Thomas and friends: Journey beyond Sodor

image for Thomas and friends: Journey beyond Sodor

Short takes

Parental guidance is recommended for children under 6 due to some scary scenes

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Thomas and friends: Journey beyond Sodor
  • a review of Thomas and friends: Journey beyond Sodor completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 11 September 2017.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 6 Parental guidance recommended due to some scary scenes
Children 6 and over OK for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: Thomas and friends: Journey beyond Sodor
Classification: G
Consumer advice lines: Some scenes may frighten young children
Length: 94 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

In the latest Thomas and Friends movie, Thomas (voiced by John Hasler) goes on an adventure to the mainland.

When Henry (Kerry Shale) is unable to take a goods train from their home of Sodor to the mainland, James (Rob Rackstraw) is asked to go on the journey. However, rivalry between Thomas and James results in Thomas taking the trucks to the mainland himself! Thomas is so excited to be on the mainland that he accidentally gets lost. He must then work together with his new mainland friends to find his way back home.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

Rivalry; separation from friends; getting lost

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

Nothing of concern

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

  • The steel factory may be scary for young children. It is depicted as dark and mysterious with fire and molten metal spills.
  • Both Thomas and James are held in the steel factory against their will and have to escape.
  • Thomas is almost dropped into a pot of molten metal.
  • Henry accidentally crashes into a goods train and is derailed. He almost falls off a bridge.
  • Thomas gets lost on the mainland and is a bit frightened.

 

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

The youngest children in this age group may find some scenes scary.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

Nothing of concern

Thirteen and overinfo

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Nothing of concern

Product placement

There is no product placement in the movie but the movie is part of the Thomas and friends franchise, with plenty of associated merchandise.

Sexual references

Nothing of concern

Nudity and sexual activity

Nothing of concern

Use of substances

Nothing of concern

Coarse language

There is no coarse language found in this film but there is some light-hearted teasing between some of the trains

In a nutshell

Thomas and friends: Journey beyond Sodor is the latest film about the very popular Thomas the Tank Engine. The movie includes lots of catchy songs and new loveable characters that are sure to excite Thomas fans. Thomas and Friends is suitable for all ages but, of course, more suited to younger children.  Parental guidance is recommended for children under 6 due to some scary scenes.    

The main messages from this movie are about the importance of friendship, that everyone is useful and important, and that everybody makes mistakes and that’s okay.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children what steps they should take if they ever get lost.