Thomas & Friends: The Great Race - The Movie

My daughter is an on-again-off-again Thomas fanatic, and the release of "The Great Race" has definitely moved us into the "on-again" camp. She loves this movie, and the new engine, Ashima, in particular. The Thomas brand has been criticized for not doing enough to emphasize female characters and appeal to female fans. But we've been to train shows and Thomas events and there are plenty of girls interested in this show. While there are other female trains, Ashima is the first one that my daughter (2 years old) asks for by name and that I think she can identify as female. Maybe that matters, maybe it doesn't, but I definitely don't think it hurts.The movie is about an hour long, and having been subjected to probably hundreds of hours of Thomas shows and movie features, this is one of the better releases. It definitely has a more "musical" feel than some of the other movies. I won't say the quality of the musical numbers is "good" by an adult standard, but they all have a very positive message and definitely become catchy over time. I worried "The Great Race" was just going to be a huge character dump as a way to sell a dozen new trains, but it's legitimately entertaining, and makes me wish that Ashima became a series regular much like they did when Hiro was introduced.

This is definitley one of the better Thomas movies. It is like a musical and has very cute and catchy songs that any child would love. There is some humor in this movie as well. It is a bright, light and happy Thomas movie. There is only one scene my 4 year old son did not like and that involved a train called Vinnie trying to push Phillip off the tracks. Although my son did not like the mean engine, it was actually a good talking point and started a conversations about Bullies. Thomas, of course, saves the day and pulls Vinnie away with the help of Ashima. This is also a good lesson about standing up for someone that is being bullied. The rest of the lessons are about being yourself and knowing your strengths. Also, good sportsmanship is shown through Thomas switching tracks with Ashima because her track was blocked. He let her win because it would not have been fair. Overall, my son loves it because of all the fun and catchy songs, and I love it because of the good morals and lessons. But parents beware...your child will be asking for a Ashima engine!

I started hearing about this movie a couple of months ago when he discovered it on YouTube. He learned all the songs and was counting down the days, and this did not disappoint!! He loved the whole thing (he can be picky about his Thomas shows) and I liked it too!! The whole premise is that there is a big race on the mainland and some engines think they are better than others. And Thomas want to be streamlined and be in the big race! Much to his disappointment he doesn't even get to go! But in the end he learns that he is enough just as he is! He sings I don't need to be faster, bigger, stronger, etc. in a catchy song that teaches kids a good lesson, like back in the days where Mr. Tanner, Uncle Jesse, and Joey taught us what we could learn at the end. I actually enjoyed most of the movie and liked the good moral lesson.

I bought this using our Amazon Fire Stick and my son loves it! He loves all things Thomas so this was a clear winner. It's the modern computer animation Thomas stories, which I personally find the most entertaining... because we all know the parents have to endure the kids shows too :) It's a nice storyline about friendly competition, not always getting what you want, and how to be a good winner/loser.I love how easy it is to buy videos on my Amazon Fire Stick! We have it passcoded so my son can't buy anything, but all we have to do is type a few numbers and its downloaded in seconds. Its definitely helpful when we "have to watch Thomas RIGHT NOW!" and there is no time for mommy to pull out her credit card.

This is a wonderful musical with your favorite Thomas & Friends characters. We really enjoy watching this movie as a family and sing along to all the songs. My kids watch it every day and I can say that this is their favorite out of all the Thomas & Friends collection. I can tell there are new voices for most of the trains and Sir Topham Hat. The theme of this movie is to love yourself and self-acceptance. You also get to meet one of Gordon's family members who seems to be more self-absorbed than Gordon lol. It's pretty funny to see them interact. I highly recommend that you see this movie. I don't think you will be disappointed.

Adding to the chorus of positive reviews. My kid loved this movie. Kind of funny that it's a musical, meaning the trains actually sing in this one (the other movies all have songs, but they aren't sung by the engines). Should be fine for even the most sensitive kids, though one train is bullied near the end, though SPOILER Thomas and a new friend help rescue him--my son is extremely sensitive but was fine with this movie. Overall one of the better Thomas films, along with King of the Railway. None of the weird dark stuff of the recent treasure/pirate-themed Thomas movie or Day of the Diesels or other "scary" Thomas & Friends movies.

I am not the biggest fan of Thomas the Train and most of the movies along with the TV show drive me nuts. This movie however...I did like. I love the new character​ Ashima and some of the songs are catchy and have a great message. The one about being yourself is my favorite. It still has Thomas being about as whiney as he usually is but it is a pretty good movie...for a Thomas the Train movie.

I enjoy watching this DVD as much as my 3 and 5 year old grandchildren!