ThomasNATION Movie Reviews - Day of the Diesels
October 03, 2020
Hey all, JF here, and boy howdy do we have an interesting review here.
Day of the Diesels is the 2011 Thomas and Friends movie, and served as a backdoor to the infamous Season 15. We’ve already done an entire article on how Season 15 is entirely screwed up, which we’ll leave a link to. But how does Day of the Diesels hold up? Let’s begin.
The film is about Percy feeling neglected by Thomas once new arrivals Belle and Flynn arrive on Sodor. Diesel recommends he pays a visit to an old, worn out building known as the Dieselworks, where he is greeted by Diesel 10. After spending time there, Diesel 10 reveals his master plan to Percy: to take over the Steamworks. With that last sentence, you can practically pinpoint where this concept loses steam (no pun intended).
Where the movie really falls apart is in the execution. The biggest problem here is that for the majority of the feature, Percy is way too naĆÆve. He seems way too trusting of the diesel engines, particularly Diesel 10, even enough to help him take over the Steamworks. Heck, Diesel 10 even tells him that he’s planning an uprising against the steam engines and still agrees to it because “he’ll play an important role”; and that’s not even mentioning how his motivation is basically “Thomas is too busy to spend time with me”. The plan to invade the Steamworks is pretty dumb as well. They don’t do anything that proves a threat to the steam engines, like locking them out or placing a full on ban on them, they just kinda screw around in there, so it feels less like an invasion and more like a housewarming party. The film also sets up that there will be a massive fire at the Dieselworks, but once it arrives, it feels like it’s over before it begins. In fact, this isn’t really a criticism and more of a nitpick…
...but wasn’t Sidney still in there when the Dieselworks was engulfed in flames? And one last problem here is that this is a classic case of “show, don’t tell”. The way the story is written never properly allows for the characters to show how they’re feeling, but the narrator has to tell us how they’re feeling. That's nothing against either the late Michael Angelis or Michael Brandon, they do a decent job, but with the way they're forced into the story, it feels like they're talking down to the viewers. But then again, the characters have some abysmal dialogue, so nobody really wins in this case. In fact, most of the dialogue, even from the narrator, is especially awful, including one scene where it’s said that Percy’s waiting for the diesels to clap for him, but how are they supposed to clap? Diesel 10 I could understand since he has the claw, but the rest? Not really seeing the solution. If there is something worth praising about the writing, it’s that I like the idea of Percy finding solace in the diesels, who are often frowned upon by the steam engines. I also have to give credit on how the focus is given to Percy this time around as opposed to Thomas. But in terms of praise, that’s about it.
As for the new characters, they introduce a bunch of them, giving the spotlight to four: Belle, Flynn, Den and Dart. And to put it short, they’re okay. They all have distinct personalities, such as how Flynn is more laid back and heroic, while Belle is more caring and earnest. If I do have to criticise something about the firefighter engines, some of the design choices aren’t great. Take Belle for example: she has two water tanks on her boiler that shoot out the water she needs to produce steam. That’s a pretty dumb idea. Now let’s shift our focus to the stars of the feature: Percy and Diesel 10. Like I said, Percy is portrayed as a bit too naive and only seems to care about being noticed.
But then you have Diesel 10. Despite his maniacal plan being ridiculous, I have to say that I like his portrayal here. He’s portrayed as a bit more deceptive and manipulative, while having his threatening moments, such as when he almost goes to grab Percy with his claw. That, I’ll admit, is cool. Other than that, the characters aren’t much to write home about, they’re all just there to serve their purpose in the feature and that’s about it. I’d even include Thomas in here, as he doesn’t really do much to impact the story other than making Percy feel neglected.
But then you have Diesel 10. Despite his maniacal plan being ridiculous, I have to say that I like his portrayal here. He’s portrayed as a bit more deceptive and manipulative, while having his threatening moments, such as when he almost goes to grab Percy with his claw. That, I’ll admit, is cool. Other than that, the characters aren’t much to write home about, they’re all just there to serve their purpose in the feature and that’s about it. I’d even include Thomas in here, as he doesn’t really do much to impact the story other than making Percy feel neglected.
As for the visuals of the film, they’re actually pretty good. The design of the Dieselworks is almost set up like an abandoned, spooky mansion, and it makes a nice contrast to the busy and lively Steamworks. The designs of the new firefighting engines, particularly Flynn, are also really creative, even with the poor choices made. It should also be noted that the scenes where the characters have to put out a fire are pretty exciting, especially at the beginning. I’ll also say that the visual gag of Diesel 10’s shed door causing him problems is pretty funny. The visuals aren’t the best the series has seen, but I will say that for what they are, they’re pretty good.
So overall, Day of the Diesels is a mixed bag. On one hand, the writing is absolutely terrible and a waste of a decent concept. But on the other, the new characters are okay and the visuals are pretty solid. I’d recommend watching it, but set your expectations seriously low, and with that, I give this a 2.5/5. It’s not the best special out there, but I’ll at least say it isn’t bad as its predecessor.
Final Score: 2.5/5
About the Author: JF the LOLZOR
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