Viewers may notice that Thomas' adventures are now primarily computer animated, rather than still action with toys. The computer animation still mimics the old style, so Thomas and his friends don't act any different, but they are brighter, able to show a bit more expression, and there is a bit more action in the scenes. This DVD has 6 adventures, where Thomas and his friends knock over buildings, save kittens, discover and save Sodor's 'lightening tree', and more. There are even two sing-alongs describing all of Thomas' friends and the important jobs they do. The usual motifs in Thomas stories are seen here, including vehicles' mantra of 'safety first!', and themes of friendship, kindness, and teamwork.
Each of the episodes on this DVD provides an opportunity to speak with child one about the lesson addressed. A great theme for little ones is self-confidence. Ned faces self confidence issues when he is told he cannot bring down a wall, and Alfie is told he is too small to really help on the construction site. Both characters ultimately prove that they are what they believed they were, and proved the characters that had put them down wrong. Buster the steam roller is a wonderful example of a character who had self esteem to begin with and succeeds at winning his race because of it. Buster didn't let Max and Monty's taunting bring him down; he simply chose to ignore them, kept smiling, and prevailed.If you start a conversation about the plot and moral of any episode, your little one will likely have plenty of questions for you. You can have fun with your child by asking them who each of the characters are and what they do. This makes your little one feel knowledgeable, and shows you're interested in their interests as well.
Three year-old Sam liked to sing and march with the sing-alongs. He could name Thomas' entire group of friend with the song (at the top of his lungs, of course), and whenever Sam didn't know the lyrics during a verse, he would just hum and keep marching.
--Audra