User blog:BiggestThomasFan/Thomas and Friends Specials from Worst to Best

Here's something I've wanted to do for a while. I'm going to rank every Thomas special from worst to best. And I'll also be giving my ratings for them. I won't be listing specials exclusive to Japan (like Thomas and the UK Trip) since I don't speak Japanese. I also won't be listing Bubbling Boilers since it's a 4-D special episode with cinematography.

Okay, let's get started.

Worst Special - Day of the Diesels (Awful)

If this special was made to celebrate Wilbert Awdry's 100th birthday, it was a poor way to do so. Most of the special is just Percy moping about that Thomas is spending time with new friends. And it just sends out a toxic message that if you mope about, others will notice you. You'd also think he'd know better than to side with the diesels. And don't get me started on the racism towards diesels. And the whole special just feels like a huge filler.

The Missing Christmas Decorations is, in my opinion, this special done right. This special just deserves to rot in a scrapyard.

13. Thomas and the Magic Railroad (Awful)

Thomas' first movie ever, and it was just awful. The plot's confusing, it mostly focuses on Shining Time Station, most of the engines' voices weren't very fitting (especially James') and it was the introduction of that purple Mary-Sue that shall remain nameless. I really wish they had stuck with the original script, as I think it might have been a lot better. And the reason why they cut out PT Boomer was pretty stupid. They said that he was too scary, even though he's a villain. Villains are suppose to be scary. Also, a couple more characters from Thomas would have been nice. They couldn't even have Edward appear.

There were some good things in this movie, like the music. And some scenes with Diesel 10 are pretty funny. But it's still an awful movie, it's just about non-canon to the Thomas series (especially since they don't ever mention the events of the movie again in the series).

12. Misty Island Rescue (Bad)

Some people say that this is the worst special in the series, but I kinda think it's overhated. I mean, yes, it's bad, but I wouldn't go as far as to say it's the worst. The special's main problems are the constant rhyming, the plot holes that stick out and the completely pointless scenes (like the scene of Gordon, Whiff and Sir Topham Hatt. You can cut that scene out and nothing would change).

At least this feels more like a special than Day of the Diesels did. And there were a few scenes that felt exciting. Maybe with some tweaks, this could have been a great special.

11. The Great Race (Okay)

Now we go from overhated to overrated.

If you read my Top 10 Unpopular Opinions on Thomas blog, then I think you'd know that I don't like or hate this special. I do think it's overrated though. Some people say it's one of Andrew Brenner's best specials, but I don't think it is. It's probably his weakest one to date. I think they should have focused more on the railway show. They also could have gone into more on Gordon's rivalry with Flying Scotsman. Or maybe even the parts with Philip and Vinnie. Some of the songs are enjoyable though, and Diesel's subplot was neat.

Overall, I don't think this special is good or bad. More in the okay section.

10. Hero of the Rails (Okay)

The very first Thomas special in CGI. And I think it's just okay. One of the special's main problems is that none of the engines or their crews tell Sir Topham Hatt about Hiro. You'd think Thomas would know by now that Sir Topham Hatt would never scrap an engine. The other problem is that it's stated that Hiro was the very first engine to arrive on Sodor, even though there are lots of engines who are actually be older than him. However, it was nice that they used Spencer as the villain instead of a diesel, even though they don't really say why he wanted Hiro scrapped.

Like the Great Race, this one's not bad or good.

'''9. Big World! Big Adventures! (Good)'''

If you read my Top 10 Unpopular Opinions on Thomas blog, then I think you'd know how I feel about this special as well. I actually enjoyed it. I liked some of the songs. Nia was a great character (seriously, she gets way too much hate). And some scenes with Sir Topham Hatt were pretty funny. However, the pacing is a little wonky, particularly the ending. Couldn't we have actually seen Thomas and Nia explore Europe?

It's a good special that might have worked better with a little re-write.

'''8. Calling All Engines! (Good)'''

This special is pretty underrated if you ask me. This one had a better cast of characters than Magic Railroad did, and it had a really strong moral about teamwork. I'm starting to think that the steam engine and diesel rivalry should have ended here instead of continuing on in the series. It makes it look like the engines didn't learn anything. And then there's Lady. Her appearance felt like fan service. Any steam engine could have had her role. Someone like Duck or Oliver could have played her role, and nothing would change. They tried to fix her in this special, but it's no use. Oh, and the learning segments felt unnecessary. I didn't mind the songs being played in the special, but did they really had to use learning segments in the special? I mean, yes, it's a kids special, but they still felt unneeded. It's also too bad they didn't use Daisy and Derek again after this special. Seriously, they brought them back for this special, but didn't bother using them again? In fact, I'm starting to think that these two appearing was also fan service.

It's still good special. It just could have been better in some areas.

7. The Great Discovery (Good)

Now we come to the special that ended the model-era. It was a nice way to farewell to the models, and it introduced Stanley, a character who became quite popular as the series went on. And the story is nice. However, Pierce Brosnan's narration for this special could have been better. I do think, though, that had he stayed on as narrator, he would have improved. Although, it does make this special feel more special. There are also a few plot holes here on there, but most of them can be overlooked.

It's a good special, and it was, again, a nice way to send the model-era.

6. Journey Beyond Sodor (Good)

I think this is one of those specials where either you like it or you hate it. I quite like it. The plot works better here than it did in Misty Island Rescue and Big World! Big Adventures!. Most of the songs are great. And the characters introduced are all fantastic. The only problems that I think the special suffers are that the ending felt a little rushed, and that Sir Topham Hatt didn't seem cross at all that Thomas took James' train to the mainland.

Also, I don't really mind the engines bouncing. Some might say that it didn't happen in the model-era, but there was reason for that; they're models. They can't bounce around like that. Sure there were some times where the engines shook and shuddered (like Daisy did in her debut), but they had special motors in them so they could do that. I don't think every model could have a motor like that in them. Some may argue that it goes against Awdry's creation, but hasn't the show already done somethings that actually do (like some of Season 5)?

It's a good special. It just could have been a little better.

5. Blue Mountain Mystery (Excellent)

Now we're getting into the top 5.

This was a nice special to end Sharon Miller's era as head writer. It was a great way to welcome the Skarloey engines (engines 1-5, that is) back to the show. And Luke is a very likeable character. And Paxton was given a lot of character here. Maybe they should have waited to introduce him here instead of in Day of the Diesels. The plot was also very good. And it was nice that they gave Victor a backstory. And yeah, the flashbacks of A Scarf for Percy, The Sad Story of Henry and Down the Mine were a nice touch.

I don't know if it was Andrew Brenner working as a script editor that made this special great, or Sharon Miller wanted to go out with a bang. Either way, it's a great special.

4. King of the Railway (Excellent)

The first special written by Andrew Brenner, as well as the first one narrated by Mark Moraghan. And it was a nice way to begin his era. All the characters introduced were great. And the plot's great. Although, the special itself looks like it's telling more than one different story, and it's a bit hard to tell which is the main one. Despite that, it's still a great special, and had some really good moments.

3. Tale for the Brave (Excellent)

I said that some specials are either overhated or underrated, but this one is the most underrated special of all. Most fans don't care at all about the development Percy got. They just moan about him being a coward and James being a jerk to him, even though James actually had a reason for his actions. He felt embarrassed after his first encounter with Gator, so he decided to play a trick on Percy to give him a fright. The bond between Percy and Gator is very nice. Gator taught Percy about being brave, and Percy helped Gator overcome his fear of heights. Timothy and Marion were also very good in this special, and even Bill and Ben had great roles here. Reg, on the other hand, didn't really do much. Yes, he created the scrap monster James used, but he's not seen or mentioned again after that. But at least he got some nice character in future appearances.

It's a great special, and it does a better job giving Percy a lead role in a special than Day of the Diesels did.

2. Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (Excellent)

And now we come to the one special that everyone claims to be the best one of all. It's no wonder why fans love it. It has a great plot, introduces great characters (including three certain small engines from the RWS), the music is fantastic and has two great songs. Specials like this one can show us why Thomas and Friends is better off in CGI. Almost every minute of this special is very exciting to watch. Sailor John was a brilliant villain in this (R.I.P. John Hurt). But my favorite character from this is Skiff. He feels like Splatter and Dodge done right.

It's an excellent movie, and it deserves the praise it gets. But I still have one more special to talk about.

Best Special - The Adventure Begins (Excellent)

Who doesn't love this special?

I don't care that some of this special might be fan service. I don't care that Henry was in his new shape (it really makes no different here). I don't care that Glynn didn't do much here (since he got more appearances later on). And I don't care that it's the shortest special of all. I could watch this special for hours. The bond between Thomas and Edward was very good. The music was very good (and not just because it remixes music pieces from the early seasons). And it adapts the first two Railway Series books nicely. Every second of this special is so much fun to watch. And I would love to see a sequel to it.

And that's my list of every Thomas special from worst to best. Feel free to share your thoughts below.