Amazon.com reviews for
"Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends" (1984)

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Daisy (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The titular Daisy is a diesel rail car with big fluttering eyelashes and attitude. Railway owner Sir Topham Hatt brings her in to substitute for an injured Thomas, but the "highly sprung" gal finds the engine shed too smelly and hauling milk cars beneath her. In fact, it's not until the second story, "Percy's Predicament," in which the little green engine is pushed into collision, that Daisy shapes up, catches the cooperation bug, and helps him out. In other stories, Edward and Thomas rescue an old-fashioned traction engine on his way to a scrap yard, Duck the Great Western Engine talks Henry into taking his dusty old tenders, and Percy boasts about surviving a water accident only to find himself chin-deep in the wet stuff again--and in need of a floating crane. The engines--and kid viewers--learn that bragging doesn't pay, teamwork does, and there's nothing like a good action sequence. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Thomas the Tank Engine - Best of Thomas (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Thomas fans have spoken and this Best of Thomas: Collector's Edition represents eight, viewer-selected favorite episodes. An insecure Thomas learns just how much he's valued in "Thomas Gets Bumped," while Percy learns an important lesson about fears and bravery in "Thomas, Percy, and the Dragon." Jealousy threatens to eliminate any chance of friendship between Thomas and Stepney in "Thomas and Stepney," and Thomas comes to embrace diversity in "A New Friend for Thomas." Thomas learns the virtues of hard work and patience in "Thomas Saves the Day," "A Big Day for Thomas," and "Trouble for Thomas." Finally, cooperation and pride culminate in a visit from the queen that Edward, Thomas, and Gordon will never forget in "Thomas Meets the Queen." This entertaining, 46-minute tape concludes with the sing-a-long tune "Really Useful Engine." (Ages 3 to 7) --Tami Horiuchi

Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends - Make Someone Happy (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: The tot-like tank engines are back on the tracks for another round of useful lessons cleverly disguised as adventures, narrated by Alec Baldwin. The half dozen five-minute stories that make up this episode include such conclusions as the fact that teasing can backfire ("A Big Surprise for Percy"), listening to rumors can lead to wrong impressions ("Thomas and the Rumors"), and it's hard to live up to one's bragging ("James and the Trouble with Trees"). In the title story, a complaining James gets the chance to help Mrs. Kindly (voiced in a comically strained falsetto by Baldwin) when her sister can't come to visit. Mrs. Kindly (and Baldwin's falsetto) returns in "Happy Ever After" for her daughter's wedding, as the engines provide a train-themed package of something old, new, borrowed and blue--yes, the last would be Thomas in streamers. The 34-minute video wraps up with the kid-sung "It's Great to Be an Engine," which asks the musical question, "What if you could be a train?" (Ages 2 and older) --Kimberly Heinrichs

Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends - Races, Rescues & Runaways (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Thomas and his English engine buddies face floods, landslides, and taunting trucks in these half dozen 5-minute stories narrated by Alec Baldwin. As in their previous adventures, the spunky toy vehicles survive their mishaps with a combination of quick thinking and help from their fellow vehicles. The hard-working Percy is irked at how dirty he gets hauling rock and coal until being trapped by an avalanche from a mine-shaft collapse puts things in perspective. Competition comes to the Island of Sodor when lorries (British for "trucks") with a bad attitude try to take the engines' places. But a series of accidents and breakdowns restores the engines to their rightful place. The 35-minute video is capped off by a 3-minute "music video" featuring kids singing "Accidents Will Happen" over a series of clips showing the vehicles involved in a series of crashes and other misadventures involving jelly, snow, and a runaway "boulder" that looks suspiciously like a tennis ball. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Thomas & Friends - Christmas Wonderland (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Thomas and his train-yard pals wouldn't pout if Christmases on the Island of Sodor were a little less white. In each of the six story stops that make up Thomas' Christmas Wonderland, snow stalls or otherwise threatens to sabotage the perky cargo pullers' holiday plans. Everybody's stuck in Snow, a new story narrated by Alec Baldwin, so Rusty lifts his fellow locomotives' spirits by relating the tale of the year Skarloey was sidelined by an avalanche. In "Thomas & the Missing Christmas Tree," Thomas is enlisted to pick up the village tree when severe snowdrifts leave him stranded on a remote stretch of track. The title character in the "Terence the Tractor" segment teaches a teary-eyed Thomas a thing or two about how his "ugly" Caterpillar wheels come in handy when the uncharacteristically arrogant engine sets off without his snowplow. And in "Special Funnel," Peter Sam is relieved of the other engines' constant ribbing when he's rewarded with a deluxe-model funnel after a monster icicle snaps his formerly wobbly one off. Rounding out this festive feature is "The Snow Song," a musical chug through decked-out village station stops that celebrates the title character's pluck: the little blue train finds his way "Whistle blowing / Yes, it's snowing." Fans of the series ought to waste no time climbing aboard, and newcomers will be relieved to discover a well-rounded introduction to a range of train-yard friends. Ages 3 to 6. --Tammy La Gorce

Thomas and Friends - Spills and Chills and Other Thomas Thrills (With Toy Train) (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Thomas the Tank Engine fans will scarcely breathe as Thomas and friends encounter haunted mines, dangerous boulders with watchful eyes, ghost cars on moonlit nights, fog-shrouded scrap yards, and a ghostly figure protecting engines from unseen dangers. Thomas, Rusty, Toby, Duncan, Stepney, and Henry courageously face their fears to learn that many "ghosts" are just regular people (or trains) that appear frightening due to one's imagination. Annie, Clarabel, Lady Hatt, and Sir Topham Hatt teach viewers about the value of home and friendship in "Sir Topham Hatt's Holiday," and a music video, "Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining," stresses the importance of goals, learning from mistakes, and the power of a smile. After 37 thrilling minutes of six episodes and a music video, Thomas & Friends devotees will be clamoring for more. (Ages 3 and older) --Tami Horiuchi

Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends - Thomas & His Friends Get Along (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: This program's theme is getting along: Thomas, Sir Topham Hatt, Percy, and other friends tell stories about cooperation, with George Carlin as the conductor and host. Also on this video are the stories "Percy and the Signal," "The Runaway," and "Old Iron." Minimalist animated fun for young kids, and the individual stories are distinct enough from one another to stick in the memory. --Tom Keogh

Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends - Thomas Gets Bumped (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Lots of good material this time around. Everyone gets excited when an important engine visits the train yard; Harold thinks he can deliver the mail better than Thomas and Percy; and Edward and Trevor prove that despite being older, they are still useful. A nifty helicopter adds to the excitement and looks great hovering above the set. --Tom Keogh

Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends - Thomas Meets the Queen & Other Stories (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Poor Henry has a mishap with paint just before the queen comes to visit, and Daisy has to be brave when she sees a cow on the line. These delightful stories and others, focusing on friendship and how to face feelings, are a real treat. --Tom Keogh

Thomas the Tank Engine - Thomas' Trackside Tunes (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Sing along with six fun tunes all about your favorite Thomas & Friends characters. Lyrics and bouncing ball accompany six separate songs, including the rocking "Come for the Ride" and the Broadway-inspired "Accidents Will Happen." Other featured songs are "Donald's Duck," "Sir Topham Hatt," "Harold the Helicopter," and "Percy's Seaside Trip." Each song features a catchy melody with simple, repetitive lyrics that are easy to learn. The children's choir that performs the songs is quite capable, and their melodious sound is pleasing even after multiple screenings. Fast-paced vignettes of a model Thomas railway in action underscore each song's lyrics and captivate audiences three to seven years old. Also included on this 34-minute video are two Thomas stories. "Gordon and the Gremlin," narrated by Alec Baldwin, explores the possible existence of gremlins on one particularly eventful day on the railway. "Trucks," told by George Carlin, finds Sir Handel feigning illness to avoid a full day's work--a fib that carries some very serious consequences. Thomas & Friends fans will love this video and are sure to request repeated screenings. (Ages 4 to 7) --Tami Horiuchi

Thomas Gets Tricked (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: From the Ringo Starr era (Ringo was eventually replaced by George Carlin as the train conductor), this program set on the island of Sodor features Thomas, Gordon, Edward, Percy, Toby, Annie, and Clarabell in "Thomas Saves the Day," "Thomas Gets Tricked," and "Edward Helps Out." This batch comprise good tales of cooperation, friendship, and loyalty, and the show's oddly dreamy if busy look is, as always, captivating for young viewers. --Tom Keogh

Thomas the Tank Engine - James Learns a Lesson (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In the first of three stories, big red engine James faces the consequences of a tantrum, finds himself getting teased, and makes a friend when he helps another engine in need. A frustrated James slams his coaches together and breaks their connection, forcing passengers to deboard until one rider reluctantly gives up his bootlace for the repair. James feels bad for letting the train line down and gets two chances to redeem himself in the following stories. Thomas conducts his own mischief when he makes a break for it without his conductor, goes fishing in the river thereby giving himself a "pain in his boiler," and teases Terence the Tractor for his "ugly wheels." Of course, Thomas has to eat his words and concede that "caterpillars are splendid" when he becomes snowbound and needs the tractor to dig him out. Finally, Thomas and Bertie have a trademark Thomas-style race, with their conductors' blessing and participation. --Kimberly Heinrichs

10 Years of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends - Best Friends (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Despite the decline of train travel, that mode of transportation has fascinated both children and adults alike. The popular PBS series Thomas the Tank Engine thoroughly enraptures its young audience. The delightful 10 Years of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends focuses on Thomas and his pals James, Percy, Old Iron, Bertis, Annie and Clarabelle, Terence, and more. The segments featured here ("Thomas & Bertie's Great Race," "Old Iron," "The Trouble with Mud," "Terence the Tractor," "Percy's Ghostly Trick," "Mavis," "Henry The Elephant," "Percy's Promise," "James Goes Buzz Buzz," "All at Sea") not only are colorful and fun, but offer subtle messages of loyalty, friendship, affection, and safety. Each of the mini-episodes is interspersed with commentary from actual Thomas fans, set at a vintage train-station event at which Thomas is at the top of the tracks. Entertaining and compelling for the youngest viewers as well as their parents. --N.F. Mendoza

Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends - Cranky Bugs (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Cranky the Crane gives little engines Thomas and Percy a lot of grief in the title story. To make matters worse, big engines Gordon and James side with the ill-tempered lifter and the little guys get nervous and begin making mistakes on the job. They redeem themselves, however, when Cranky topples in a storm and Thomas and his buddy put him back upright. Other stories feature twin engines Bill and Ben having "teething troubles," Toad the brake van's forward-thinking ambition, grumpy Gordon crashing through a station wall, and storyteller Alec Baldwin adopting a falsetto as Lady Hatt, Sir Topham Hatt's wife and birthday girl. In lieu of a seventh story, a chorus of kids sings "Night Train" while the model trains steam through darkness in a series of dramatic scenarios. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Thomas the Tank Engine - Best of Percy (With Toy Train) (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: Children love stories told by engaging storytellers, the winning formula of Thomas and Friends tales about a group of toy trains on the island of Sodor, based on the "Railway Series" by Reverend W. Awdry. Preschool fans from around the world, a loyal bunch that can identify with the spunky and mischievous tank engine bearing a green number six, selected this best-of compilation of favorite Percy episodes. There are nine short stories here, narrated by George Carlin and Ringo Starr, which focus on a dilemma and end with a gentle moral message. Percy is usually in a predicament because of cheeky behavior, such as in "Percy Takes a Plunge," where he finds himself in a water hole, or worse still, covered in sticky goop in "A Scarf for Percy." And who can forget "Percy's Ghostly Trick" when, after telling some chilling ghost stories, Percy hits a cart of limestone and the dust turns him ghostly white, giving his friends a fright. Though Percy delivers mail, transports children, and helps other engines, he always finds time for practical jokes and ensuing misadventures. There are moments of bravery and bravado, heroism and humiliation tucked between plenty of mishaps. Preschool kids can relate to Percy's predicaments and his earnest desire to be useful and appreciated. They'll walk away with valuable lessons on friendship, resourcefulness, and forgiveness. And train fanatics, young and old, will find plenty to enjoy with a bounty of railway terms and realistic train miniatures. (Ages 2 to 6 years old) --Lynn Gibson

Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends - The Special Letter (vhs):

Amazon.com video review: In these tales from the island of Sodor, Thomas and friends welcome Skarloey home from the menders, and Oliver and Toad teach some trucks a lesson. The usual busy sets and clever, mock action are on hand. The Skarloey story is better than average. There's a bonus music video, "Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover." --Tom Keogh