Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave—The Movie

This all-new movie spin-off from the long-running series based on Rev. W. Awdry's The Railway Stories—featuring Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends on the Island of Sodor—starts off with pranksters Bill and Ben saving Thomas from a landslide after heavy rain makes the China Clay Pits very treacherous. Although railway director Sir Topham Hatt is grateful, Thomas is still preoccupied with something he noticed during the rescue: scary-looking large footprints that aren't easily explained. The storyline here finds the gang so worried about monsters that work is affected (they're afraid to enter the area), but they ultimately learn that “being brave is about what you do even when you do feel scared.” Sporting good animation (including colorful, polished backdrops), amiable songs, and new friends—including scrapyard crane Reg and heights-fearful Gator—this is sure to be popular with fans. Recommended. Aud: K, P. (J. Williams-Wood)