Search - Thomas and the Magic Railroad on DVD

MPAA Rating: G Content Advisory: Excellent For Children Movie Release: 2000 DVD Release: 10/31/2000 Format: DVD - Pan and Scan Audio Tracks: English, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 24 mins Studio: Columbia TriStar Total Copies: 89 Genres: Children's/Family, Children's Fantasy, Family-Oriented Adventure

The internationally popular children's television program Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends (shown in the United States as part of the PBS series Shining Time Station) makes its way onto the big screen in this feature-length adventure. On her way to see her Grandpa Burnett (Peter Fonda), young Lily (Mara Wilson) gets on the wrong train and ends up lost. Fortunately, she meets the tiny Mr. Conductor (Alec Baldwin), who shows her a magical railway where the plucky little steam engine Thomas (voice of John Bellis) pulls the line from the enchanted town of Shining Time to the island of Sodor. Thomas' rival is the bigger (and meaner) Diesel Ten, who has already put one of Thomas' allied engines, The Lady, out of commission. Without The Lady, the Conductor has no source for the magic gold dust that allows him to travel from Sodor to Shining Time in the wink of an eye, so Lily and Thomas have to find a way to find more for him. Thomas and the Magic Railroad also features Didi Conn as Stacy Jones (reprising her role from Shining Time Station) and Russell Means as Billy Two Feathers. Like the TV series, Thomas and the Magic Railroad is loosely based on the -Thomas the Tank Engine books written by British children's author Wilbert Vere Awdry. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Peter Fonda - Burnett Stone
Mara Wilson - Lily
Alec Baldwin - Mr. Conductor
Didi Conn - Stacy Jones
Michael E. Rodgers - Junior
Cody McMains - Patch
Russell Means - Billy Two Feathers

Considering its lackluster reception from critics and at the box office, it's not surprising that Thomas and the Magic Railroad comes to home video in a fairly no-frills DVD. The video is presented in standard aspect ratio only; the audio fares a bit better, with Dolby Digital 5.1 and Surround tracks. The disc also includes a brief deleted scene, "Sundae Surprise!," the theatrical trailer, cast and crew biographies, and a link to the film's website. Like the film itself, the DVD of Thomas and the Magic Railroad feels a bit skimpy; however, it may still appeal to young fans of the TV show Shining Time Station and the -Thomas the Tank Engine book series on which it is based. ~ Heather Phares, All Movie Guide