Thomas and the magic railroad review

Travel back to the magical land of Sodor with Thomas and friends in the nostalgia heavy film, Thomas and the Magic Railroad. The film celebrates it's 20th anniversary this year and is being released on Blu-ray for the first time ever! Read on for my honest, parent review and enter to win a copy of the 20th anniversary Blu-ray which is full of bonus features like cast interviews, deleted scenes and more!

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of Thomas and the Magic Railroad for review. Thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thomas and the Magic Railroad Review + Giveaway

Thomas and the Magic Railroad Review

Thomas and the Magic Railroad: Synopsis

For as long as anyone can remember, the magical Island of Sodor has been the realm of enchantment, innocence, and talking train engines. Mr. Conductor (Alec Baldwin) is taking care of the whole railway whilst Sir Topham Hatt is away. Mr. C comes from a family of miniature Conductors who travel between the Island of Sodor and Shining Time Station thanks to a supply of mysterious gold dust. However, Sodor’s steam engines suddenly find themselves heading for a load of trouble courtesy of the railroad baddie Diesel 10, whose plan is to destroy our hero Thomas and Mr. C… then take over Sodor before Sir Topham Hatt’s return. Thomas and Mr. C must save the engines before his dwindling supply of gold dust runs out!

​Related: PAW Patrol: Jet to the Rescue Review

Thomas and the Magic Railroad: My Thoughts

First and foremost it needs to be said, this movie is 20 years old (duh! It's the 20th anniversary edition). The graphic style is understandably dated but that is a large part of the charm of this film.

One thing that is important to note ahead of viewing is that the mouths of Thomas and his train friends (and foes) do not move. The trains' eyes are extremely expressive however and while this can be initially jarring, I found it was easy to adjust to. 

Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a mix of live action and "live action model animation". The movie finds Thomas sharing the screen with real life actors, Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda and Mara Wilson.

Parents will probably recognize Wilson from other childhood favorite films of the 90s; Mrs. Doubtfire, Miracle on 34th Street and Matilda.


Related: Swan Princess The Royal Wedding Review

​
The plot may be hard to follow for younger children and since there are no musical numbers Thomas and the Magic Railroad is very dialog heavy. 

This film is rated G, for General Audiences. There is no foul language or violence in this film.

There is a film "baddie" Diesel, a train with a very gruff voice and a chip on his shoulder who may make younger children uneasy. Diesel plots against Baldwin and Thomas throughout the film and while he is certainly evil, he is also a bit inept which makes for some comic relief in the film. 

While I viewed this film with two children both under the age of 4, I would recommend this film for children 4 and up due to the plot that needs to be followed. I found myself having to explain what was going on to my oldest and I do not believe my younger one followed the plot at all.

Children do not need to be familiar with Thomas to view this film though I imagine it would certainly help them enjoy it. This is a fun, family-friendly film to watch for your next movie night!

Thomas and the Magic Railroad Giveaway

​I want to give a BIG thank you to the folks over at Shout! Factory because they have so graciously provided a copy of Thomas and the Magic Railroad for me to GIVEAWAY! One (1) winner will be randomly selected via Rafflecopter. Giveaway ends 9/23. GOOD LUCK!

Related: Thomas and the Magic Railroad Celebrates 20th Anniversary

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Shout! Factory
Shout! Factory, LLC is a diversified multi-platform Media Company devoted to producing, uncovering, preserving and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their entire careers sharing their music, television and film favorites with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory’s entertainment offerings serve up feature films, classic and contemporary TV series, animation, live music and comedy specials. In addition, Shout! Factory maintains a vast entertainment distribution network which delivers culturally relevant programming, movie and audio content to all the leading digital service providers in North America and across multiple platforms. Shout! Factory owns and operates Shout! Studios, Scream Factory, Shout! Factory Kids, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Shout! Factory TV. These riches are the result of a creative acquisition mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. Shout! Factory is based in Los Angeles, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit shoutfactory.com.

Shop Thomas The Tank Engine

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.