Parents' Guide to

Thomas and Friends: Lion of Sodor

By Tracy Moore, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Cute stories model great behavior for preschoolers.

Movie NR 2010 48 minutes
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What's the Story?

In this collection of four episodes from the Thomas series, Thomas and friends are faced with a variety of special deliveries. In "The Lion of Sodor," Thomas must haul a special crate to the mayor -- only it isn't quite the item he thinks it is. In "Thomas and the Pigs," he's sent to pick up soft straw for some soon-to-be-born piglets, only to learn it's not as easy as it seems. In "Time for a Story," Thomas' excitement to deliver school books to children creates some problems en route. In "Hiro Helps Out," Hiro receives his assignment without all the information and has to learn how to fill in the pieces.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2 ):

THOMAS & FRIENDS: THE LION OF SODOR is chock-full of good messages that are valuable to preschoolers. The stories are simple, the animation is fun and expressive, and the trains are fascinating yet relatable. The episodes offer a setup familiar to Thomas fans: Thomas or his friends are set with a task that seems simple enough, only to discover that the little details are sometimes far more important than they realized. But, through making mistakes, the friends learn better approaches to carrying out tasks that model good behavior, honesty, integrity, admitting mistakes, and doing what it takes to fix mistakes.

Kids who love trains and Thomas will find a familiar, informative set of episodes here, and parents can rest assured that this is problem-free, values-packed viewing.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about listening. Have you ever gotten into trouble for not listening? What happened? Why is it so important to listen?

  • What does it mean to follow instructions? How does it help?

  • Have you had trouble waiting to do something that was fun because you were too excited? What helped you calm down and be more patient?

Movie Details

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