Familiar train tale with mild peril, positive messages.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
a little
A young racer rides too fast and comes close to derailing, later derails from the track, but is helped back up. No severe damages; everything is easily repaired. Some bullies taunt competitors.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Part of the vast Thomas & Friends franchise, which includes toys, films, TV shows, websites, and related products.
Positive Messages
a lot
Everyone has trouble with some things. Look out for your friends. Work together as a team. Being calm can help you do anything. Never stop trying and don't give up. Appreciate your gifts and the talents of others.
Positive Role Models
some
Older racers encourage the younger engines in their first race. Some act as mentors to train the racers. Kenji helps save Kana from derailing when she's riding too fast. Teammates and friends encourage each other. Some other engines act as competitive bullies, teasing the new racers about not being fast enough. The bullies cheat during the race but later derail. Characters always check on someone when they derail. Other competitors encourage Thomas and Kara even after they're out of the race.
Diverse Representations
a little
Many male and female characters, and the females are brave and fast.
Parents need to know that Thomas & Friends: Race for the Sodor Cup is an animated film in the Thomas & Friends franchise with positive messages of friendship and persistence that outweigh some minor scares. In this story, Thomas and his friends meet up with a group of fast engines in town for the race, including a smug pair of electric trains who will seemingly do whatever it takes to win, including teasing and discouraging Kana and even cheating. But even when trying to win, if anyone falls off the tracks, even the bullying trains ask if the derailed character is ok. Older racers encourage the younger engines. Some act as mentors to train them and even go as far as putting themselves in danger to save a young racer who's driving too fast. Throughout the movie teammates and friends frequently encourage each other. Some of the positive messages include looking out for your friends and encouraging others to work together as a team. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!!WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!! WE WANT THE OLD THOMAS THE TRAIN!!!
What's the Story?
In THOMAS & FRIENDS: RACE FOR THE SODOR CUP, the story starts out with a cheerful Thomas and his friends excited to greet other engines from around the world coming to Sodor for a race around the island. Thomas is ready to cheer on his friend, a fast young engine named Kana who is excited about her first race. But it's not all ready, set, go. The engines must overcome obstacles that call for them to learn important lessons in patience and working together as a team. Will the help of some new mentors and old friends be enough for Thomas and Kana to win the Sodor Cup, or will their dreams get derailed?
Thomas & Friends: Race for the Sodor Cup is a colorful story with peppy songs and a sweet message the youngest viewers will enjoy. The plot feels familiar, similar to Tortoise and the Hare stories we've seen and heard time and time again. Like real kids, the trains have to learn to resolve problems with help and encouragement from adults. Though the race is a competitive event, even foes are often encouraging of one another and always check to make sure others are ok when they derail. Young fans of Thomas the Train will appreciate the familiar cast of characters and parents watching will likely appreciate the messages of kindness and teamwork, as well as the short run time.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what Thomas learned about "being himself." How did Thomas learn that winning a race isn't just about being the fastest?
Thomas and his friends have to learn to work together to reach their goal. Can you think of a time you've worked as a team to accomplish something?
Hiro tells the young racers "being calm helps you do anything." What do you think that means? When might you use deep breaths to help you calm down from a stressful situation?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Jennifer Borget
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
