Thomas and Friends - Hero of the Rails reviews
Review by on 26 Sep 2010
It was great to see this film on the big screen and we were not aware of the characters Spencer and Hiro so this was a treat
Review by on 24 Sep 2010
Thomas the Tank Engine breaks new ground in his latest feature length film, by taking a fellow steam engine under his wing. Long ago, Hiro was transported to the island of Sodor from his home in Japan, where he was known as the ‘master of the rails’ due to his speed and magnificence. Many years have passed since those glory days when Thomas inadvertently stumbles upon the abandoned engine whilst competing with the local show-boat, Spencer. Hiro is in a bad state of disrepair, so Thomas takes it upon himself to restore the engine to his former grandeur whilst evading the prying Spencer. Realising that he cannot do it alone, Thomas enlists his trusty friends to help, and together they attempt to keep Hiro from the attention of the Fat Controller, and thereby the smelting yard. Unusually creative for the franchise is a short montage at the beginning of the film, relating how Hiro came to find himself on Sodor. Providing a welcome interlude from CGI, this brief animation is executed in the flat style of traditional Japanese 18th century woodcut prints, subsequently switching to archaic style black and white news footage of the engine arriving in Sodor. This film will be great fun for kids - the engines are their usual cheerful selves, there is plenty of conflict (eventually resolved), and director Greg Tiernan adds a new dimension by introducing this mysterious foreigner into their midst, to shake things up a bit on the island.
Julie Hrischeva
Julie Hrischeva
Film details
Thomas and Friends - Hero of the Rails
CAMBRIDGE FAMILY FILM FESTIVAL
Director: Greg Tiernan
United Kingdom, 2009.
60 mins.
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