Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go is NOT the Thomas the Tank Engine kids of the 80s and 90s (or 00s) grew up with; this poorly done 'cartoon' is an overly bendy and cheap-looking nightmare that is a disgrace to Reverend Wilbert Awdry's Railway Series, and it looks even worse than old Flash animations.
The thing that worked with the original series (the seasons with models), is that the earlier ones had a sense of grounded yet simple stories and morales that weren't condescending to kids, and they were like visual storybooks. So why is this show brimming with condescension and leaning into the fact that there's nothing really transcendent or endearing here? I guess Mattel emphasised the toys moreso than the once endearing charm and character of the Steam Engines of Sodor.
I'm all for kids entertainment; sometimes it can appeal to ANYONE in ceaselessly easy ways, like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Dexter's Lab, Gravity Falls, Ducktales (the 1980s one and/or the 2010s reboot), and even the early days of Doctor Who count; point being, regardless of medium, entertainment can STILL entertain and be genuinely appealing despite demographic limitations. All Engines Go wishes it could say the same thing for itself.
Basically, watch the original Ringo Starr and Michael Angelis narrated shows instead of this travesty. You'll thank me later.
