bossy brat. Because, for some reason, they thought that falling back on negative female stereotypes would be a good idea.

Not only that, but they didn’t put much focus on any existing, or newly introduced, females at all. And even when they did, it was always with the caveat that the males were the true stars while the females were portrayed negatively. Molly needed Thomas’ help to feel special, Rosie was a creepy stalker and Flora was what most uncritical people believe a Disney princess to be. Meanwhile, Annie and Clarabel only spoke once or twice, Daisy was only in Calling All Engines (and, obviously, didn’t speak), Henrietta wasn’t allowed to do anything due to a lack of face and Mavis only had a few cameos here and there (her personality wasn't butchered though, so... yay?). Because of this, Emily’s move to Steam Team member couldn’t have felt any more performative if it tried.

These problems only persisted into the CG era, and were only highlighted further by the fact that she and Mavis were the only non-human female characters (besides Annie, Clarabel and Henrietta) in the show until Millie and Caitlin were introduced in 2013. 5. Years. Later. As much as misogynistic fans don’t want to admit it, the show does have a problem with female representation. Or, at least, it did until they actually started to take the problem seriously, turned Daisy into the best character of the show, introduced more female characters, balanced out the main cast (in terms of numbers, the balance is still a bit off when it comes to personality. Although that could be due to the fact that the male characters have been around from the get go rather than only three years) and giving some of the female human characters much bigger positions on the global railways (still no female crew members on Sodor, though..!).

But despite all of this, Emily still felt as though she was being left behind. For the first four years of the CG era, she didn't have her own whistle sound, continuing to borrow Henry's instead. And her starring roles weren't much to write home about either. Her Nitrogen era episodes were rather average (although, in her defence, everyone got shafted during that era), while her starring roles during the Brenner era all amounted to her trying to find her place/feel as important as her other stars. Almost as if the writing team knew what the problem was, yet had no clue how to fix it..!

Oh, and before anyone mentions it, No Snow for Thomas probably was her best role, but she was a supporting character to Thomas' story of not wanting to wear his snowplough. That said, her motherly nature, combined with some excitability and cheek, on display in that episode was great. And it was consistently great when she wasn't in the spotlight. Heck, it was even more important once Edward left the shed.

But if you want a prime example of how much Emily got shafted, she was the last member of the main cast to get a number. Even Nia and Rebecca had them from the get go! And the funniest (in a really sad way) thing about that? She got it in the last series of the show (for now, at least) in the last episode she had a major role in. Frankly, she should've been given a number either from the get go or the second it was decided that she would be in the main cast. Visually, her lack of number made her stand out like a sore thumb. And while it was nice that she was given it as a reward for her bravery rather than it popping out of nowhere, doing it so late - and giving her nothing else afterwards - feels like a massive kick in the teeth for her.

To sum up, Emily is how I've described her in the title: a total enigma. There's been a lot of things done with her, yet everything has an asterisk next to it.

• She was given two coaches, but they were non-descript due to their lack of sentience.
• She became a main character and had a personality change, yet she only had one or two starring roles to work with per series (she might have had more in series 8).
• The sheds were rebuilt to accomodate her, yet she offered nothing of value until her personality was reverted in the CG era.
• She was given a number... in her last major role to date.

Honestly, it's hard not to feel sorry for her. The fans were against her since series 8 for replacing a popular character, and that only died down when Rebecca and Nia turned up. Meanwhile, the only memorable thing the writers did with her was a mean spirited "joke" dressed as fan service in Duck and the Slip Coaches (I'll forever hate that moment). Hell, they have the perfect idea of a character for her with the motherly/sisterly dynamic she has in supporting roles. Yet every time she stars, they go with the typical "girl characters with self confidence issues" trope for... no reason, really. Meanwhile, Daisy and Marion got some amazing starring roles and they're predominantly supporting characters.

It's difficult to say what the future holds for the franchise. But if it does come back to TV with a new series or special, they really need to figure out what to do with Emily. They can change the look of her as much as they want. But until they keep the personality consistent, and they start treating her as an equal to her colleagues like they did with Rebecca and Gordon, it will continue feeling like style over substance with her.

And, frankly, a character as tenured as Emily deserves better than that.

Season 22: Thomas’ Animal Ark

That title makes little sense since arks are boats. But it was yet another sweet episode... with animals.

I’ve said this previous reviews, but it bears repeating. The team can’t complain about fans wanting a railway documentary yet turn a show about railways into nature documentaries. Don’t get me wrong, I like this one, but they’ve been using animals as a crutch far too often this season. It’s as though they’re being transparent about how threatened they are by Paw Patrol. If you want to make an animal based show, no one is stopping you. But the familiarity of these episodes is breeding contempt. At least for me.

Like I say though, I do still like this one. It’s another sweet, heartwarming episode that’s actually rather funny. Especially when the animals arrive in the sheds. Who knew one of the most entertaining dynamics this season would include James and an ostrich?

One thing I really like is that, although they’ve been hit and miss, Thomas’ worldwide experiences are having a practical use back home, meaning they’re not completely pointless. I’m sure a lot of fans will squeal “But Donald and Douglas!” but the Sodor episodes have enough of a bloated cast as it is. They don’t need more characters to add to the pile.

Also, the lesson of helping those less fortunate was just lovely. With so many people struggling these days due to greed or stupid decisions based on xenophobia and lies, it’s also more important than ever to help others if you can. 

I saw a complaint about the joke with Henry and the Fat Controller, saying “it says a lot about how they’re treating Henry!”. To that I say: it’s a joke as old as time. If you wanted a moment that was indicative of Henry’s treatment, look at Forever and Ever and how handwaved his absence from Tidmouth Sheds was.

Final Thoughts

It’s probably not saying much, but this is the one of the best episodes of the season. It’s funny, it’s charming, it’s heartwarming and it has a great lesson. You really can’t ask for more.

Rating: Great (10/10)

Season 22: Counting on Nia

It’s an educational episode that’s... actually good?

I like Nia. She’s feisty, takes no nonsense and she’s really clever. But I also like that she takes pride in her problem solving skills as it makes you feel sympathetic to her when she makes a mistake. And it makes sense for her character to not want to seek help when she needs it.

So to put her in a situation where she’d need help was a great role for her to star in. Granted, it’s her only starring role since the movie, which is a shame, but I guess they thought that was enough..?

I also like how they emphasised how intelligent Nia was. Usually, I hate that conflicts kick in quite far in to an episode (or, in an overarching narrative, far in to the season). But I feel it worked here as Nia’s mistakes had more of an impact, not just on her but the audience as well.

It also does a great job of emphasising the struggle of an immigrant coming to a new country, namely learning to recognise the new symbols and numbers they see. But by focusing on numbers, it does an even better job of being relatable for the target audience, especially those with dyscalculia. Heck, even adults with the condition would probably take something positive away from it.

Putting Nia with Annie and Clarabel was a brilliant move (why Thomas wasn’t taking them, I’ll let slide). The coaches have always been seen as level headed mentors throughout the franchise, and that shone through brilliantly here. It’s also a breath of fresh air to see an all female starring cast. Sure, it’s been happening for a couple of years now, but it’s still really nice to see.

The plot itself is focused, but... still fairly thin. In this case, it’s not the worst thing since the focus is on the lesson and how Nia learns to overcome her problems in her own way. But the team really need to work on that in future episodes and seasons.

Then there are the themes. “Ask when you need help” is a good lesson, but it’s been overdone so much by children’s media (this show included) that it’s another lesson that loses its meaning. Thankfully, this pulled that lesson off in a unique enough way.

The second is that people learn in their own way, which is a fantastic lesson and one that adults need to learn. They need to work with kids more to pinpoint the best techniques to teach kids rather than stick to a rigid, flawed syllabus that teaches them only one way. It leaves so many kids behind, and they deserve much, much more.

Final Thoughts

It says a lot when an episode makes you go out and look at real world conditions like dyscalculia to learn more about them. Because I think that kids (maybe even adults) who have that will gravitate to this more than the majority of people.

Sure, the theme of asking for help is another one that’s been done so often by this show, and in children’s media in general. But it’s done in a unique enough way that I don’t mind that much. Add the great characters and the plot that’s... not that strong, but fairly well paced, and you get a genuinely good effort!

Rating: Good (8/10)

Season 22: Banjo and the Bushfire

For fuck sake... The end of the season is so close, yet it feels so far away thanks to episodes like this.

I’m getting sick to death of saying it, but it’s now reaching its nadir. People don’t come to this show to watch fucking nature documentaries! They come to watch locomotives have adventures! Leave the nature documentaries to the people who make them interesting!

The plot is also a mess. The main focuses of the episode (Banjo and the bushfire) last for a minute out of 7 (including the foreshadowing), then the rest just feels like a blatant PSA about cleaning up after yourself and protect all the animals. And as much as I love animals, the fact is it’s impossible to save them all.

Absolutely, they need to be saved from abuse, hunters and other things we can control. But you can’t exactly save koalas from being, from what I can tell, lazy bastards. We couldn’t save the dodo because it couldn’t adapt to survive its environment. We can’t save animals who are hunted for food either by other animals or humans who are desperate to survive. And that’s why nature documentaries are better than santitised bullshit like this. Nature documentaries showcase the harsh realities animals face. This is just saying “save all the animals... regardless of the circumstances.” Ironically, it’s just not realistic.

Also, Tamika is a thing. She’s just... there. I could find no character whatsoever with her. Like the park ranger, she’s either spouting exposition, telling Thomas off or congratulating him for saving the koala. As much as I love that the cast is more diverse, this is the problem with the franchise. There are far too many characters and very little time to give them all time and a personality. Mostly because Thomas hogs all the limelight (it’s called Thomas & Friends; it’s as much about them as it is him).

Final Thoughts

What a terrible way to end the international episodes. But, frankly, I expected nothing less at this point. The plot is a mess, the main conflict is introduced and resolved within a minute (maybe they should’ve focused on the difficulty of dealing with a bushfire? Then they could’ve taught kids about how dangerous fire can be? Then again, Fireman Sam did a whole film about something similar, and it was better) and the characters are, again, uninteresting.

When the only good thing about it was the fantasy sequence with crocodiles, you really need to re-evaluate where the show heads in the future, and how to handle the worldwide episodes better.

Rating: Atrocious (-9/10)

Season 22: The Case of the Puzzling Parts

It took 7 minutes for Sidney to realise he needed repairing after an incident we never see...

I like the idea of episodes that have a bit of mystery around them. But when the solution becomes so obvious, even for a preschool show, that’s where I draw the line. It all becomes padding, and makes the whole mystery, and the episode itself, pointless.

And all it leads to is yet another lesson about teamwork. Yeah, we get it. Being part of a team can solve many different situations. Can we have a lesson that hasn’t been driven into the ground yet?

I’ll be fair though, and say that the episode tried to be entertaining at least. The fantasy sequence, and its set up, were actually pretty funny. As was Sidney’s “rubbish” joke. Sure, it was like a really bad dad joke, but... eh, at least they tried.

Other than that, though, there’s really nothing to talk about. And that’s what’s frustrating about this whole season: even the good episodes just don’t stand out at all. There’s nothing that truly goes that extra mile. Maybe two episodes are bad in unique ways, but the rest just seem as though they’re coasting. Even the good ones are falling back on tropes that worked in the past.

Final Thoughts

This is an episode that’s designed to be watched once. And even watching the first time, the mystery is obvious, and Sidney is just made to look an idiot. As is whoever decided to have a flatbed delivered to the Dieselworks, only for Sidney to take it out again so that it can be brought back for him! I felt confused just typing that!

Bad storytelling, overused lesson, the fantasy sequence was pretty fun. This episode follows this formula for Big World, Big Adventures! episodes to a terrible art.

Rating: Awful (-5/10)

Season 22: Kangaroo Christmas

I get what they were going for here. But considering how so many festive episodes focus on family and being with those you love... was it really necessary to do it again in Australia?

That’s a bit harsh, in fairness. Because, overall, this is a really sweet, charming little episode. The heart is definitely in the right place and the kangaroos are cute as hell. And setting it in an Australian December was a great way to strengthen the message.

The story is well paced, it’s genuinely sad when the kangaroo takes the toy away with it and the theme is excellent. Again, not particularly original, but still great.

But... I feel that the theme is weakened slightly by the fact that they’re looking for a toy. Granted, if anyone took my Build a Bear Pikachu, I’d be inconsolable as well. But if the plot revolved around one of the girl’s parents being absent while working with kangaroos (especially one whose joey was missing), it may have meant a bit more.

Also, that kangaroo’s comedic timing when it threw the toy away was a bit ridiculous. Funny, and it led to one of the most charming moments of the reboot so far, but still a bit silly. Even for the cartoony nature they’re going for.

Final Thoughts

Nitpicks aside, I genuinely think this is the first great worldwide episode so far. The story flows well, the characters are great and the theme is excellent. I could definitely have done without so much exposition though. And yeah, the lack of originality holds it back from being a truly amazing episode.

Rating: Great (9/10)

Season 22: Rosie is Red

This is gonna be fun!

Ever since the Italian dub made its way online, this episode has been loved and hated in equal measure for one reason: fans think engines can’t love... for some reason. I’m not going to focus on that again, because I’ve already done a blog post about it. All I’ll say here is that love and sex are two different things. And if these engine characters weren’t meant to feel every human emotion, why bother anthropomorphising them?

Other than that, there’s not much to talk about here either. The story takes a while to get going in order to exposit the idea of Valentine’s Day to the audience. Although I completely agree with Percy that it’s stupid to show your love on just one day (especially when businesses take advantage as much as they can on that day). And the potential of two of the male station staff having feelings for each other was amazingly progressive.

Plus, the whole conflict just feels natural and easy for kids to grasp. They’ll go through this growing up, if they haven’t already. And it’s a great way to teach them how to go about things.

The theme of the episode is also excellent. It teaches that it’s OK to love someone, but it’s also OK to just be friends with them. It also feels more... powerful that the speech came from Thomas. So many men these days feel they’re entitled to a woman solely because they say hi to them. So to teach boys, through Thomas, that girls can be friends with boys and deserve respect too is fantastic. And if more of the season was like this, I would be sticking around. It’s such a frustrating season, that I feel will only get worse in the future.

Final Thoughts

Slow opening aside, this episode was wonderfully sweet and charming. It was experimental, it was fresh, it taught a wonderful lesson and it’s... going to be as undervalued as Diesel & the Ducklings, isn’t it? Ah well, it deserves all the love it can get.

Also, side note, why does this reboot have such an obsession with animals? We’ve had pandas, elephants, tigers, monkeys, the animals in the outback and now a cat? I’m pretty sure that kids don’t tune in to a show about talking locomotives to see animal antics..!

Rating: Great (10/10)

Season 22: Cyclone Thomas

I sometimes wonder whether this worldwide venture is worth it. Then I watch episodes like this and realise it really isn’t.

So Isla is a doctor’s plane... in the same way that Harold the Helicopter can be used for medical emergencies on Sodor. And the episode itself is just a rehash or Thomas and the Jet Plane. There’s nothing new or interesting about it. Even Jeremy is more interesting than Isla. At least he’s a bit cocky.

The theme isn’t even new either. It’s a cross between “play to your strengths” and “be brave”, which other episodes and specials have done better.

Final Thoughts

This is the shortest review I’ve ever done. But frankly, there’s nothing to talk about. Everything this episode did, minus the cyclone, was done on Sodor. And done better.

Rating: Bad (1/10)

Season 22: Runaway Truck

This was another rather nice surprise!

No, it’s not perfect. Thomas having to learn how to shunt in a gentle way feels rather contrived since he’s been seen as a competent shunter multiple times before. And it featured another fantasy sequence where Thomas imagines he’s a hero, even though he’s been a real life hero many times before.

But it’s still got a really good dynamic between Thomas and Yong Bao. This, and Shane, have been a real highlight of this whole shitshow as far as I’m concerned. And to have a whole episode of that is lovely.

What’s also great is that they actually managed to mesh Chinese culture (in this case, Tai Chi) with an actual story that’s well paced. Granted, this shouldn’t be as surprisingly good as it is. But considering how inconsistent the writers have been with this...

Also, the chase scenes were actually pretty exciting. Yeah, they’re cartoony as all hell, but this is also a show where a truck was literally smashed up into the air, did a spin, then landed the wrong upside down before smashing when Gordon accidentally hit it, so..! Sure, it’s silly, but if it keeps kids invested then fair enough.

Also, I did like the theme of being careful. It’s one that’s been done before, but it felt relatively fresh here, and that’s all I can really ask for.

Final Thoughts

It’s easy to say that the whole worldwide venture has been a failure. But it is only the first season of this and there are still diamonds in the rough like this. Everything gelled really well, it was rather dramatic and entertaining and they actually applied a lesson within the episode itself to show that it had been learned.

It’s not perfect, but it’s not really bad either. Unless you hate the cartoony stuff. Then you’ll probably hate this regardless.

Rating: Good (7/10)