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Movies / On DVD / Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Thomas and the Magic Railroad

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Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)

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Reviews Counted:63

Fresh:12

Rotten:51

Average Rating:3.9/10

Consensus: Kids these days demand cutting edge special effects or at least a clever plot with cute charectors. This movie has neither, having lost in its Americanization what the British original did so right.

Runtime: 87 mins

Genre: Childrens

Synopsis: Eleven-year old Lily (Mara Wilson) sets off to see her grandpa (Peter Fonda), but she ends up on the wrong train. Lily meets Mr. Conductor (Alec Baldwin), who lives in the town of Shining Time. Mr.... Eleven-year old Lily (Mara Wilson) sets off to see her grandpa (Peter Fonda), but she ends up on the wrong train. Lily meets Mr. Conductor (Alec Baldwin), who lives in the town of Shining Time. Mr. Conductor uses magic gold dust to visit the Island of Sodor and Thomas the Tank Engine and the Magic Railroad. When Lily arrives, Thomas is having problems with Diesel 10, a renegade diesel engine, and Mr. Conductor is running out of the magic dust. But all will be well if Lady, a missing golden engine, can be found. In the meantime, Grandpa has an engine hidden away in the mountain. Could it be Lady? Will Mr. Conductor find more magic gold dust? And will Thomas again be the number one hero of the Magic Railroad? In the early 1980s, Britt Allcroft found Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends in the Reverend W. Awdry's THE RAILWAY SERIES and brought them to television. Now--aiming at an audience of children between 3 and 7 years old--Allcroft transfers Thomas and his friends to the big screen, and she uses all manner of special effects in capturing the storybook feel of the original stories. [More]

Starring: Edward Glen, Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson

Starring: Edward Glen, Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson, Michael Rodgers, Russell Means, Cody McMains, Didi Conn

Director: Britt Allcroft

Director: Britt Allcroft
Screenwriter: Britt Allcroft
Producer: Britt Allcroft, Phil Fehrie
Composer: Hummie Mann

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Thomas and the Magic Railroad

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

With clunky bluescreen, spot-a-mile-off matte work and an absolute lack of synergy between real-life and animated action, it all conspires to provide an appropriately amateur sheen.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
12/30/06
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

If all this sounds convoluted, well, it's a toddlers' film and anything goes.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An inglorious wreck of a movie.

Full Review Source: Sight and Sound | comment Comment
12/02/02
Edward Lawrenson
Edward Lawrenson
Sight and Sound

Nonsensical, cheesy, saccharine drivel, with all the charm of the source material removed, and the low-tech special effects kept in.

Full Review Source: UK Critic | comment Comment
01/01/00
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
Ian Waldron-Mantgani
UK Critic

It's sad in the extreme to see a behind-the-scenes cast of thousands, well hundreds, combining in an attempt to turn visual effects and animation into pure, innocent magic, and failing miserably.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
01/01/00
Michael Thomson
Michael Thomson
BBC
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Could have been worse I suppose. At least there are no Pokemons or (shudder) grinning purple dinosaurs around.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
12/10/01
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Offers a smooth trip.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
E! Online
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
03/24/02
Boston Phoenix
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
05/31/02
Hollywood.com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This land of sweetness and light may appeal to many, but to some it is going to seem like living hell.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Bob Graham
Bob Graham
San Francisco Chronicle

A cynical, poorly constructed attempt to make parents and kids pay for a lesser version of what they can get free on TV.

comment Comment
01/01/00
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

The sloppy storytelling leaves the magic in short supply.

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
01/01/00
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
Nitrate Online

Compared with contempo kidpics, the whole thing also looks rather low-tech.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
01/01/00
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I grew confused, then annoyed and finally just fatigued.

Full Review Source: NUVO Newsweekly | comment Comment
01/01/00
Edward Johnson-Ott
Edward Johnson-Ott
NUVO Newsweekly

You really don't want to be railroaded into seeing it.

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
01/01/00
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

It's very slow, though it does offer a respite from the overactive animation that kids are mostly subjected to.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Elvis Mitchell
Elvis Mitchell
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Meanders in a slow, tiresome way.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
01/01/00
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

Tough going in spite of its obvious desire to please.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
01/01/00
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

This surprisingly complex tale also includes a magic conductor (an enthusiastic Alec Baldwin) who desperately needs magic gold dust so he can do his work.

Full Review Source: Rochester Democrat and Chronicle | comment Comment
01/01/00
Jack Garner
Jack Garner
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

The movie is no better than something designed for a direct-to-video release.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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Latest News for Thomas and the Magic Railroad

January 01, 2000: It looks cute enough. Opens in new window
More...

January 01, 2000: Though its box-office prospects seem chancy, the film does have a ready-made audience. Opens in new window
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