Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go

What is the point of this cartoon? You have the characters and the brand, but seeing as the heart, soul and point of Thomas have been so ripped out, it looks like they are merely used cynically to have an automatic audience. It would've been more appropriate for Mattel to create entirely new characters, given the radical gear shift, and created a new Mighty Express or Chuggington.

Some of us care about Reverend Awdry's legacy and the world he created. It has endured for of all the reasons the creators of this series feels it can so easily jettison. The realism of the trains, their personalities which match their class and usage. Showing how railways actually work and how engines and other machinery work together.

Generations of children understand this and respond to this and even the more creative CGI series of late have these values at their heart. Thomas directly inspires my son's interest with steam railways and I'm sure Thomas boosts visitor tickets to these places. Legions of autistic children and adults who have a special interest in railways are loyal to this show, just look at the fan videos on YouTube.

This show and the characters are not Thomas and Friends. They were never meant to be children and never meant to leap about track to track, or for the stories to be fast paced or even cartoonised. If the creators think that Thomas is no longer relevant then they needed to do the decent thing and shelve or cancel it. This stinks of cynicism and has no respect for the show, it's history or it's creator. My hope is that Thomas will eventually be restored to his former glory. Oh, and John Hasler was an awesome Thomas, what a waste.

When I watched the 1984,2007,2011 series when I was young, it is very well appealing to all audiences including the 2020-21 last season. However, when I watched the misadventures of the 2021-22 series, I switched videos almost immediately. The materials that was used to illustrate the new series have deteriorated that appeal from audiences around the world, including me.

This is an insult to anyone who remotely says they like Thomas. Mattel is killing this franchise from its toys to the actual seasons of the show and now a crappy reboot. Is this show good for toddlers, maybe. But to anyone else it is a pile of hot garbage. If you are watching this with your kids or by yourself I highly assume you will want to glue your ears and eyes shut.

If I could give this 0 stars I would. Although I don't like this reboot at all because it ruined Thomas and friends altogether, one of the worst things is that Thomas, Percy and most of the reduced characters are children. Back in the old days Thomas was a young engine who was cheeky but he was still really useful, but now he is quite literally a child. This actually makes season 12 to season 16 of Thomas and friends look decent because this is 10 times worse.

As a child growing up in the 90's Thomas introduced me to so many mechanical and historically important steam train related facts that as an adult to two young children would like to see them educated similarly.

Watched this garbage the other day with them and was horrified. From the awful Children choir introduction sing along, to the flexy/leaning on 3 wheels round a bend nonsense to the excruciatingly annoying narrator on the Thomas voice especially.

I still relate 30 years on to Edward gradually picking his coaches up one by one in order to pull the heavy train, Thomas fitting his snow plow and Henry being punished and bricked up in the tunnel for being mardy.

All the above contributed to me as a child having a good basic understanding of the railway, steam engines and array of vehicles used within it. Helicopters, tractors, traction engines, buses etc.. but also how to deal with situations in general life as a youngster. The characters were so strong it helped me understand what was good, bad, fair and honest.

Seems silly writing this as it shouldn't matter, but can't hide the fact it does. My Mrs thinks i'm nuts. Thankfully I can show them the original Rev Awdrey design via you tube. I bet he would be angered to see his legacy destroyed.

Shame, totally spoiled. Scrap this before kids and adults alike ditch it!