Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie

The ever-popular little tank engine puffs onto our screens for another feature-length rail excursion. Blending traditional Thomas values with Cars-style action scenes and rather too many insufferably cute "show" songs, the film has Thomas going global when Aussie sports car Ace (voiced by singer Peter Andre) entices him to take a trip around the world. Don't expect too much geographical exactitude, though. Suffice to say that everywhere Thomas goes, from the Sahara through the Amazon to California and the Utah salt flats, everyone and everything is upbeat, cheerful and helpful - especially Nia, the female African tank engine that brings both grrrl power and ethnic diversity to proceedings. There's precious little here for grown-ups, save maybe a slight twinge of nostalgia. But younger kids will likely be chuff-chuff-chuffed to see it.