Thomas And Friends TV Series "The Truth About Toby" Review

When alot of people think of Thomas The Tank Engine nine times out of ten they think about the classic model seasons of the show. Yet not alot of them know that the show did carry on really all the way until just a few short years ago in CGI with it really being one of the CGI episodes that i'm going to be talking to you all about today and so then join me as I review the episode that sees Toby run into some trouble at the scrap yard with the episode in question being called simply just "The Truth About Toby" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is when Toby runs out of coal at the scrap yard he has to try and convince passing engines o help him out. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good with thus episodes being as delightfully dumb and yet simple as you'd want it to be from this era of the show which was something that does work really well for this episode as this is an episode that doesn't really require a deep plot to make it work as something having a plot thats more simple and easy to follow along with is something that does make it work all the more better with this episodes plot really does a good job of just letting the characters be themselves something upon which the later CGI seasons did take great strides in doing and it is something that does work really well in this episode as the plot of this episode as simple as it is works just as well because of how simple that it is with this plot not really being a plot that would work if it was a super serious as that would make the plot be alot less fun an lot less entertaining then what it really should have been as sometimes being a fun plot is alot more important then being super serious as that would feel out of place with this episodes set up and while the show has done super serious and dark episodes in the past they've always had the set up that allowed for that to happen with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Starring in this episode is John Hasler as Thomas and Keith Wickham as Edward , Henry , Gordon , James , Salty , Stafford and The Fat Controller. Also starring in this episode is Nigel Pilkington as Percy , Rob Rackstraw as Toby and Stanley , Teresa Gallagher as Emily , Annie and Clarabel , Rebecca O'Mara as Caitlin , Steven Kynman as Paxton , Maggie Ollerenshaw as Henrietta , Tim Whitnall as Reg and Mark Moraghan as The Narrator.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With all of this episodes actors turning in some really good performances which is something that does make alot of sense as alot of them have been playing these characters for decades at this point and therefor do have a good understanding of just who there version of these characters are in the first place with alot of them like for example Maggie Ollerenshaw having the perfect voice for there character with the best actor in the whole entire episode being Rob Rackstraw as not only does he have a fairly solid voice for Toby but he also gets to show of new sides to this character as all to often we see the brave ad sarcastic side of his character and yet we never really get to the more frustrated side of the character and that is something that Rob gets the chance to show us in this episode and it is something that does come through in his performance as you do sense that Toby is becoming frustrated with Reg with the fact that he does try and hold that back as Reg is  just doing is job is something that make Toby all the more frustrated with him with the acting that's in this very episode really being helped by the fact that the script for this episode was just so good that all this episodes actors have to do is just say the lines as they are written and as good performance will come out of them naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.

For once I really cannot say just who it is that does the animation for this episode as there's no animation company listed anywhere online. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt about the actual animation that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good as while CGI Thomas was in it's very early ears like season 12 early did have some very choppy looking animation to it by the time they got round to this season and Season 20 the show had started to have some actually good looking animation in it with this episode being a good example of that as you get to see the human characters doing things at the docks and you get to all of the characters look really good with the same thing even being true for the backgrounds as well as while this episode doesn't really allow for alot of interesting looking backgrounds due to the fact that it's mainly set at the scrap yard with there being very few locations but the episode does make up for this for giving some really unique looking camera shots like we get to see the camara placed sort of behind and at the side of Edward for a shot which looked really cool and is something that for obvious reasons the model seasons of Thomas just couldn't do and yet here in this episode we do get to see some really good looking shots all of which work well with the episodes already high bar of animation with the only thing that could have made this episodes animation even more better being if we got to see more stuff going on in the backgrounds which yes is a small thing but it's also something that makes the world that this show takes place in feel all the more real and lived in as well.

The big thing in this episode is that when Thomas , Annie , Clarabel , Henry and Edward all see Toby at the scrap yard they assume it's because of the fact that he's going to be scrapped. This is something that they are kind of right to assume as from there point of view that's exactly what it would look like however they then go spreading around the rumor that Toby is going to be scrapped when if just one of them had stopped to talk to either Toby or Reg The Crane to find out what was actually going on then that whole thing is something that could have very easily have been avoided and while it is understandable as to why that wasn't done in the episode as this is a kids show after all and nine times out of ten kids aren't care about logic there just going to care about the characters and that's really it and that's all well and good but at the same time tho this show did used to treat its kid audience with respect and not talk down to them but rather talk to them on a level and while this episode is great improved in that regard when compared to the earlier CGI episodes it still does make you wonder why the makers of this episode didn't bother to fix the issue of not having one of the characters just talk to Toby to find out what's going on as all of the characters do drive past in the episode and yet not one of them bothers to stop and find out what's going with this being something that very easily could have been explained just by having the characters either pulling passengers or being given a very important job to do by The Controller and that was just thought up in less then minuet and yet the makers of this show had go knows how long to come up with something that would make sense for the episode and yet they came up with nothing.

To be frank Reg was bit annoying in this episode as it felt like he was doing everything that he could do to stop Toby from getting help. As while yes he was just doing his job and really nothing more then that he was also not doing all that much to actually help Toby out as he was being very noisy when he was picking things up with his crane and had a bunch of scrap covering where Toby was so passing engines couldn't see him if they wanted to and while having an annoying character is something that can work if it's apart of the story just look at Phillip in the episode "A Shed For Edward" as a prime example of that but the characters did always know when to stop being annoying and start being helpful just look at Toby in the two episodes he did with Mavis back in season 3 where he actually gave her good advice on how to travel past a certain in the line where as here Reg just felt like he was being annoying just so the plot can happen which isn't fun to see as there was no way in heck that he couldn't have yelled out to quite literally any of the engines that pass him and Toby and as for there help as he could see the engines coming and the engine could quite literally hear and see him with even Edward yelling hello to him and yet he does nothing to help out his friend with it feeling like that this episodes Davey Moore was just stuck and couldn't come up with a good way to include this character and have them be apart of the story and so then he just had Reg essentially not do anything except for get on Toby's last nerve and that's really it which isn't enough of a reason to justify him being in the episode ads while yes it does give Toby someone to talk to in the episode it also makes you wonder why he doesn't get help for Toby the first chance that he can.

Seeing Toby's more frustrated side was something that was refreshing to see as for alot of the CGI series we only see the side of him that's two old with his old sarcastic side and his brave side very rarely if ever coming out. Yet in this episode we get to see a side of him that was fun to see with that being him just constantly getting frustrated with Reg something which is fun to see as Toby doesn't really come across as the kind of character who would get frustrated with someone as if anything that would be someone like Percy or Gordon for example as they very quick t anger if you say or do something that might upset but Toby never really gets annoyed with anyone with really the only time that Toby might get annoyed with someone being in the season 20 episode "Toby's New Friend" where Phillip follows him around thinking that Toby is just like him with the fact that he does get frustrated in this episode being something that does make you wonder why we've never really seen this side of him as we know he can be brave and sarcastic but seeing him get frustrated with someone is something that would allow for more fun and funny scenes with different characters as now we have a whole other side to his personality that could be used for some really good stories and could be used for some really good character interactions as well like it would be interesting to see him get frustrated with characters like Gordon or Emily as it's in there nature to have these big egos something which could quite easily clash with Toby's more down to earth way of doing things just like it would be interesting to see someone calm him down a bit when he gets a bit to frustrated like why not have Trevor The Tractor have a chat with him like he did with Thomas back when they first met or why not have him talk with Bertie as both of those characters can calm other engines down quite easily.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly eight minuets and forty six seconds. This is something that's pretty much the bogstandard running time for this show with the show actually getting more screen time over the years with this episode having the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running time and yet in saying this tho this episode really doesn't use it's running time all that wisely as the episode really doesn't take the time to fully develop it's plot as the episode is more focused on having things happen for non reason then it is on fully developing it's plot as there's no reason why Toby couldn't get his coal and there's no reason why he or Reg couldn't yell out of the other engines and there's no reason why those engines couldn't just stop and talk to him all of which are things that could have been talked about and made more clear if the plot of the episode was more developed with this even affecting the episodes character development as while it could be argued that the characters get there development in other episodes which would be a fair point to make as all of this episodes characters do appear in other episodes of the show and therefor they don't really need to have character development in every single episode it still would have been nice for the characters to get some sort of character development as then it would have shown that the characters are more then willing to grow with the extra running time that alot of these episodes did have and yet for one reason or another the makers of this episode chose not to give the characters any form of character development but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.

So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. With the episode having some decent jokes in like Toby forgetting to go and get his side plates mended at the end of the episode to even him forgetting to get coal something which could be argued is a joke with even alot of the scenes that Toby has with Reg having some decently funny jokes in them with the best joke in the episode being when Reg lifts up a car to wave to catch the attention of other engines only for him to drop it and end scaring Henry away because of it something which does work as Henry is meant to be the character that is more often then not the one that's most afraid of anything and everything with it also showing just how smart that Reg is as it's him that comes up with the idea to wave something colorful to catch the other engines attention it's just not something that does work out all that well for all involved with alot of this episodes bein g cute and funny jokes that will make little kids smile which given that this is aimed at little kids is something that does make sense as all of the episodes jokes do have to appeal to them and to be fair that's where this episode does shine as they will find all of the jokes in this episode to be really funny it's just that it would have helped the episode out quite alot if the episode did have some more outwardly funny moments in it as Reg can be a really funny character when he's given funny things to say and do in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Overall this is a decent episode that does give us a new side to Toby with it showing us that the makers of this show are more then willing to create good stories with this show again something which we do see quite alot more in the CGI era of this show with this episode being a prime example pf that in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad thigs that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 6.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Thomas And Friends TV Series "Wrong Road" Review

Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends is a show that had been going on since the early eighties with there being twenty four series of the show. With there being alot of episodes that could be described as being very much not all that much happens episodes with the episode that i'm going to be talking to you all about today being one such an episode and so then join me as I review the episode that pretty much spells out it's entire plot in it's episode title with the episode in question being called simply just "Wrong Road" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is when smaller engine Edward and big engine Gordon accidentally switch lines one night Gordon finds himself at the docks with some mischievous twins. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad with the episodes plot being given away right in the episodes title and yet it is still a fun plot to see play out as while yes nothing all that much happens in this episode plot wise it really didn't need to have all that much happen in it in the first place as all you needed was the basic set up and some little explanation as to how they ended up on each others tracks in the first place and that's really it to be fair that that's exactly what this episodes plot does give you altho to be this plot does feel like that it's the first of a two part or even three part story and after watching the following episodes as well it really isn't as the plot of this episode doesn't affect the plot of the next two episodes either with this episodes plot being a standalone episode which is fine but it makes you wonder why they chose to end the episode how they did in the first place as that makes it feel like it's a set up for the next few episodes and yet with all that being said this episodes plot is still quite enjoyable to watch due to how simple it is as that allows the characters to be there usual charming selves with the plot of this episode being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Starring in this episode is of course Sir Ringo Starr with him being just as delightful and full of live in this episode as he is in the rest of this shows second series. With him not really taking the same approach that he takes in he first series where it's like he's reading us a book where as here it instead feels like that he's putting on a performance as he makes all of the episodes characters be very full life and that is something that does work really well for him and while he doesn't change his accent in this episode that again is something that does work as the voices his uses for both Gordon and Edward are the end one that he used for hem in the first series with them coming across as being his natural speaking voice with the only difference being that he does make Gordon sound a bit pompous at times which is fine for his character with Ringo having the perfect voice for this type of show as this is meant to be a very calming show and therefor having this silky smooth voice is something that does work as it makes you feel more relaxed and it makes you feel more at ease with the show as well whereas if you had somebody who is a more well known established actor but has a more rough and gruff voice come in to do the show it just wouldn't work as while yes you would get a much more better performance out of the actor but you really would also lose the shows more relaxing tone in the process which doesn't really seem worth it for a show about talking trains with Ringo really being as good of a fit for the show at this time but in saying this tho it would have been nice to him do the narration for alot of the shows really more dangerous episodes just to see how well his voice mixes with the tone of one of those episodes.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. As while the show did have basically just the one actor for alot of it's run the person telling us the story still has to put in a performance and can't just read the story like you would a book and nothing more then that with this being something that alot of the Thomas narrators be they for the UK or the American dun fully understood as all of the narrators for the show do give us a performance with Ringo in this episode being by default the episodes best actor as while he doesn't give the characters unique voices he really does have to do as you can still tell by how he delivers certain lines when he's talking as Gordon or as Edward like for example when he's playing Gordon the lines are delivered matter of factly and when he's voicing Edward he delivers the lines in a more playful manner and while yes it would have been nice if he did give Edward a more older sounding voice as he is meant to be one of the older engines on Sodor it's also something that's really needed all that much either with the acting that's in this very episode really being helped by the fact that the script for this episode is just so good that all this episodes actor has to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will come out naturally which is something that really foes help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this episode.

Character wise the episode does fair about as well as it was ever going to with the fact that the episode only has a handful of characters with only two of them being main characters. As while Gordon and Edward are the main focus of the story it's really Gordon who is the lead character and the character that the episode follows the most which is something that does work well enough for this episode as we do see Gordon's more pompous side come out in this episode which is really fun to see but the episode it does feel underbaked as they straight up forget about Edward as when we see him leave the station that's the last time he appears in the episode when it would have made the episode more fun to watch as well but given that his characters is always looking in the bright side of things maybe it does make sense that they not focus that much on him in this episode as you wouldn't be able to get anything funny out of him with both of the episodes main characters being written as well as could be expected as even tho the episode doesn't really reveal anything new about them as characters as a duo Edward and Gordon are pretty fun characters to watch with them both being written in character and feeling like themselves and seeing Gordon interacting with Bill and Ben near the end of episode does make up for the fact that we don't get to see him and Edward together for very long with Bill and Ben being there typical cheeky selves and heck the only character who doesn't really get that much to do in the episode is Boco and even then it's more due to the fact that he only appears in the episode in the final few minuets where as given that Boco is more of a father figure to Bill and Ben it would have been interesting to see him interacting more with Gordon in this episode.

As is the case with alot of the episodes in these very early episodes of the show the scenery here in this episode just looks really good. As while yes granted the second season had a lot less detail in the shows backgrounds then they did in the first season we still do get alot of really good looking scenery in this episode with us getting a decent look at a small section from Edward's branch line with the hills in the background adding in some implied distance which was nice to see and while we sadly don't get to see alot of Edward's branch line in the day time in this episode as alot of the episode does take place at night it is still nice that the show did this nice little piece of worldbuilding by showing us a part of the island that we never got to see in the first season of the show with the only thing that could have made the scenery in this episode be all the more better was if they did what they did in the first season of the show and have those little extra details in the background that you wouldn't really notice like how cool would have been to have seen someone in a fishing boat underneath the bridge or to see a few people mountain climbing yes these are small things but they also help to make this part of the island feel more populated as just from the brief shots of it that we see in this episode Edwards branch line looks like there's no people there when we know for a fact due to it appearing in other episodes that that's just simply not the case contrast this with when we see Thomas's branch line in the first series we nearly always see a lot of people there doing things all of which really makes that part of the island really feel more populated and yet here in this episode with Edward's branch line it really feels alot more empty when showing people doing things would help it feel more populated then what it already is in the first place.

Whilst the show has always had plenty of atmosphere in it's more spooky episodes here in this episode it also creates alot of really good atmosphere at the main station. With there being plenty of fog and the fact that we have alot of human characters not just The Fat Controller and or two others there as well as the fact that the lights from it's ceiling are hanging quite low down all of which do combine to make for a really atmospheric looking set that could be used as the set from noir type of film or episode as that's the impression that it gives of and to be fair it is something that does work quite well for the episode as we don't get to spend alot of time at the station in this episode when compared to other episodes therefor we the audience don't really have the time to let it all sink in before the episode is moving again with the episode even making great use of the new big thin for this season which was a moving camera something which we never really got in the previous season and yet here it's used in a really effecting way by moving behind Gordon's passengers at the station which is something that does make it look like there are alot of people there which is something that does make sense given just what type of train that Gordon is getting ready to pull with the smokey atmosphere really making the scene look like something you would see in a Hollywood film and not like something that you'd expect to see in a kids TV series and yet when the episode does get back to it's plot by showing Edward now travelling along the main line it kids of looses that atmospheric look as while we do have the moon out in full display which is always good for some atmosphere it also makes the episode appear to be a bit more cheaper as well.

Look to be frank there was no need for Boco to appear in this episode as he doesn't add anything to the plot. With his only purpose in the entire episode being to stop Bill and Ben teasing Gordon and that's it which was something that really wasn't needed as they would have stopped teasing him anyway due to the fact that there drivers would have told them to stop doing but because of the fact that the plot needs Gordon to meet a diesel engine it does mean that Boco has to appear in the episode and while it was nice to see him it is something that makes you wonder why the show didn't do more with him as a character as while he essentially filles the same role that Mavis would later fill in the CGI era of the show in that he's essentially just a parental figure to Bill and Ben the show never really gave him much of a personality like it would have been interesting to see him interacting with characters like Thomas or James for example or even have him interacting with Daisy would have been fun as then we could get to see if he listens to her and becomes more lazy as a result of that thus showing that he is easily persuaded or we could have him show of how brave his by stopping a runaway train of trucks in someway just anything would have been nice and yet this episode doesn't take the change to do any of that it and instead has him be more a father figure to the twins which is fine enough as that's what he needed to be for this episode but there's no reason why Edward couldn't have filled that role or why Toby couldn't have played that role in this episode as they both older engines and both of whom have worked with trucks before so it would make sense and interms of Edward it would have been a fun little way to get him back into the episodes story as well.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly five minuets and thirty one seconds. Which is pretty much the exact grand total running time for this show at this point in time with this episode really having more then plot there to really cover that amount of running time in the first place yet even so this episode doesn't use it's running time all that wisely as the episode really doesn't fully develop it's plot as well as it perhaps could have done which granted might be more due to the fact that it does have a short running time but the episode could have taken then time to show us things like why Gordon hates diesels pulling main line trains as we already know why he want pull trucks in the first place but given the fact that he meets a diesel that he likes at the end of the episode we still could have found out why he doesn't like diesels pulling main line trains however the episode really doesn't have that much character development either as Gordon never really gets over his hatred of diesels pulling main line trains as the episode doesn't really give him a scene where he realizes that he was wrong for his hatred and grow as a character granted there is a chance that his character development does come in other episodes of the show but interms of this episode he gets nothing which would be fine if Edward got any development as a character but the episode just straight up drops him as a character and yet with the added screen time they don't really give Gordon any kind of character development whatsoever but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.

So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally tought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With this episode having some really funny jokes in it all of which whilst yes they are cute jokes become funny because of the fact that they are character driven jokes and therefor it is easy to picture this episodes characters acting the way that do in this episode as that is something that helps to make the jokes be alot more funnier then what they really should have been with the episodes best joke being when Gordon wakes up at the harbor the next day and starts getting teased by Bill and Ben as they call him scrap that should get tossed in the water as they refuse to believe that it's actually him due to the fact that he said branch lines are ugly which is a nice little joke as it is something that they would say just to wind up other engines with the fact that Gordon does genuinely think that Boco saved his life being something that makes the joke all the more funnier as while he is the strongest engine on Sodor he's also not the brightest engine there is as well with him believing that Boco has saved him being something that does feel true to his character with the episode having alot of really good jokes in it all of which work because of how charming that the characters are with that charm being something that makes what could have been really dull jokes somehow not only work but become all the more funnier as they do feel very true to the characters in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. 

Overall whilst not alot really happens in this episode this is a still a fairly solid episode that does show you just how charming that this show about talking trains can be and while the episode isn't a must watch it is still a fun episode that both kids and adults will find some level of enjoyment out of in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in his very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a gran old score of exactly a 6.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Thomas & Friends TV Series "Thomas's Christmas Party" Review

This review is being written on Christmas Day over here in the UK and well with Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends still being a big institution over here in the UK it made sense for me to review one of there Christmas specials. With there really being only one choice for this particular review as it does have an images that is for lack of a better word magical and it's that very image that made me want to review this episode and so then join me as I review the episode that is the only episode of the show to be purposefully written by Rev. W. Awdry with the episode is question being called simply just "Thomas's Christmas Party" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is when Thomas gets the idea to through a Christmas party for a friend that once helped him and Toby out the rest of the engines get a party together. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good with this episodes plot being the kind of plot that you'd want to see in a kids TV Christmas episode as it's just fun and charming with there not really being danger to the story as the characters have to just get a party together for this one person who has helped them out in the past and that's really it and that's all that's really needed for this plot to work as this isn't the kind of plot that requires you watch several other episodes just understand one line of dialog or one joke and while yes the plot of this episode is a bit on the thin side this is something that not only could be said for the rest of the shows episodes as well but is also something that does work well enough to this episodes advantage as the only thing that this episode really needs is a good premise and that's it and when the premise of the episode is this good it really doesn't matter then the plot of the episode is wafer thin as we the audience are already hooked on what's going on in the first place and with Christmas specials in general you don't really want a deep and thought provoking plot you just want something simple and really that's what the plot of this episode is it's simple in all of the best ways possible with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Starring in this episode is of course Sir Ringo Star as The Narrator with Ringo being his usually quite happy and joyful self. Which is something that is a big off putting in other episodes but here it is something that does work due to the episodes setting with even the fact that the engines are describes as being happy around Christmas time being something that does work as well and while he doesn't give any of the characters any kind of accent like her would do in Series 2 of this show there is an effort made to make each characters voice stand out as when he's doing The Fat Controller for example he gives him a slight booming voice and when he voices Thomas his voice sounds more youthful it's when we get to the other engines that we start to have a problem as none of the other engines in this episode have very distinct voices to them which does mean that you have to pay attention to the episode alot more otherwise you'd be confused as to who is talking with this being a good example of where the CGI series trumps the model series as in the CGI series they have a full cast for the episodes where as here it is quite literally just the one person doing all of the voices and while that does have it's own unique charm to it as it does come across like he is reading us the audience a bedtime story it does also have it's drawbacks as well as it is something that does require The Narrator to put on different voices for the different characters as don't forget this shows main audience is little kids and there not going to be able to tell who is talking at any given moment and therefor giving the characters more distinct voices especially in this episode where there are alot of speaking characters would have gone a long way into making this episode alot more better then what it already is in the first place.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. As even tho for alot of this shows history they only have one person doing all of the voices and telling us the episodes story much like there reading us a bedtime story that person in this case Sir Ringo Star do still have to put in an actual performance with that being something that is overlooked alot of the time by the more casual Thomas fan and yet it is something that he does do really well in this episode as he is by default the episodes best actor as if he himself doesn't believe that these characters are real then that is something that would show through in his performance and yet it's because of the fact that he does believe these characters to be real that he manages to turn in a performance that's as good as it is as while yes this episode is basically a Christmas special and those don't typically have that good acting in them here you can tell that Ringo is still trying to turn in a good performance this is despite the fact that he's not a trained actor and yet you can still tell that when a character is meant to be sad or happy that those emotions really do come through in his voice with the acting that's in this very episode really being helped by the fact that the script for this episode is so good that all this episodes actor has to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will come out him naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.

Believe it or not this episode is actually written by Rev. W. Awdry as both show creator Britt Allcroft and show director David Mitton wrote the idea for the story they then took it Rev. W. Awdry to be written and published in the book of the same name. With this episode being the only episode of the show that he technically wrote an episode and you really can tell that it was written by him as it has that charm to it that you only find in The Railway Series books with the characters having an almost old fashioned way of talking to each other with the story being a sequel to another story called "Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas" which was published in the book "Toby The Tram Engine" with the characters feeling more like there book selfs then they do there TV selfs which s something that does make sense as this episode was written by the original author but at the same time tho when the story was being adapted to the series there should have been more of an effort to make the characters feel like how they are in the TV show and not how they are in the book as characters like Thomas and Gordon for example are vastly different in the books when compared to the TV show and yet you can tell that even tho this episode was only written to be nothing more then an episode of the show that there was still a great amount of love and detail put into it as while Awdry doesn't go into that much detail like he does in the books he still does make this railway feel like an actual railway which was something that he was always proud of doing as he was a train enthusiast and that amount of love and care for trains is something that did shine through in his books and it's something that does shine through in his writing for this episode. 

As was just mentioned this episode is a sequel story which wouldn't be a bad thing were it not for the fact that the original story "Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas" never got adapted into an episode in this first series. Which is odd as both Toby and Thomas act like they are good friends with Mrs. Kyndley and yet as far as we the audience are aware there've never had any screen time together and as the original story never got adapted that does mean that the makers of this episode have to shoehorn in flashbacks to the events of that story just so that we the audience know who this character is and why alot of the engines like her so much when it would much more easier to just adapt the story in the first place and heck given it's title it very well could have been the episode that aired prior to this one and yet for one reason or another the makers of this episode didn't adapt it with it feeling like that this episode was an afterthought almost as if they decided at the last possible second to do a Christmas episode and so instead of doing a proper adaptation of a story that introduces a key character in this episode they instead just went straight to the sequel and while the shows kid audience most likely wouldn't have noticed that there's a new character that all of the engines seem to really like that's not really an excuse as kids are alot more smarter then what we give them credit for and when you have a show that's usually very good with it's continuity it makes no sense for them to suddenly do a sequel episode when they havn't even done the original episode in the first place and given that alot of the of the stories in "Toby The Tram Engine" were adapted for this first series it's weird that they would suddenly skip over a story in favor of doing it's sequel adventure.

The best word that can be used to describe this episode is magical as that's exactly what it is and that's exactly what this Christmas special needed to be. As while it doesn't have the typical Christmas message that all kids Christmas specials seem to have this one does fully embrace the Christmas season and isn't afraid of being this cheesy and sickly sweet episode and to be fair that's exactly what a Christmas special should be especially when it's aimed at little kids as all they want to do is see there favorite characters being kind to one another during the festive season and to see them spread some goodwill and that's it and that's exactly what we get in this episode with the episode billed filled to the brim with snow and Christmas cheer and while that make alot of people's inner Grinch come out to play it is something that does make this episode feel unique as all of the other episodes in this very first series were all busy on trying to tell this one season long story arc with the trains getting used to each other and all of the changes that are happening in their lives and yet in this episode all of that gets put aside for something more fun and light hearted which is exactly the kind of thing that you want to see in a Christmas special and while yes this episode could have done with having a character who is set against Christmas at first but then over the course of the episodes comes round to the idea of the holiday that's also something that really isn't needed in this episode as Thomas the main character of the episode is already fully on board with the holiday and is just there to do something that's genuinely nice for someone that he cares for and at the end of the day dont we all want to something that's genuinely nice for someone at Christmas time.

Whilst this first series of the show wasn't all that known for doing alot of cool camera moves with them mostly having a static camera. There was one shot in this episode that did stand out and that's when we first see the other other engines in the shed and the camera slowly starts to pan over the set with it landing firmly infront of the other engines that is a shot that that's not in the rest of the first series and yet it's hard to see why it is a really cool shot and one that does make this episode stand out even more due to the fact that you can tell that the makers of this episode are willing to try and do new things with the camera instead of sticking with what they know for a fact works which is something that they very easily could have done given the fact that this episode was produced alongside the rest of the first series and yet the fact that they not only pulled of a really complicated camera move to do on a model set but also made it look good does show that there is some willingness to be creative and to try new and different things in this episode when that's not something that they really needed to do in this episode as this is the episode that would have been on to shut up the little kids while the mums and dads go off and do other things and yet its the fact that they did do something that's this creative that makes it stand out with it being something that does make you wonder just how managed to pull it off in the first place as this was made during the model era of the show and therefor they wouldn't have been able to go into a computer and animated the camera that way rather they would have had to have worked it out themselves and thank the heavens that they did as while this first series wasn't known for having alot of creative camera moves this is one that does prove that this team could do a verity of camera moves when there pushed to do so.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly five minuets and thirty five seconds. Which is pretty much the exact grand total running time for the alot of this shows very early episodes as well and to be fair this episode really does have the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running time in the first place and while the episode not really using it's time all that wisely to fully develop would usually and quiet rightly be seen as being a bad thing here tho due to the fact that the plot of the episode is that simple in the first place it really doesn't need any kind of plot development as this is after all a show that's made for little kids and while it would have been nice for this episode to have some kind of plot development in it its not really something that's all that needed as the plot of the episode works just fine without it with the plot of the episode being charming enough and magical enough in the first place that it does make you forget that the plot of the episode is as simple as it is with the same thing also being true for the episodes characters as well as not only are they simple enough to not really need that much character development in the first place alot of the episodes main characters got there character development over the course of the first series so it would be pointless to give them more character development in this episode but at the same time tho it is something that would bog this episode down and stop it from being as enjoyable as it is as the episode would have to shoehorn in character development when this is a story that really doesn't doesn't need it but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.

So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With alot of this episodes comedy stemming from the fact that Thomas is just being cheeky to his coaches and that's really it and that's all it needed to be as that's true to Thomas's character as he is the kind of character that would make a quick joke to his friends with that being his character arc in the first series with the best joke in the whole episode being when Annie and Clarabel say that they always feel full at Christmas time and Thomas just asks them where there festive spirit which granted isn't a laugh out loud funny joke but at the same time doesn't need to be it just needs to be cute and that's exactly what it is it's a cute joke that will make little kids and adults smile with that also being the case for alot of this episodes jokes as well and that is all that they needed to be as the main focus of the episode is getting across that it's Christmas time and in getting us to a wonderfully magical image with the engines at the end of the episode at the shed with Christmas lights all around them and each engines having a Christmas hat on them whilst being surrounded by Christmas trees and to be fair if that's the ending image then the episode has already succeeded as a Christmas special and while it would have helped the episode if the episode did have more funny jokes in it the jokes that the episode does gave do work really well for the episode in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

Overall this magical episode does exactly what it sets it to do and that's make you feel warm and fuzzy inside with the episode being one that's fun to watch with this episode giving us all of the things that we love in Thomas & Friends with the only difference being that this episode is filled to the brim with Christmas cheer and that's really it and that all that it really needed to have to be a good episode in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad things that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 7.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from Amazon . Co . Uk and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great Google Images really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being really better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on Google Images are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.

Thomas & Friends TV Series "Down The Mine" TV Series Version Review

It's safe to say that i've taken a bit of a liking to reviewing classic episodes of Thomas The Tank Engine And Friends and what's not to like about this show as it's just so charming. With the episode that i'm going to be talking to you all about today being one that was actually a remake of the shows pilot episode with this episode being an improvement over the pilot in some respects but not in others and so then join me as I review the episode that finally sees Thomas and Gordon become friends with the episode in question being called simply just "Down The Mine" enjoy.

The plot of this episode is when Thomas makes fun of Gordon after he fell into a ditch Thomas soon finds out that he might be needing Gordon's help to get himself out of trouble. Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual plot that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad as while the episodes plot was simple and very easy to follow that's all it needed to be as all the episodes of this show ever really need is just the basic setup and premise for the episode and that's really it and while yes it would have been nice if this episode did have a more slightly complicated plot as this is afterall still a show that's aimed at toddlers that would also go against not only the book as the books also had really simply plots to them as well but it would also stop the characters from being there fun and charming selves as the episode would have to explain more thigs about the plot for the shows target demographic where as with this episodes plot it doesn't and really shouldn't do any of that as part of what makes this show and what made it work for almost thirty plus years was the fact that the stories were simple and easy to follow along with and while this episode might not be the best example of that as it does cap of the series long story arc of Thomas and Gordon finally becoming friends it is a good example of how to do a simple story that both kids and adults alike can understand and like with the plot of this episode also being really rather entertaining and as well as being really rather engaging as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least.

With this and all future Thomas reviews being based off of the UK dub of the episode where ever possible that does mean that starring in this episode is Ringo Starr as the episodes narrator. To be frank this is an episode that really could have benefitted from having maybe one other person doing the voices for the characters as it does get hard to tell during this episode who is talking between Annie and Clarabel as they both do look the exact same and therefor giving them each a different voice would have helped to make it easier to tell just who is talking at any given time with the same thing being true for when Gordon and The Fat Controller are talking just because of the fact that Ringo does put on the same authoritative kind of voice for both characters which is something that does fit both of those characters but at the same time it does make it harder to tell just who is meant to be talking alot of the time not that the voices he uses for either character is bad it's just that it would have helped to tell them both apart if there was another voice actor in the episodes and while he's story telling skills are on point as the man does have this silky smooth voice that is just nothing more then pure comfort to the ears it would have helped the episode if he did have other actors there just to bounce off of as that is something that might have made the episode alot more better to watch then what it already is even if it's just to have voices in the background something which would have made alot of the scenes where you can quite clearly see alot of the people in this episode feel more real and the world of the show more real as well but in saying that tho having just one person doing all of the voices for the show is something that was kind of a tradition for alot of the kids shows over here in the UK and to the episodes credit Ringo Starr does have a great voice to be telling us these kinds of stories in the first place. with it also being helped by the fact that he is perhaps the most famous person to ever be a story teller on this show as well.

Now then interms of what I personally thought / felt about the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual acting that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty really good. With it being clear as day that Ringo really does have a love and passion for not only these characters but these stories and while he can't really turn that good of a performance as he's not a trained actor he's a musician he does turn in a a performance that was more fitting for the show at this point in time as while the latter episodes of the show went out of there way to hire trained actors for roles in either the show or movies here they didn't do that and instead went for name recognition above all else and this is a case where it really did work as it put more eyes on the show with those those eyes then staying with the show due to how good the stories were with Ringo Starr himself being both the episodes best and worst actor as he was of course the episodes only actor with something that would have helped him performance wise was if he gave say Gordon for example a more posher sounding voice instead of just using his ordinary voice like he does for all of the characters as that is something that would have been more fitting for that character as would giving Thomas a little bit more of a youthful sounding voice but that might not have been possible given that he was forty five years old in 1985 with the acting that's in this episode really being helped by the fact that this episodes script was just so good that all this episodes actor has to do is just say the lines as they are written and a good performance will com out of him naturally which is something that really does help to raise the overall quality of the acting that's in this very episode.  

Character wise this episode does fair really well even tho it only has less then a handful of characters in the whole entire episode. With the characters of Thomas and Gordon being handled the best out of all of them which is something that really does make alot of sense as they are meant to be the main characters of the episode with characters like The Fat Controller and Annie And Clarabel basically having nothing more then cameo roles in the episode which is fine as that what the episode really called for them to have but at the same time given just how important that both sets of characters are to the other characters it would have been nice to have seen them interacting with both Thomas and Gordon alot more then what end up doing in the final episode with the episode really focusing more on the characters of Thomas and Gordon with Thomas basically being the annoying kid little brother to Gordon's big brother even down to the fact that Thomas teases him for crashing into ditch water in the previous episode which is something that does feel like something that this early version of Thomas would do whereas now due to the events of this episode he'd be willing to help whoever crashed out a little bit with Gordon basically being ashamed of his accident and not being the older more wiser engine that he would eventually become with both characters being handled really well in this episode as it would have been really easy for the makers of this episode to get the characters wrong given the fact that this episode was produced in the shows first season but the fact that they didn't shows that they have great respect for not only the original source material but also the characters themselves.

For those of you that don't know this episode is actually the second time that this story was made for the show. As back in 1983 it was adapted into the shows pilot episode which was done no doubt because of it's small cast of characters and limited number if sets and while the pilot was thought to be lost for decades now and only a few shots and bits of footage surviving with alot of that footage even being used in this episode it wasn't until this year that the full pilot episode was not only found but also pieced back together and officially released by the current owners of the Thomas & Friends franchise Mattel and well to say that the pilot is rough around the edges would be like saying WCW in the year 2000 was bad as while the episode does have the same amount of charm as this one it also gives Thomas some really creepy faces with the models even looking like toys alot of the time but in saying that tho this pilot episode does also give us a truly wonderful Ringo Starr performance near the end episode and the mine collapse scene is done better in the pilot then it is here but yeah watching these two is like night and day as while this one might be the better version of the two this one only turned out so good because of the fact that the makers of this episode worked out what worked and what doesn't work during the production of the pilot with them ditching the creepy looking smiling Thomas faces and making the models a little bit more bigger then what they were in the pilot version of the episode with this episode even having the added benefit of continuity as Thomas's line about Gordon smelling like ditch water now makes alot of sense due to it taking place after the previous episode where as in the pilot we don't have that added context to go off of.

It is genuinely hard to say if this episode is better then the pilot version or not because while the pilot version is very rough around the edges the one thing that it got better then this cut of the episode was the big crash scene. As in the pilot episode you get to see the ground slowly start to give way while Thomas is on the tracks so there's a nice bit of build up being done before the accident happens with there even being several shots as well all before Thomas finally does fall down the mine where as here he just falls through the mine with there being no build up to it and so it does come out of nowhere and heck even the narrator for this episode doesn't even explain all that much about why it's dangerous for Thomas to be here and why he shouldn't go past the board in the first place with him going into more detail about both of those things in the pilot episode and heck even when Thomas does fall down the mine it just looks like he fell into a hole and doesn't look like the big accident that the episode is making it out to be and while this might be more true to the books that is only something that could have worked in the books as then you have your imagination to fill in all of the blanks where as here you don't really have that as an excuse and as such more of an effort should have gone into making the accident be all the more big and dramatic as the episode clearly wants it to be like not to the point where it starts to scare little kids but to the point where you believe that Thomas has really gotten himself into trouble with this being something that was more handled well in the original pilot and while the makers of the show had a good reason to re-filming all of this episode due to the fact that they use different models when compared to those used in the pilot episode they still could have redone the big crash scene as that's a big plot point in the story and yet it feels more like an afterthought.

As was stated at the very start of this review this episode concludes the entire first series character arc for both Thomas and Gordon with them now becoming friends. Something which they very firmly weren't even at the end of the shows very first episode where at best they were just acquaintances and that's really it however due to them helping each other out over the course of this series they do start to become more like friends and while they will never be the best of friends as there personalities are just to different for that to happen and yet even tho he was most likely ordered to come and help Thomas out by The Fat Controller when he did get there Gordon didn't make fun of Thomas and didn't tease him like Thomas had teased him earlier on in the episode he instead tried to emphasize with him by saying that even he was in disgrace Thomas did still make him feel better when he teased about smelling like ditch water because he made him laugh and now Thomas like him was also in disgrace with that being the thing that really does bond them both together as friends who are more then willing to help each other out something which they do promise to do at the end of the episode and it's that very thing that does proof that those two characters do make for good friends as friends will always be willing to help each other be it by making them laugh and feel better about something or in this case helping them when they fall down a mine and not tease them about it but in saying that tho there friendship could have done with a better build up as while it could be argued that the previous episode and this episode are kind of similar as they show the other engine getting into trouble with it only being this episode that shows someone actively pulling them out we don't really get to see much of them talking nicely to each other all throughout this first series with this being something that really could have helped with there growth as characters.

Now then this episode has / had an exact grand total running time of exactly five minuets and thirty two seconds. Which to be fair to this episode is pretty much the exact grand total running time that you'd expects alot of these early Thomas episodes to have and to be fair to this episode this episode really does have the right amount of plot there to really cover that amount of running time in the first place with the episode even making as good a use of its running time as it possibly could have done with the episodes plot being as well developed as it possibly could have done given the episodes running time which does mean that every single scene has to be about pushing the plot forward and developing the plot of the episode as well and while somethings like why Thomas isn't allowed to go past a certain point could have been better explained as it does feel like that it was added in there jus at the last minuet to help to explain somethings in the episode it really doesn't explain why Thomas can't go past and yet a heavier train like Gordon can be on the same tracks that Thomas was one and pull him out of the mine but that is at best a very minor issue with the episode with the episode even having some pretty decent character development in it as well as it's due to the events of this episode that both Thomas and Gordon do start to become more friendly to each other and while that was more due to the fact that it was there character arc for this series it was something that was payed off in this episode and was done in way that felt true to there characters at this point in time but I really will admit that this episode really does have some really good pacing to it tho.

So now then as this is a comedy that really does mean that I have to actually talk about the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very film well then in all honesty I in all honesty personally thought / felt that the actual comedy that's actually featured / presented to us in this very episode was in all honesty not that bad. As the episode much like the rest of the show does have some really cute jokes in it all of which are things that do work really well as they feel true the characters and therefor do come across very character driven and while the episodes jokes can seem pretty child like and childish that is something that does work really well for the show as these characters are meant to be very child like and at times childish in nature as well with the episodes best joke being one Thomas spends a good amount of time just teasing Gordon about him falling him into ditch water only for Annie And Clarabel to tell Thomas to stop teasing him as they have alot of respect for Gordon however tho oddly enough the pilot version of the episode has a much more better joke at the end of the episode where Thomas struggles to pronounce the allegiance something which is oddly cut out of this version of the episode which is odd as it would have been a really solid joke to end the episode on and yet the episode instead just fades to black after Thomas is rescued by Gordon but credit it were it's due the joke about Gordon smelling of ditch water is a really good joke and it's also a really good call back the previous episode as well with that episode called Off The Rails and is a good example of this show not only having some really good continuity but also telling some really good jokes as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. 

Overall this is a really fun episode that does do a decent enough job of fixing alot of the issues that people didn't know that they had with the recently released pilot as the episode does show the characters being there fun and charming selves which is more then enough to stop what could have been seen as being a really dull and boring episode and make it something that's also really fun to watch as well in my freaking opinions anyways / at least. Now then i've talked about all of the good and as well as all of the bad thigs that are in this very episode in this very review and as such that really does mean that this very episode really does earn itself a grand old score of exactly a 7.5 out of 10 from me.

Now then as for where I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review well then boys and girls and as well as ladies and gentlemen I personally got all of the images that I personally used in this very review from the official Thomas The Tank Engine fandom wiki page and Google Images. With my personally preferred website to use to get the images from this very episode that I used in this very review being the really great the official Thomas The Tank Engine fandom wiki page really simply just due to the fact that really alot of if not really all of the images that are all really from this very episode with alot of them being better quality then what you'd really think of and all of the images are really of course up and really on the official Thomas The Tank Engine fandom wiki page are also really all fairly high in quality and as well as them all being really fairly freaking high in definition.