The Little Engine That Could

Better-than-average animation can't quite save this disappointing adaptation of Watty Piper's classic children's picture book. When the engine pulling the Birthday Train over the mountain and into town breaks down early on in the trip, the derailed clowns and jugglers beseech oncoming big engines to aid them, to no avail. Although the little engine Tilly has repeatedly begged the Water Tower for a chance to tug a train, she's been routinely denied. Hearing of the Birthday Train's plight, Tilly heads off to the rescue. By the time Tilly arrives to lend some steam, the program is already 3/4ths of the way over, so that the little engine's ordeal in crossing the over the mountain is nothing more than a brief annoyance. While the characters are fun, and the animation very colorful, The Little Engine That Could, the video, lacks the bite of the original story. Still, the message comes across (in diluted form) and the price is low, so libraries with larger children's collections may want to consider. (Available from most distributors.)