Excellent find!

why did they burn Zippy the zip code guy...?

The US version of Thomas the Tank engine is an absolute travesty, and the movie is excruciating.

The proper series is a charming little show all wrapped up in the model world of the trains. To then do this weird melding of 'real' people and the 'fantastical' world of Thomas completely misses the point of the show.

It's yet another case of Americans deciding they need to change something that was never broken.

all the original Thomas--train only--vignettes are in the American show, but george carlin narrates. Thus stuff here is just extra. and I can assure you kids like both parts.

George didn't cuss.

>> ^oxdottir:
all the original Thomas--train only--vignettes are in the American show, but george carlin narrates. Thus stuff here is just extra. and I can assure you kids like both parts.

I can assure you my kids don't.

The 'in world' only movie 'Calling all Trains' has received far more airings in our house compared to 'Thomas and the Magic Railroad'... I mean, how the yanks can be so self centered as to make it based in America is absolutely beyond me. It's as if ANYTHING possibly showing something at ALL not of the US get's immediately canned.

Pathetic.

^ Relax, spoco.

Many countries adapt programing to "suit" their audience. Does it ruin the original vision? Always. But that's entertainment execs doing IMO.

I've seen and shown both versions to my boy. He could have cared less which was which... he was watching the trains. He wore the VHS tapes slam out. You should see the train collection he's saved over the years.

I enjoyed the originals the Reverend intended myself. The movie though made me want to kill a Baldwin even more than I did before.

You non-Americans need to relax on the bitterness shown toward we "yanks". We don't all fit into the cookie cutter you've all fashioned for us.

Oh, I know there are plenty of great Americans, I know a number from my time spent living there. My gripe is with the execs deciding that all American's are so US centric that they would be personally affronted to hear a narration in an English accent, have soccer mentioned in a movie (the first Harry Potter was altered for US screenings), have the show name changed (Scrapheap Challenge becomes Junkyard Wars in the states), have anything that isn't exactly as they are already used to.

It's so short sighted. And yeah, I'm sure there would be some backwards types who actually would get all uppity about it being different to what they're used to, however I also think most would be happy to see/hear something different!