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Thomas and the Magic Railroad
Destination Films

Thomas and the Magic Railroad reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 19 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.3 out of 10
based on 23 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 15 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: G for General Audiences

Starring Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson, Alec Baldwin, Didi Conn, Colm Feore, and Cody McMains

A magic journey happens when a young girl visitis her grandfather and finds herself on a special train pulled by an engine named Thomas.


GENRE(S): Family/Kids  
WRITTEN BY: Britt Allcroft  
DIRECTED BY: Britt Allcroft  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: October 31, 2000 
Video: October 31, 2000 
Theatrical: July 26, 2000 
RUNNING TIME: 85 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: UK / USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75
Boston Globe Loren King
A train worth catching.
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58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker
The film is inoffensive, and Baldwin is fun and engaging.
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50
San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris
An archaic rail-ride into the heart of boredom.
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50
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
A welcome alternative to such hyperkinetic drivel as Pokémon.
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50
San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham
This land of sweetness and light may appeal to many, but to some it is going to seem like living hell.
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50
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
Has the look of a great fairy tale -- all that's missing is the tale.
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50
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Something of a mess.
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40
Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector
The plot keeps switching tracks.
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38
Chicago Tribune Monica Eng
Children's films can be thrilling affairs for parents and kids. Unfortunately, this film is not likely to thrill either group.
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30
TNT RoughCut Susannah Breslin
Confusing to anyone who's familiar with the word "plot."
25
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
An inept assembly of ill-matched plot points, meandering through a production that has attractive art direction (despite the immobile mouths).
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25
Miami Herald Kevin Baxter
Skip the movie and pick up the videos at Toys R Us.
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20
Los Angeles Times Gene Seymour
Lays thick, goopy layers of uplift on what should be lighter on the heart and stomach.
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20
Film.com John Hartl
Only very small children are likely to be satisfied.
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20
LA Weekly Paul Malcolm
If you're above the target age of 5, Thomas may coax you into a naplike stupor.
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20
The New York Times A.O. Scott
Mr. Baldwin's attack -- there's no better way to put it -- is unforgettable. He's the first shrunken narrator with a serial killer's swagger.
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20
Film.com Tom Keogh
Nearly incomprehensible story.
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12
Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson
Disheveled tripe pieced together with the good intentions.
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10
Variety Derek Elley
All mish-mash.
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10
Washington Post Rita Kempley
A big, fat clunker.
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0
New York Post Lou Lumenick
Skin-crawlingly awful.
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0
Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy
An ugly and insipid film.
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0
Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov
Even Amtrak hasn't seen a derailment this godawful in some time.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 7.3 (out of 10) based on 15 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

D Robinson gave it a9:
Come on you lot!... Whos this for? My little one love it, hours of piece and quiet. What more could you want? At least you dont get the theme tune every 10 minutes with the movie. Bring on the Tweenies movie or the Teletubbies movie. Cant wait to see the crtics review of those.

sharon w. gave it a10:
Great for my kids they love it.

mark c. gave it a9:
Great for the kids they love it especially my daughter who is 4 she has model of lady.

R Smith gave it a0:
Missold as Thomas the Tank Engine. I agreee wil Gilbert!!!!! Even my two year old asked me to switch it off and watch the REAL thomas videos (with ones the Liverpudlian accent!)

Zack W. gave it a 10:
Best movie ever made.Fat daddy and Gilbert have no idea what Thomases storyline is really about. I recommend the movie for ages 1-12.

Fat daddy gave it a 0:
This film is an insult to the intelligence and attention span of parents and toddlers alike. can we blame drug intake in the 60s for peter fonda's incomprehensible muttering? who can we blame for the script which has a kid in the train station asking a dog a simple question when there are hundreds of nearby people who presumably talk and are capable of answering her?

Kelly gave it a 10:
A light-hearted, all-time kiddies movie all-in-all with happy smiley faces, most certain to put all kids in a cheery mood.

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