Movie Answer Man
Movie Answer Man (08/13/2000)
Q. In your review of "Thomas And The Magic Railroad," you wrote: "In an age when even the cheapest Saturday morning cartoons find a way to make the lips move, what, oh, what, was the reasoning behind Thomas' painted-on grin?" That's easy: It's because that's the way it has always been for years and years of the TV show "Shining Time Station" and the many videotapes, and young children eat it up. My 7- and 3-year-old sons have loved watching both the show and the tapes since they turned 1-year-old, and they wouldn't expect the movie to be any other way. Obviously, the movie is intended for the legions of Thomas fans. Although I have not yet seen it, nothing in your review indicates that those young children will be disappointed (which you do imply in your next-to-last paragraph). I'm sure I won't like it any more than I like the tapes and TV show, but the movie obviously isn't intended for me or any other adults. (Evan H. Zucker, San Diego, California)
