Thomas & Friends - Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure: the Movie

Fear not, Thomas the Tank Engine fans, there is nothing in this movie to rob you of the homespun charms of the well-loved character. That's because this finely judged production has just about enough feature-length pizzazz, without deviating too much from the original books by the Reverend W Awdry. The story starts with Thomas being rather naughty and annoying the Fat Controller with his insubordination. He is also a bit miffed about a keen new tank engine called Ryan (voiced by Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne). Somehow Thomas ends up falling down a mine shaft and a pirate ship is discovered, leading to an adventure with a dastardly seafarer (voiced by John Hurt) and the recovery of some buried treasure. This never feels like a TV episode stretched out to over an hour - the animation is pretty much the same as you get in the TV show, but there are added dramatic set pieces and the narrative arc is well plotted. There's also a great song, Never Overlook a Little Engine. As if you would.