Could Marc Forster's Thomas Movie Work?
July 05, 2025
Honestly, I'm a little fifty-fifty. On one hand, Marc Forster knows how to adapt a popular kids' franchise onto the big screen while staying true to the spirit of the source material. And I'm gonna give you one example of what I mean here: Christopher Robin. That movie was absolutely wonderful, completely keeping true to the wit, charm and emotion of the original Winnie-the-Pooh adaptations, so much so that he even managed to bring back Jim Cummings, that's pretty awesome. Is it a perfect movie? No, it’s still loaded with cliches and it can get a little derivative, but the heart of it all is clearly there. And if he could pull out the stops for Winnie-the-Pooh, I doubt he wouldn't be able to do the same for Thomas. I'm not asking for something exactly like Christopher Robin, since these are two entirely different franchises, I'm just saying Forster does have the experience.
...except for my other point, because have you seen the state of live action adaptations recently? Not only with Disney's recent remakes like Snow White and Lilo and Stitch garnering some major backlash, but also with Paramount's Smurfs movie and especially Sony's Harold and the Purple Crayon turning out less than stellar. I don't blame the directors, but it's clear these movies, particularly Harold and the Purple Crayon, are the result of executive meddling. So, with that in mind, what’s to stop that from happening with Thomas? That's my big concern here. I understand that Marc Forster is a genuine Thomas fan, going on record as saying "Thomas has been a personal favorite of mine since childhood", but the chances of him wanting to show Thomas off in all his glory but the execs getting in the way are non-zero. Want an example? Look at the 2021 Tom & Jerry movie. It's clear that director Tim Story is a big fan of the original cartoons, but with the constant meddling at play, he was barely allowed to show that, and there is a chance of that happening with Thomas. But again, the chances of that not happening are also non-zero. I could be wrong, I could be right. Right now, nobody knows. These are just my own personal fears. So to wrap up, could this movie work? I'm gonna say yes and no. Because we know how Forster is able to adapt something beloved by kids and stick to what made it great, but on the other hand, we might be in for a bumpy ride. One thing's for sure, however, if what we know about The Adventures of Thomas is correct, there's nowhere to go but up.
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