Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - The Movie Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - The Movie Blu-ray Movie Review

The kiddie engine that could.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 27, 2014

Safe to say, Thomas the Train (or Thomas the Tank Engine) is a smash hit with the little ones. The chatty locomotive has entertained children for quite a while now and shows no signs of losing steam. Movies abound and all variety of books, toys, games, learning activities, music, and so on and so forth are speeding into the hands and minds of little audiences who find in the character and the fictional world in which he exists a balance of humor, storytelling, and messaging that help reinforce positive ideas, such as the idea of "bravery" that's at the center of this movie, Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave. The filmmakers have expanded a simple idea into a sixty-minute splurge of Thomas and friends dealing with tricks, perceived dangers, and up and down interpersonal relationships that all flow from a single, misunderstood phenomenon. It's basic kid-centric and Thomas material that the little ones will adore and the parents will have to tolerate, because the appeal of the material pretty much begins and ends with small children.

Chatting.

Thomas' (voiced by Martin Sherman) branch line is closed for repairs, so rather than keep on his usual track he's transferred to the Sodor China Clay Pits. There, he's almost injured by a rockslide during a heavy rainstorm. The local pranksters, Ben and Bill (voiced by Johnathon Broadbent), save him. But in the moment, Thomas sees something on one of the rocks: a mark that resembles a beast's footprint. It scares him and truly upsets Percy (voiced by Martin Sherman, again) who becomes too scared to deliver the mail. To make matters worse, he runs into a hulking engine he believes to be the monster but is actually Gator (voiced by Clive Mantle), a fellow train who ultimately becomes Percy's friend and helps him to confront his newfound fears head-on.

This movie, and the greater Thomas universe, seems all about simplicity: simplicity of message, simplicity of environment, simplicity of character design. While there's certainly a little bit of technical railway jargon and some of those odd nouns kids seem to like (Island of Sodor, Sir Topham Hatt), the show is mostly about basic characters and ideas. In this movie, there's Thomas, Timothy, Percy, Gator, Ben, and Bill. They're all mere variants of the same thing, distinguished more by a voice and an attitude than they are a face, which are almost interchangeable as nothing but gray circles with basic features on the front of the respective locomotives. Beyond the theme messaging that's kid friendly about bravery, facing challenges head-on, setting aside fear, and uncovering the truth rather than running away from an illusion, the film is largely a routine example of the series that blends in a little bit of railway jargon but is otherwise, structurally and thematically, absolutely within the grasp of its target audience.

The film's simplicity carries over to other areas as well. The animation satisfies but isn't particularly detailed or complex. The series works in broader strokes rather than nuanced elements, allowing for a greater focus on story and characterization (and, no doubt, ease of constructing merchandise). The nature of the environment rarely allows the show to expand beyond simple dialogue scenes in which the talking trains appear parallel to one another, gabbing away about the plot while side-by-side on the tracks. Bigger, more complex scenes are saved for critical junctures while the basic dialogue and movement up and down the tracks defines the bulk of the presentation. The voice acting is a little flat at the micro level, but there's at least a cheerfulness to much of it and a sense of wonder at the appropriate time at the macro level where most of the viewers will be listening, anyway. It's all very much basic kid-centered stuff that, even with its immense popularity, seems only like a fish in a much larger sea of goodhearted, well-meaning, life-lesson animated fare for the digital 21st century.

Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - The Movie rolls onto Blu-ray with a capable 1080p transfer. Universal's presentation does well to display the rather meager animated details. The image is a little flat, but it manages to bring the terrain and the characters both to pleasing life. Textures are solid. Rocks and trees, for instance, are nicely defined up to the limit of the source material. Characters, likewise, show nice visual polish to the point that they have polish to show. Image clarity is excellent, and even while the film looks and feels like plastic, it's nicely defined across the board. Colors are satisfyingly bright and cheery. The various shades on the engines stand nicely apart from some of the flatter, earthier backdrops. There's not much room for complaint. Very light banding creeps in at times but this is otherwise a pleasing effort from Universal.

Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - The Movie features a nicely balanced and occasionally immersive DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. General dialogue delivery is robust and clear, and the track offers several instances of quality reverberation around the stage. Music enjoys good, often exacting clarity and a wide front presence to go along with a healthy, but not abundant, surround support element. Heavy sound effects are well defined, including a heavy downpour and collapsing rocks. This is a good listen, one that won't overwhelm younger audiences but one that will keep them sonically engaged throughout.

Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - The Movie contains a few kid-centric supplements. UV and iTunes digital copy codes are included in the case. A DVD copy of the film is also included.

• Music Video (1080p, 2:14): Let's Be Brave.
• Music Video (1080p, 2:14): Monsters Everywhere.
• Guess Who? Puzzles (1080p, 2:13): The disc assembles three small puzzles and challenges viewers to guess the character before it's finished.
• Previews: Additional Universal titles.

Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - The Movie Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - The Movie should entertain the kids, and that's all that really matters. That and that there's a decent message about confronting fear, discovering the truth, being kind, not playing tricks on others, and being brave. The voice work and animation are about on-par with the rest of the films and shows. Parents will probably find it tiresome, though. Universal's Blu-ray release of Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - The Movie features good video, solid audio, and a few kid-centric extras. Recommended for the children.