It isn’t often that I get to take Ned along to an event on his own but when I was invited to see the new Thomas and Friends movie I knew it would be up his street!
Thomas and Friends- The Great Race is the latest in the series of Thomas movies which have been popular with toddlers and pre-schoolers for as long as I’ve been a parent. We were so excited about going along to the premiere that we decided to eschew our usual car journey for the train. Since the premiere was hosted at the frankly amazing Kings Cross Theatre all we had to do was walk through the train station and around the new development behind it to get there.
When we arrived we were both really amazed, we go to a lot of screenings but this was really special. Thomas was outside for photographs and inside the theatre is kitted out just like a train station (The Railway Children is currently on). We walked down some train station steps and into the foyer area which was just like a train station with little ‘shops’ featuring lots of Thomas toys which we could add to our wish lists. There was also a brilliant Thomas play area with loads of toys that Ned could try out. I must admit, my favourite thing was the Thomas themed blueberry muffins.
So, what did we think of the movie? Well, there were all the usual things you would expect from a Thomas movie. a few songs, the fat controller, a story featuring mild peril. However, there were some added extras, a few new characters from around the world (China, Russia and India spring to mind) and the potential for a love story further along the tracks (see what I did there). The new female engine will possibly attract a few more girls into the Thomas franchise which is a good thing and also helps if you have boys and girly girls to entertain at the same time.
Throughout the movie I was watching little Ned (4) to try to gauge his reactions and he was gripped. He really liked the songs in particular and I think when the movie comes out on DVD there will be lots of dancing around living rooms.
I cant believe quite how lucky we were, after the movie the actual real life Fat Controller drove a full size steam engine across the stage. This was the stuff of Ned’s dreams and something I wont forget so I’d like to thank Mattel for inviting us along, you made a small boy very happy and created a long lasting childhood memory which I will treasure.
Thomas and Friends- The Great Race is out at the cinema now. You can have a look at the trailer here:
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