ThomasNATION Movie Reviews - The Christmas Letter Express

You guys know what I love? Christmas movies. Whether it be classics like Elf or It's a Wonderful Life, or newer holiday films like The Holdovers or Klaus, it's definitely among my favorite subgenres in film. So, with that in mind, a Thomas & Friends Christmas movie should be right up my alley. But keep in mind that this is an All Engines Go! Christmas movie. That doesn't sound like that bad a thing, but from the terrible Race for the Sodor Cup to the mid Mystery of Lookout Mountain, the recent Thomas movies haven't had the best track record. But I still wanna go in with an open mind and see if this will be the one to win me over. So, with that in mind, does The Christmas Letter Express pull through? Let's begin.

While everyone is hard at work prepping for a Christmas parade, a letter to Santa gets stuck in Percy's cab, so it's up to him and his friends to track Santa down and get the letter to him.

One of the problems I have with the last two All Engines Go! movies is that they have a reputation of being derivative of past Thomas movies, like how Race for the Sodor Cup is basically just The Great Race again. Here, the best comparison I can make is to Aardman's Arthur Christmas, in that something gets left out in a delivery on Christmas Eve, resulting in a race against time to get it delivered before Christmas. While the plots aren't exact, there is a few comparisons to be made. However, one problem with The Christmas Letter Express is that the pacing at the start is pretty sluggish. It takes about 15 minutes in until the plot gets going, so the first 15 minutes feel like meandering. However, once the plot's in motion, it becomes a little more interesting. And there's one main reason for that: the heart. This is a very sweet movie with a very endearing moral about making Christmas wishes come true. It also comes packed with some pretty decent comedy. None of the jokes were flat out hilarious, but I could still find a few jokes that gave off a little chuckle, like Diesel checking in a pile of scrap for the present.

It also comes with a couple of B-plots that, I'm gonna be honest, don't really add much. You got one story about James taking Annie and Clarabel around on a Christmas tour and...that's basically that, and another with Bruno recreating the Christmas Mountain. Neither of these are bad side plots, since the Bruno plot is really cute and the James plot does supply some of the better jokes, but they don't add much to the overall narrative besides filling the runtime before the big finale. But aside from that, the movie may not be the best written, but it is one of the most heartfelt of the All Engines Go! specials.

As for the new characters of the film, they only really introduce two. That may not be a big number, but they're both vital to the film. First off, there is Ryan...no, not the purple guy. This Ryan is the kid whose letter ends up in Percy's cab. Going back to the Arthur Christmas comparison, she's more of the Gwen Hines of the movie whose letter drives the plot forward and gives Percy a reason to go on his quest. And despite not getting a line of dialogue, she's still a key component to the story.

Then, you have Santa. Not only is it cool seeing Santa's first full blown interaction with the engines, and Michael Dobson does a great job in the role but something cool they do is that they never reveal his face - it's entirely left to the imagination. Though I won't lie, I would've liked it if they showed that he looks exactly like Sir Topham Hatt, just so it gives the idea that every time Sir Topham Hatt dressed like him, he kinda nailed it. All I can say for this Santa portrayal is a resounding "YEAH"...that's a joke for you Michael Dobson fans out there.

Then you have the movie's songs. Each of the numbers have a distinct Christmassy feel to them which not only help them stand out from the other songs (except maybe Christmas Spirit), but also enhance the movie's heart. And nowhere is that more present than in A Christmas Wish, an absolutely beautiful song about Percy's wish to deliver the letter. The other songs of the special, Christmastime on the Rails and Ho-Ho-Hold On, Santa Claus aren't the most memorable, but they do make up for it by being pretty catchy. Then there's the last song of the special, which is...just The Mail Delivering Song from Capture the Flag. It's not changed to suit the setting, the lyrics aren't altered, it's just the same song. It's still a decent song, so it gets a leeway.

Overall, while this isn't a high bar to clear, The Christmas Letter Express is easily the best of the All Engines Go! movies. Is it perfect? No, it gets off to a slow start and the side stories don't add anything, but with the decent songs and strong heart, it's a pretty solid watch. It's not a new Christmas classic, but it wouldn't hurt to watch over the holidays. As for my rating, I'm gonna give this a 3.5/5. It's not the best Christmas special out there, not even from Thomas, but it's still a nice festive treat.