Thomas & Friends-Three Cheers for Thomas (2004)

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General		Extras
Category	Childrens	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio Scene Selection Anim & Audio Game-Cargo Challenge
Rating
Year Of Production	2004
Running Time	57:12
RSDL / Flipper	No/No	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	David Mitton
Studio Distributor	Hit Entertainment Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Michael Angelis
Case	Amaray-Transparent-Secure Clip
RPI	$19.95	Music	Junior Campbell Andreas Fehrle Graeme MacArthur

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 2.0 (224Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    Thomas the Tank Engine is a huge favourite around our house. My 2 year old son has the DVDs, the slippers, the pyjamas, the T-shirt, the track suit, the books, the wooden train set and much more. Therefore, this new disc was greeted with great excitement.

    It is interesting to note that there are actually two versions of this show globally, an American one, with similar stories but an American story reader and the English one, as we get here. I recently purchased a disc of the series from Region 1 and was disappointed to find the annoying American voiceover. My son doesn't seem to mind but I find it a little difficult to cope with. This disc has a similar format to that one, although with an English voiceover. This disc is designed as one program with seven stories interspersed with various songs and games. Accordingly there are actually 11 segments included here in the 55 minute run time, despite there only being 7 chapter stops. Each of the seven stories runs for approximately 7 minutes. They are a brand new 2004 production.

    The 11 segments are:

1. Introduction
2. Thomas Saves the Day - Thomas has to ferry workers each day to a new station which is being built, however there is a dangerous bend along the way which worries him. When Annie & Clarabel are sent for a refit he gets very nervous about it.
3. Don't Tell Thomas - The other engines are keeping a secret from Thomas and he is desperate to find out what it is.
4. Percy memory game
5. Fish - Thomas has an accident involving stinky fish when he is not careful enough. Involves an engine I haven't seen before called Arthur.
6. Halloween - Arry & Bert try to scare Thomas and Emily on Halloween. It annoys me that this show is becoming more and more Americanized with episodes like this.
7. Song - Surprises 
8. Spic and Span - There is a competition for the smartest engine but Thomas and Percy have trouble getting and staying clean.
9. Chickens to School - Thomas volunteers for three extra job however gets so tired that he starts mixing them up.
10. Thomas repaint interactive activity
11. Thomas & the Circus - Thomas gets the job of collecting the circus which is coming to Sodor, however because he is greedy things go wrong.

    Another excellent set of Thomas stories which all little Thomas fans will enjoy.

Video

    The video quality is very good but lacking a little in sharpness.

    The feature is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio 16x9 enhanced which is the original aspect ratio.

    The picture was reasonably clear and sharp throughout although could not be described as crisp. There was no evidence of low level noise.

    The colour was wonderful, rich and solid throughout.

    There were no noticeable artefacts.

    There are subtitles in English for the hearing impaired. The English subtitles were clear and easy to read, however I felt they were placed too high on the screen obscuring the picture.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    The audio quality is very good.

    This DVD contains an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack encoded at 224 Kb/s.

    Dialogue was clear and easy to understand and there was no problem with audio sync.

    The music is good fun and the songs are great for little kids.

    The surround speakers were not used.

    The subwoofer added bass to the music but this was a function of my amp's bass management.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    The menu is simple and easy to use.

Cargo Challenge Game

    With significant help from the voiceover the player must decide how many trucks to take and at what speed for various jobs to see if they will arrive safely. Not bad.

    There is no real comparison available here as the US discs contain the American voiceover.

    On this basis, I would recommend the Region 4 version.

    The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is very good.

    The set has one extra which the kids will enjoy.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall