The Great Race Thread

[thomasj219]

I honestly don't think it's that big of a deal.

[JD417]

And why does he call Gordon "little brother" Gordon was first the prototype for the A3 class so Scotsman is actually the little brother.

Fairly certain that it has to do with the fact that Scotsman, having the double tenders, makes him bigger.

[Captain Crutch]

Hey wouldn't it be cool if they sold a part separately from each Gordon and Thomas that was kinda like the snowplow that would make both Thomas and Gordon (different part for each obviously) streamlined so you could recreate those scenes. Thomas would be hard and probably not look right but having a Shooting Star Gordon shell that I can put on and take back off would be amazing.

[Griffin (TheBlueSnowplow)]

Hey wouldn't it be cool if they sold a part separately from each Gordon and Thomas that was kinda like the snowplow that would make both Thomas and Gordon (different part for each obviously) streamlined so you could recreate those scenes. Thomas would be hard and probably not look right but having a Shooting Star Gordon shell that I can put on and take back off would be amazing.

Since Bachmann has neglected to sell separately HO Thomas' snowplough, I find this highly unlikely.

[Captain Crutch]

Hey wouldn't it be cool if they sold a part separately from each Gordon and Thomas that was kinda like the snowplow that would make both Thomas and Gordon (different part for each obviously) streamlined so you could recreate those scenes. Thomas would be hard and probably not look right but having a Shooting Star Gordon shell that I can put on and take back off would be amazing.

Since Bachmann has neglected to sell separately HO Thomas' snowplough, I find this highly unlikely.

It'd still be pretty cool though. And a good idea. I understand it's unlikely but it'd still be pretty cool don't you agree?

[Captain Crutch]

Also since rumor has it Flying Scotsman will be in the series more than TGR. Who doesn't love the Flying Scotsman. I'm hopeful that we'll see him sometime in the Bachmann line. I'd like to see how they deal with two tenders. Besides he'd just be a retooling of Gordon, it is feasible that they would. Just another idea for my favorite model railroading company.

[MeganekkoFury1126]

Well the Great Race came available today on Digital video, and here are my thoughts on it, what is arguably the hardest one to give an opinion on...

(SPOILERS BELOW. BEWARE.)

The good things in this are really good. The moral about being yourself is excellently done, and works great for the plot. Thomas is written very close to his true personality, and his motivations for pretty much everything he does in the special are relatable and legitimate, much like the last two specials. The other Sodor engines are as well, though I might criticize the ones used for the majority of the special. Emily and Gordon (yes, in his rather gaudy streamlined form) I do welcome, since they haven't done much other than being supporting characters in previous specials, especially Emily, and both are very well used. James and Henry, however, I feel weren't the ones I'd personally pick to try and spice things up since they've both gotten a lot of use prior to this and they feel a little stale here. Percy, whilst not contributing much to the show plot line, does provide good motivation to let Thomas participate instead and is a good reminder of how strong their friendship is.

As far as the new characters, Ashima (voiced wonderfully by Tina Desai) is definitely the best here. She's an excellent female character in the franchise, and a good role model in general, which seems to have become a thing in the Arc era of Thomas. She and Thomas have so many great moments together that really drive the story along. Though I have to say the Flying Scotsman is a close second. Aside from being canon in the TV series of being Gordon's brother and that it's just a joy to see him in full (unlike in season 3), he actually feels a bit more like a three dimensional character here than in the Railway Series. He's very proud and boastful, like Gordon, and that really shows that they are brothers. However, they did manage to get in the caring side readers of the Railway Series will remember. Maybe not as much in some areas as we would've liked to, especially to show for kids for a potentially good moral, but still pretty darn close.

When I first read that Diesel was going to have a subplot in this movie, I was a little worried, as that action has been used so many times it's feeling very old. However, here they managed to make it fresh and entertaining. While it doesn't contribute that much to the plot, it's undeniably the funniest part of the special, especially with the excellent 'Full of Surprises' song and the mid credits scenes.

Which brings me to the songs. All of them feel very well composed (thanks to all new composers Chris Renshaw and Oliver Davis), written and performed. I personally like 'Will You, Won't You' most, particularly for how many of the cast get involved, but they all really help drive the story along, except maybe 'Streamlining', and all are an even greater step up from 'Never Overlook a Little Engine' in how the franchise uses these songs. Arc also continually stepped up the animation quality once more, and it looks just fabulous as expected, which makes their bankruptcy in recent months all the more disappointing.

Now, the things that let me down on this special start with the fact that halfway during the special, the plot line gets pretty eschewed throughout the hype of the Railway show, and as a result stalls from feeling rushed and all over the place at times, ironically. Since the Railway Show aspect takes up about a third of the special, the whole show feels too squeezed to use its full potential. The strength competition and best dressed competitions feel particularly anti-climatic. Most notably, however, is that almost all of the international engines contribute almost nothing, and some don't even get a line. Which is a shame, because there was so much potential to make a lot of them at least a little interesting and charismatic. The only one that really stood out was Vinnie, and while many hate him for being a big bully, I wasn't too bothered with him. If anything the choice in prototype, paint, looks and attitude make him feel very unique and thuggish. Yes, he's a bully without much motivation, and that's something I didn't particularly liked, but this brings me to something else I disliked that revolves around another character: Phillip.

Since his introduction in season 19, I at first kind of liked Phillip, but after watching season 19 over and over, I really REALLY dislike him, and this special proves it. Maybe he's not as extremely annoying or getting off scot-free as the former, but there's a scene when Vinnie is bullying Phillip because he cut him off and bumped into him accidentally, and...well, let's just say Thomas and Ashima save him, but Phillip didn't do anything to stand up for himself, yet he still taunts Vinnie anyways after the former two do all the work for him. Honestly this part of the special is what really ticks me off. Now, I get that Phillip is a David vs. Goliath Vinnie, but since the whole special's moral is about embracing who you are, it would've made better sense to have Phillip at least try and stand up for himself, because going the route that actually occurred would mean Vinnie would easily bully Phillip again when no one else is around to defend him.

In the end, this is the weakest of the Renaissance era's specials. To put it simply, so much potential to make this better than it was there, but as is, it's still significantly better than any of the Nitrogen era specials. The good in this special is really good, but the disappointment of unused potential and that little green box shrimp do bring the quality down a good bit. Though for kids, I'm sure they'll be less critical about it as I am, and if they like it and it gets good sales for the franchise, more power to them.

7/10

[Chaz]

I have to admit, now that I've seen the Great Race in full, I'd be lying if I said that this would be a favorite of mine.  It didn't do anything for me compared to The Adventure Begins, Lost Treasure, and even Tale of the Brave.  Even Blue Mountain Mystery had better pacing than this did.  I think this special as a whole at the very best was okay.  A lot of the foreign engines really do seem like a waste to me, which is a shame since I would have been interested to see more of them, the other three engines from the shunting competition in particular.  

It was great seeing the Flying Scotsman have a proper introduction, though I feel his "brother" relationship with Gordon could have been explored a lot more.  It felt pretty minor compared to the role we saw from the small railway engines in Lost Treasure.

Ashima didn't really do anything for me personally, but I felt she contributed more to the story than Ryan did in Lost Treasure.  I have a feeling we will probably see her make an appearance in the series only it will be kept to a minimum, similar to Gator in season 18.

Vinnie is by far my favorite new character who was introduced into this special.  It's a shame that he was the only other foreign engine explored.  His subplot with Phillip was very funny, I especially got a chuckle out of Vinnie chasing Phillip in the background during one shot.   It's the one time in the recent series where humor actually works.  Just like Diesel chasing after his "crates" in the scene by the Steamworks.  I would much rather have humor like this rather than the forced humor we got from season 19 with Sir Topham Hatt.

As far as future Bachmann candidates go for consideration after the special, I don't see Norman or Ashima happening anytime soon.  Paxton on the other hand I think had more of a significant role than Norman and Sidney in this special, I'm sure we will see him find his way into the range eventually.  Porter would make a nice bonus since he has been used regularly since his debut, including this special.

It's not my favorite special, but at the same time, it's not the worst. I won't be buying the DVD, but some more viewings of the special is not unlikely on my end.

[TrainFan97]

We don't get to know the international engines. Most of them only had one line or two. Some even had no lines at all, making them rather pointless characters just there for the sake of merchandising. Another funny thing is that the international engines don't really have a whole lot of merchandise at all. I honestly don't get Mattel. Is this some kind of joke? Just creating pointless characters for the sake of merchandising, and they can't even get that right.

We don't get to see who wins the strength competition, as we literally only saw a few seconds of it. The writers kept making Sodor lose, just so Thomas could be the hero.

Philip NEVER shuts up about the time he "beat" Gordon in a race.

This whole movie was a toy commercial. Now that Journey Beyond Sodor was announced, I can't wait to see what useless merchandising this movie will have. That's Mattel.

[MeganekkoFury1126]

The only thing I hope is that Thomas isn't put into a main story that is cliched, forced, or one that feels like something we've seen before like in the Great Race.

Heck, if it was like Tale of the Brave and Thomas took a back seat, more power to them.

Considering that the guys behind the show ARE listening to what fans have to say to some degree (Duck is now correctly sized for example), maybe they'll learn from the mistakes in the last special.

[TrainFan97]

Streamlined Thomas. Shooting Star Gordon. Forgettable international engines. Decorated James and Emily. Thomas' paintjobs when he begged Victor.

This movie was blatantly made for pointless merchandising.

[Cheeky_ULP]

Considering half of those things don't even have a toy, I'd say it was just the creative team getting too zany with things.

[donaldthescottishtwin]

Hey we got Thomas looking like David Bowie during one of the musical segments where is my Take N Play of that?.

[Captain Crutch]

Hey we got Thomas looking like David Bowie during one of the musical segments where is my Take N Play of that?.

I mean there's a kinda trackmaster version of it. Probably won't help you but it might. I see what you mean though, give us David Bowie Thomas and make it a merchandise item.

[Metal]

If we get episodes that focus around the TGR continuity, then it might salvage the lackluster aspects of the special.