ThomasNATION Reviews - An UnbeLEAFable Day
November 18, 2023
If you were to ask any longtime fan of Thomas what their thoughts were on the 'Big World, Big Adventures' rebrand of the original television series as a whole, they would more often than not tell you that nothing in the series has ever made them more upset than writing Edward and Henry off the original series - two of Awdry's original three with so much history and development to them-and replacing them with Nia and Rebecca. But you know what, it's not the fact they demoted them to tertiary nothing characters that infuriates them and it's not even the fact that they didn't appear anymore. But, what infuriates them about this the most is that these two legendary characters of seventy-five years deserved the best send-offs imaginable. What Edward and Henry needed was a glorious swan song that ended their tenures, a really great moment where their characters shined and then they took their leaves-it could have been in the same episode if it was done right. If you want to write off these characters, have at it, since I can sort of understand the reasoning in Edward's case. But if it absolutely has to be done, do it in a way that is respectful to them and their legacies. Don't throw them to the side and then lie to fans that they're still major players when it's completely obvious to anyone with their eyes open that they're not.
While I could go into further detail as to why this major change to the franchise has crossed the line for many adult fans and while I'm one of those fans that has learned to accept change over the years, it's how the production team chose to teach kids about accepting change that soured my views on today's episode of All Engines Go. Why? Well if you remember Season 22's "Forever and Ever" which many fans perceive as a pretty big middle finger to the fandom, Thomas says this at the start: some people and some engines want everything to stay the same forever and ever, but sometimes things have to change - life is full of surprises. Here however, Thomas is suddenly the one who is all upset about the changing of seasons which kinda goes against how mature he was about change during the original series. Some could say that Thomas being disappointed about summer ending is meant to be a callback to the 'Thomas Tells A Lie' book, but that's all it will ever be: a little wink-wink to the adult fans that will literally excuse table scraps for a steak dinner.
With all of these changes that have happened to Thomas the Tank Engine over the past few years, this has struck a nerve because it is the greatest and most offensive instance of a much bigger problem with how the owners treat this franchise: the problem that Mattel thinks it can just absolutely bastardize this brand's legacy, source material and fandom and completely get away with it because they stamp some random reason on it that will give them good boy brownie points and headlines because "if we do it in the name of progressiveness, then we can do whatever the flying hell we want-nothing is sacred" and the incredibly sad part is - it works! People fall for it, hook, line and sinker. It's all about good press and that's it. Mattel doesn't care about these characters, they don't give a crap about respecting the source material and they don't have any interest in making their replacement characters well developed. It's all about trying to look good and progressive and inclusive without actually being good or actually progressive and inclusive.
Change can be a good thing, but only when it makes sense...and when it comes at the cost of screwing up character development for the face of your entire franchise, then you know you screwed up and that earns 'An UnbeLEAFable Day' a rating of a 2.5 out of 5.
Final Rating: 2.5/5
About the Author: True Blue
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