This year, fans of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends are treated to not one but two specials this year. The first, The Adventure Begins, told of how Thomas made his start on the North Western Railway. The second, the one I will be talking about, known as Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, tells of the construction of a new branch line with treasure hunting in tow.
Before I start, I need to let off some hype. THIS is how you do a special/movie. The stakes are made a little higher with Thomas losing his branch line and a HUMAN villian in the form of Sailor John. We get to see old friends and new(ish) faces as well, making it a treat for fans.
Story:
In a nutshell, after disgracing himself, Thomas is stripped of his branch line and sent to help building a new branch line with Duck, Oliver, and the Scottish Twins Donald and Douglas (did I mention old faces were coming back?). After another chaotic accident, an old pirate ship is found, attracting the attention of the villainous Sailor John, who is after the ship's treasure for his own greedy ends.
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| Sailing! Sailing! Down the tracks we go! Will Thomas stop Sailor John? Watch the special and you'll know! |
Andrew Brenner did a great job with this story. Though just a simple redemption plot, Brenner utilizes this by upping the stakes. For starts, Thomas loses his branch line. Up to this point, such a thing only happened once when Thomas fell down a mine and so he would have had to have really messed up to force the Fat Controller to make such an action.
My only two complains with the over all plot was the motorized crane Kevin and accident at Knatford. Kevin is a fun character, his clumsiness complements the seriousness of Victor. The problem is that as the series is moving to the more realistic style of the Railway Series, Kevin becomes more of a hindrance than comedy relief. Granted, I've read from some people that Kevin's model type had been notorious for falling over and such, which could be interesting to have mentioned on the show in some form.
The major accident at Knatford that leads to Thomas' situation could have been avoided. Since he was given his branch line, Thomas was relieved of shunting duties. Percy and Duck's arrivals were based on the need to fill in his place but both were soon promoted from such work (Percy joining Thomas' branch and Duck getting one of his own). It could be argued that Thomas now takes on both responsibilities since there is no one to do so. That said, it's not established in the plot to why Thomas would be taking care of Gordon's coaches and makes this incident a bit confusing.
Characters:
-Thomas: We definitely get to see the classic Thomas in this special. He cheeky, rude but still wanting to do what's right. His accident at Knatford shows Thomas' classic mentality in how he refuses to put up with Gordon's high and mighty attitude and deciding to take the express himself.
-Marion: Though mostly a secondary character for the most part, Marion's hilarious curiosity over the Arlesdale engines (thinking they are magic and grant wishes) allows for some cute humor while also helping move the plot such as the case of finding the treasure.
-Ryan: I found Ryan to be an interesting character. He's really keen on trying to befriend Thomas (who feels threatened by Ryan's arrival). He has some personality in that he wants to please everyone, which could prove to have potential in future story-lines if done properly.
| Ryan's arrival doesn't bode well with Thomas the Tank Engine. |
-Skiff: Unique to say the least. Inspired by the real sail boats that were often used by hobbiests (one can even be found at the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highlands Railway in Wales. One thing I liked about Skiff was the fact that they emphisied the fact that he was powerless without someone to drive him, making the poor sailing train trapped in the control of Sailor John
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| Skiff the Sailboat. |
-Arlesdale Railway Engines: I won't say much about these three as I want to wait until they appear in the TV series to draw a better opinion on Rex, Bert, and Mike. Their appearance in the special was very welcomed and definitely played a part in the climax. I'm hoping stories like "Tit for Tat" and Really Useful Railway" will make it to television after this appearance.
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| Left to Right: Mike, Bert, and Rex |
Before I begin, I am going to say something about the CGI. IT WORKS. Don't get me wrong, I miss the models and I will always enjoy that period the TV series. That said, the use of CGI has allowed for better scope and angles that could not be done with the models. People who ramble about CGI looking fake forget that a tin can was used for a shed support in the "Diseasel". Plus, you're going to ague that models are more real even though CGI can introduce more textures and angles that were not seen in the series.
Rant over. ARC did a great job. The scope and intensity of some of the scenes were great. I've put one of my favourite moments for just an example of ARC's work in the special (and to support my argument for my rant above). As a side note: one of the most important people to Thomas the Tank Engine appears on a bike at the end.
Closing:
To make it short: Sodor's Ledgent of the Lost Treasure was well done. Brenner was able to make a story that was in line with the spirit of the series and also playing homage to the 70th Anniversary. For that reason alone, I would recommend this special to any Thomas fan.
Bibliography:
http://rattlerjones.deviantart.com/art/Mike-Rex-and-Bert-546235537
http://www.ew.com/article/2015/09/08/eddie-redmayne-thomas-tank-engine-movie
http://www.myvue.com/latest-movies/info/film/thomas-friends-sodors-legend-of-lost-treasure. Accessed August 28, 2015.
http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/File:Sodor'sLegendoftheLostTreasure33.png
http://ttte.wikia.com/wiki/File:Sodor'sLegendoftheLostTreasure49.png
