Why Thomas’ CGI Transition Worked…and then it didn’t

[@Calebtrain]

The joke at 9:34 didn’t export properly-but y’know what, since it comes directly after a spiel about software malfunctioning, I’m going to say it works 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@Djay17]

No comments? Let me change that :)

[@Fellaperson5686]

Andrew Brenner: The last railbender

[@compitalc]

Some others didn’t.

[@Fun-ki1dd]

A couple weeks ago i went to a model railway show and the had the original layout for thomas and you know, and it had the original thomas but all the other engines were remade

[@putrierika2115]

😂i😅😅😂😊😂

[@BigLadStudios]

In TheUnluckyTug's video on the review of season's 14 to 15, I can't remember who exactly it was but they had a really good point about Mattel working with trains as a limitation rather than the core appeal. It's truly sad because they bought a toy brand expecting it to sell and are doing anything to keep it afloat. Just sad man.

[@theholygamer969]

Wouldn't be the first time a company refused to believe their star IP had any appeal of its own, purely from just sticking to its identity. SEGA/Sonic Team and Microsoft/343 Industries deserve what they've set themselves up for.

[@Calebtrain]

Hit the nail right on the head.

[@cinnamonmantrainsareawesom7224]

@@theholygamer969 I hope the same thing happens to Mattel

[@Matthew_MBG]

@@theholygamer969 Sonic Team's new show is great

[@theholygamer969]

@@Matthew_MBG No, it's not.

[@Laurabeck329]

I haven't thought about Thomas since I was like 5 but new CGI stuff looks shockingly good. Also that 2d animated tomas is just the sadest thing I've ever seen. Our boy deserved better

[@xs0528]

2nd “Thomas”.

[@Nerfherder219]

Seasons 19 to 21 were the peak of the CGI era imo. It was visually appealing and gave off the feeling that Mitton's work was being honored and carried on spiritually. The lighting, the camera angles, it just felt like the older episodes but also felt like it's own thing too. Nothing has been able to top these seasons.

[@Calebtrain]

They were really onto something for a while there!

[@DaveMan1K]

​@@ShiningTimeStudios475 Models were more impressive on a technical scale, but they went downhill post-Allcroft. And CGI got off to a terrible start with the Miller era, where nothing stood out as vaguely unique.

[@ShiningTimeStudios475]

@@DaveMan1K Models were unique and the best, CGI went through ups and downs. And ended on a downside

[@DaveMan1K]

@@ShiningTimeStudios475 Not as big a downside as what it started with.

[@ShiningTimeStudios475]

@DaveMan1000 Yeah, it started of with Miller (decent), Brenner (the peak), then ended with BWBA (Back down but a little higher than Miller.

[@colinmcallister3038]

What I remember about the original series was that it had a sense of magical realism to it: while the trains could talk with humans as if they were people, they also worked as normal trains doing their task in the real. As time went on however, the magical realism went out the window resulting in the unrealistic depiction that we have now.

[@FaysalIsGoated]

That’s another thing that pissed me off. During the Model Era, the engines always talked to their crew(I.E Driver, Fireman, and Conductor). But after Thomas went CGI, the engines NEVER interacted with their crew again. They still talked to people, but the only engine crew interactions we got were in The Adventure Begins where Gordon’s driver talked to him about getting stuck on the hill, and when Thomas was chasing James’s runaway train down the main line and asked James’s conductor to couple him up.

[@BenCos2018]

@@FaysalIsGoated agreed they used to be more amazing years ago tbh Not old enough to have seen them when they were first released but I've watched them

[@ctje1638]

If Thomas came back on tv as a purely model show, with the old faces, I’d watch it in a heartbeat. The show always gave me that same feeling as playing with model trains, except there’s so much more trains and much more room to play.

[@carloso5910official]

And maybe with an individual voice cast for the engines

[@moreedcola6837]

It must’ve been SO FUN to work on Thomas back in the day.

[@NIgHTMaReFortyTwo]

Yeah before they completely killed the spirit of the show. Unfortunately Americans don't seem to get it. Imagine if aardman went and abandoned stop motion.

[@train4292]

@@NIgHTMaReFortyTwo I don’t what Americans have to do with what happened to Thomas. There’s a lot of American Thomas fans dude.

[@PhilipLL]

To me Thomas will allways be a model railway/stop motion series. What gives it, its charm. I grew up with a lot of stop motion animation, 3D cgi didn't really catch on before i got a little older. But i still adore the style it brings, kinda off kilter and sometimes oddly creepy. But i kinda appreciate it for that. Besides, it did translate well to other languages. Without all the lip syncing.

[@2099Diego]

Note: The reason why the cgi faces and humans look weird in S12 is because Stardust Pictures got more involved in Designing the Renders even though Nitrogen did the CGI Models behind the scenes (Because they look more similar to HIT Era)

[@Calebtrain]

Thanks for the info!

[@ShiningTimeStudios475]

@@CalebtrainModels were better, but CGI helped build much bigger tracks to greater destinations. ❤😊 Right Bro?

[@dannythehipster5644]

The sad thing about the Nitrogen era is literally everything except the writing was in place, but was still very successful.

[@ThomasSirHandel]

Personally would have preferred a hiatus between 2009 to 2012 minus the specials. The existing S17 would become the new S13.

[@haveacalmheart3010]

I hear a lot of people complain about Nitrogen's animation, and while yes, Arc's animation in their later seasons was really good, i prefer the darker and dirtier shades of color with nitrogen, it added to the atmosphere of a railway and it's environment. It felt really realistic to me

[@caranook]

I never saw Thomas in CGI, considering I was 11 in 2007 and had kind of grown out of it at that stage. However, it does seem like it looked good! As a kid I never thought the static faces were creepy, it was just how it was and I didn’t think much of it. The initial transition to CGI was nice because it was subtle enough but still improved the show without completely overturning the original designs or charm.

[@BigSigmaGojo]

I’m just imagining him calling nitrogen and saying “hello there I really like hiro of the rails and I uh really love it” and the secretary being like oh wow thank you very much you know how about I tell the animators that “ok goodbye” goodbye 😂

[@Calebtrain]

Not that far off!

[@imrandarr1094]

Fun fact: HOT Animation, the studio behind Bob the Builder, helped provide the CGI smoke effects as well as other visual elements in S12.

[@EngineShedStudios]

This is a very fair analysis on the cgi era. I’ll freely admit that I’m very partial to the cgi series, especially when compared to the model era. I too loved Hero of the Rails when it came out and its one of the only cgi Thomas productions that I actually enjoy watching. But after seeing this, I do have more appreciation for what cgi Thomas wanted to be.

[@Calebtrain]

The CGI series definitely has a lot of merits to love about it. Hero of the Rails is a classic!

[@camo6465]

As someone who hasn’t touched any Thomas content since the 2000s, I found this video very informative and fascinating. Well done!

[@riseoftheknights]

Wait your here???

[@D3LTATRAX]

Lmfao I had absolutely no idea Thomas had any sort of community on KZbin. This video is dope 🔥

[@keatonhardy3297]

1:30 "This was provided by nit-noot" GOT ME ROLIN😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@samuelgunter]

When i was a kid, i noticed that some of the episodes had mostly still faces and the others had lively faces, I never knew that the reason was because some were videos of models while others were animated

[@ThomasSirHandel]

Yeah must have been weird growing up after the transition with the model series airing on Sprout and CGI on PBS.

[@dragonfire280]

Bro was so inspired he actually called up nitrogen themselves HE DID NOT FEAR EMBARRASSMENT HE WALKED UP TO THEM WITH INSPIRATION IN MIND

[@potatosspilled6621]

Thomas was better in model form. Although there were some good times in cgi, model episodes were just much better

[@Calebtrain]

I agree! Helps that the stories were top of their game then, too.

[@selinapersaud7629]

I agree too.

[@JosephRailwayStudios2000]

Indeed

[@PMARC14]

​@@Calebtrain I really wish I got to see a cg integration with model work. But also now that CGI has greatly advanced I also want to see fully CGI recreations of the model generation as well. Something for a fan project I guess

[@JK23111]

The models were peak and I will never be convinced otherwise

[@TrashTrackers]

The 2009 era of Thomas was very well done. Visually the trains were very smooth. I liked how the trains weren't too complex but they felt fairly realistic

[@tre-engines]

I personally like Nitrogen’s animation the best! It may not be shiny like Arc’s Animations but the visual look and feel of Season 13-16 felt the most like Thomas and the same island of Sodor we all know and love!

[@ezugen]

I agreed there’s lots of interesting and obscure rolling stock in the season, besides breakvans.

[@bartzacky9639]

@@carminelago456Terrible. HiT was very desperately in a need for money, so they have to make the writing dumber.

[@tre-engines]

@Carmine Lago the writing was very boring and repetitive, much like Season 8-12, there are some cool crashes, visuals, and music in the episodes but it doesn’t save it for me

[@ezugen]

The characters were also a good part of Nitrogen’s era, it was a mixed bag with characters like Hiro, Victor and luke, but some other characters like the logging locos taking the others down with them.

[@Calebtrain]

They really made Sodor feel familiar and cozy. I think that's where a lot of the heart comes through!

[@superhappywars3713]

Wait a second I’m watching a documentary about Thomas the Train

[@dayveo]

sure the CGI trains and people could react in the moment and express themselves with body language, but that's what every other show, live action and animated does. what made Thomas different and special were the limitations imposed by it's format. the world doesn't need more of the same, it needs different, special, magical

[@JintySteam1]

I felt the CGI era of Thomas was like a video game that keeps updating and the graphics keep getting better. XD

[@Calebtrain]

It was for a while there!

[@wishbonefan]

And then season 22 is like the update that everyone despised with the graphics getting worse

[@timothybrandt8254]

Mattel is going to have to learn one of these days that flash can only go so far, when the flash loses its luster, what’s left?

[@Calebtrain]

That's the real test

[@NoName-ik2du]

I never really watched Thomas with any amount of regularity, but from my perspective, the original animation with the frozen faces and static humans was what defined it as unique. The transition to CGI feels like a deviation from a big part of what defined the show as something special. It was probably a necessary change to keep the next generation of children engaged, but to my eyes it looks like the show losing its soul. Not to say the animation was bad, it just doesn't look like Thomas to me.

[@ShiningTimeStudios475]

Models were better, but CGI helped build much bigger tracks to greater destinations. ❤😊

[@dylanstern7767]

Until you go to the wrong track to bwba and you never escape that place ever There is no going back Ever

[@Creeppersharp]

I grew up watching the original series with the model trains, and I do remember disliking the animated shift to CGI. Looking at these shows now as an adult I can appreciate the CGI shift as it kept the series alive for another generation of young fans and was headed by a studio that, while not the best at writing, still respected the source material by continuing the world that had been built by the author and the original show creators, while also adding their own flare to it like the dynamic cameras, attention to detail of even the undercarriage of the trains and even the momentum based physics that the trains would have

[@DavidConant]

I grew up on the physical model version. With today’s cgi technology they should use cgi to make it in the same style and look as the models but with the fidelity you get from cgi (think Lego movie).

[@MrEmagtsr]

I don’t mind the 2D episodes. I put them on for my kids often. To me, it solves the issue that the CGI version so obviously had during the last seasons. Writers were quickly running out of ways to keep sentient machines normally confined to rails interesting. As much as I love the original shows, and their respect to the original books and stories, it’s really hard to write an episode where if you’re going to have a setting for a scene, you’d have to find a way to have rails built into it or it won’t make sense for the characters to be there. I like the fact that the 2D show just really threw this out the window in order to give the characters almost infinitely more ways to interact with their environment, and thus open more opportunity for the writers to come up with new adventures. Because in the end, I need it to keep my kids engaged for 5 minutes while I make them lunch or something 😂

[@SuperMarioGabe04]

When they went full on CG, that’s around the time I grew out of Thomas. Glad I was able to just barley be old enough to grow up with the OG show lol

[@nathanarrington9651]

I feel more appreciation for the cgi series than Tug has expressed within the last 3 years.

[@Calebtrain]

There's definitely a lot of merit to it!

[@joshslater2426]

Tug ain’t impressed by anything.

[@MegaSimmaster]

I remember HATING the cgi shift, but it's nice to look back at the change with a more mature eye.

[@xs0528]

Ya, me, too.

[@AnonyMous-pi9zm]

I remember seeing it playing in a gift shop one time, and it just seemed too "bubbly". I'm not sure if that was the writing, or the animation, or what I'm leaning towards, the voice acting. I remember Thomas as being a somewhat realistic world, like a documentary. A bit like Willy Wonka, where charlie is at school, living his life, where we see people in therapy and in business meetings and arguing with their family. Sure, there is a whimsical plot, trying to find the golden ticket and all, but the first half of the movie is quite plain. Then we get into the modern CGI era and it feels a bit like the modern chocolate factory, super overly dramatic with its depictions. I actually liked a few seasons there during the CGI era, and I'm not sure where it went wrong, but there definitely was some experience of that, and I think it was the narration.

[@EliStettner]

I was too young to have watched the original live action Thomas (born in ‘06), but I remember being incredibly confused (and somewhat annoyed at it being slow) when the live action show came up in re-runs

[@MegaSimmaster]

@@EliStettner we all like what we're familiar with, so it's funny to think kids could look at something I loved when I was young as dated or slow. It's interesting they even showed reruns, since the two formats have VERY different tones and audiences.

[@SrMechaGojira93]

Yes! Thank you for making this video!

[@atavious2491]

If we ever get another theatrical Thomas movie, I just want it to look something like the model era but still using cgi. Kinda like the Lego movie, but they limit themselves with how much movement they make. Maybe they can go back to just showing still facial expressions and human figure models and no actual movement. All the trains can be redesigned to somewhat resemble the original books; looking a little bit like realistic old stream engines from the 1940s and 50s?

[@Wildcatt1999]

Maybe if HiT Entertainment hadn't wasted so much money on building new engine props, only to use them once just to advertise their toys and then never use them again, then maybe the Season 12 format could've gone on for a bit longer like they'd planned.

[@Calebtrain]

I definitely think the HiT model budgets were frivolous, but maybe there were more factors to it. Would have been nice if they'd gone on longer!

[@JosephRailwayStudios2000]

Indeed

[@JosephRailwayStudios2000]

And how do you think that series would’ve turned out if they continued with the models

[@jeremiahsisaias8677]

I remember when rewatching "Blue Mountain Mystery" the moment that Nitrogen did their best with their animation was at the beginning part after the intro when it did slow camera movement angles from a tree that had realistic leaves with little water drops right before we cut to Thomas with Annie and Clarabel. It was very beautiful. 😊👍🍃 The engines, road vehicles and rolling stock all didn't start having bouncing controls until "Journey beyond Sodor". Some of the newer Trainz 2019 models have been getting those controls for the past 2 years. I actually did wonder if when the engines, road vehicles and coaches and breakvans bounce, the passengers, guards and crews can get tossed around in them and for the trucks the cargo would move around and I don't know if they can feel what they're carrying. All Engines Go animation I can't handle any of their content in any episode I have to see after 3 or 4 minutes before wanting to turn that trash off no matter how worse it gets because I can't bare seeing engines jumping, bending and rerailing themselves... 😡😠 Chuggington's animation was boring to me as a kid because I wanted to see locomotives being like real engines. l:(

[@Calebtrain]

That opening in Blue Mountain Mystery was gorgeous.

[@jeremiahsisaias8677]

@@CalebtrainHave you seen Chuggington when you were a kid and how did you react to it? I didn't care for it. I was fine with other talking engines like Casey Jr, Tillie and Tracy, but I can't stand seeing talking engines bouncing, leaning side to side and bending on screen. I just wanted to watch talking rail vehicles to act like real trains.

[@Calebtrain]

@@jeremiahsisaias8677 When it first came out I was intrigued, but wasn't really into it.

[@jeremiahsisaias8677]

@@CalebtrainAll Engines Go had the bouncing at a much worse degree...

[@selinapersaud7629]

I’m gonna go rewatch that scene later. I need to see this for myself. Or try to, with my limited vision. Lol.

[@NitroIndigo]

It always annoys me when people act like CGI is inherently inferior to 2D animation. You can have personal preferences, but CGI isn't exactly easy. (Source: I think animating in Unreal Engine 4 at college increased my blood pressure.)

[@Calebtrain]

People think CG animation is hitting the "animate" button on the computer. It's a different discipline, but one that takes practice and skill nonetheless! (I hope your animations turned out the way you wanted them too! Make that BP spike worth it lol)

[@TheRyujinLP]

I think this is do to how a lot of movies use CG wrong and often cheaply. And a lot of this does tend to come from the earlier era of CG when it was much harder to pull off both do to technical hardware reasons and a smaller pool of good CG artists. I know early on when there was a push for CG cartons like Reboot and Beastwars I hated it, it looked like crap to me. Then why animated movies started to get replaced by CG only it really frustrated me since I knew that some of them would of benefited from hand drawn animation more then cg. Of course as time moved on and CG benefited from both a increased in hardware power and a better pool of animators I started to warm more to it though I do prefer hand drawn animation personally. I just wish there was more balance. While there are times when CG makes more sense for a movie, I do think the same if for hand drawn animation and you can always split the difference (I loved how Kung Fu Panda would use beautiful traditional animation for some parts).

[@rooty]

It's definitely easier and cheaper. That's the reason every stop motion show transitioned to cg, to save time and money.

[@mrshimmo1]

this show made up my childhood entirely until i was about 7-8, i wouldnt stop watching it, even going out of my way to see more of it (older seasons, live things, etc). seeing how its just fell really hurts me internally, but all things have a station where they cant go further. also the 2d style just cannot sit with me, as much as i try to bear it. at least i still have mountains of DVDs just in case lol.

[@CadenButera]

I didn’t expect myself to watch an entire 16 minute long video about Thomas the tank engine…but I did. Well done

[@Damocles178]

The CGI Era certainly did have a lot of potential and was quite well animated but so many times writers forgot or didn't know what Thomas was really about but of course that problem was already starting to become apparent in some of Hits later model series. Railway values was a core element that just seemed to get lost to time. Though Andrew Brenner did manage to get things back on track as he at least cared about what the characters were supposed to be.

[@brandonrobertson9468]

big world seasons were pretty fun to work on and eventually lead. I was a bit iffy on the moving trains at first when they introduced it, but it did grow on me and add a lot more character as people got used to it. noticed a few of my shots in here too haha. The S19 shot at 10:09 & the shots between 11:34 - 11:41

[@Calebtrain]

First of all, thanks for leaving a comment, and congrats on the leadership role! I’m happy to hear that production was fun, and it’s neat to hear your perspective on the changes regarding the gestures and movements. The shots you’ve mentioned here are awesome, and it’s nice to have a name to credit them to. I hope your current projects are going splendidly and that Maya is being a team-player.

[@ethribin4188]

Part pf the trains was that they could not shake or move. Like... if Tobi got hit by snow, he couldnt just... shake it off. He was stuck with it on himself until some maintenance crew removed it. Same with tar, jam,fish, cheese, coal etc. It made the engines, well, engines. And actually interesting and expressive.

[@DSK_Terrence_Official]

“This was provided by N-, Ni-, NOOT NOOT!!”

[@F40M07]

Them: “Let’s make Thomas realistic but make him fly or something”

[@freddyleatherwood1076]

I wish that arc Productions didn't get bankrupt and getting more season cuz I like the CGI Style in season 19 till 20

[@Calebtrain]

It was still a lot of the same people at Jam Filled! I do wish we got more like 19 and 20.

[@emersoninfinitystone5785]

3:23 Pingu just walking across the screen be like 😎

[@Calebtrain]

he chillin

[@spadesofpaintstudios1719]

Me personally I stopped watching before big worlds big adventures, I did enjoy hiro of the rails and things like that but after 2016 I kinda left Thomas be. And now we have this 2d stuff… poor kids were robbed of something great

[@lord_egg]

Thomas isn't meant to be entirely cartoonish. The focus was on realistic train problems and how the solved them. Changing the show in order to make the trains more expressive, kind of ruined it.

[@clown-cult96]

The CGI series is basically a study in great ideas being executed badly. Another example is the voice acting. All our characters have their own voices now? Great! I always liked having just a narrator just fine but Japan made the series work with individual voices and one of magic Railroad’s stronger points is the voice direction, so I was excited to see where it went and see these characters get new development from literally having their own voice. What we got was slow, monotonous performances that seemed to be playing to the youngest, dumbest audience possible, where everyone had high, shrill irritating voices, save for Gordon and Hiro. Bonus points for extremely forced, stereotypical, irritating British accents. These all become especially noticeable as the show becomes louder, more babyish and more garish to the point it’s grating and a complete overload for anyone.

[@aheendwhz1]

Only Ringo Thomas is true Thomas

[@SouRwy4501Productions]

If I were in charge of plot development, I would have just made the series as just trains doing things that trains do. For example; what does a PRR K4s class 4-6-2 steam engine do? It pulls passenger trains, and what does a N&W A class 2-6-6-4 do? It pulls freight. No stupid shit, no unnecessary plots, and good writing, occasionally delving into the practices that railway workers and owners have to deal with. Sure it might sound boring, but it would demonstrate it in a way that is visually appealing.

[@KingKrouch]

I'm not even that big into Thomas the Train, and you managed to get me interested enough to watch a nearly 20 minute video on the thing. KZbin's algorithm really do be bringing me to strange places.

[@2099Diego]

If Pierce Brosnan was still on the show he would have narrated the Model versions of Series 12, 13 and 14 which would be Model/CGI and probably the Show would have come to an end in 2011 and with a reboot in sight 3 years later :/

[@Calebtrain]

Pierce Brosnan narrating the series would have been really interesting to see!

[@LeaderOfTheTracks]

the nitrogen era is my favourite era out of all the show so in the older times of the community when everyone constantly shat on it was sad. but i think we all have to realise something, 2008-2010 was the time when most model animated shows were transitioning into cgi (in the UK) and compared to the other shows that were now being CG animated at the time (bob, fireman sam), we seriously got very lucky because out of those shows thomas by far had the most detail and thought put into it, and atleast had people that KNEW what thomas was and they UNDERSTOOD the world that everyone that helped make the world built. the people at nitrogen genuinely cared about the show and respected what it was and didnt try to change it, and i think we should be glad with the fact that at least the show wasnt sold of to some cheap chinese animation company.

[@Calebtrain]

The extra attention Nitrogen gave Thomas absolutely made a huge difference.

[@xs0528]

When season 12 came out, I wasn’t thrilled w/ the animation change, but when Hero of the Rails dropped in, it actually looked better. I wonder what classic stop-motion series they’re going to make into a CGI reboot next.

[@thesudriana016]

For three of the animation studios, they are good and awkward at different things: 1. Nitrogen - Good with replicating the character renders/props (almost if you count James), adding weight to them (especially for braking and made them feel real and heavy) and use actual references with the models brought to the studio. Bad at texture and just reuse the same traveling close-up shots over and over again. 2. Arc - Good with texture, camera panning shots that would be impossible to film with models on a grand scale, amazing backdrops and have the full budget to improve their animation quality. Bad with braking and returnee character renders (Bill & Ben, Oliver, Duncan, etc.) 3. Jam Filled - Good with camera panning shots like their predecessors, but too cartoony and made the engines weightless that would predict the 2D reboot. Other than that, CGI Thomas pretty much like the models had a run of its time until the end, and I can't deny how much passion everyone did into the show.

[@cinnamonmantrainsareawesom7224]

But cgi met a sad end

[@josiahken2825]

i think why i liked thomas is that its just simple, not to flashy, not too flat, just right, and with the right amount of expressions. I used to wonder why i liked Thomas and not Chuggingtown but after hearing your point about the newer animations (about how trains cannot realistically move and animate that much) i think i finally understand why i liked thomas better lmao (i know its weird its a kids cartoon and i expect it to be realistic, idk my 14 year old self just doesnt like trains expressing too much)

[@EzraBradford]

Very informative! I'm left curious to see your impressions on watching the 2D series, if not as Thomas then on its own merit as a railway-themed cartoon.

[@robertfield7532]

Call me a boring purist but personally I think Thomas should have ended when they started adding CGI elements. Even though the show was produced in the early 2000s, a time when animated movies were on the rise, and Pixar was truly gaining traction, the original produces of Thomas the tank engine stuck to the traditional real-time animations. I loved the show when I was a child, and for me some of the true magic was because it was as though I was watching someone tell the same kinds of stories and play the same kinds of games that I would do as a child with my toys. I think having less explicit animation, especially the non moving people is also really important for building children's ability to imagine, and fill in the gaps.

[@rocksreviewsreactions337]

Thing I always liked about the CGI era was the trains getting their own voice actors, and especially the females. Lol, the narrators probably liked it better that way too then having to make up a bunch of voices.

[@ThomasTubeHD]

CGI Thomas was something I found a bit off to what the show first started with, sure it's animation but the model episodes looked way better in appearance (at the time), even if there are things models can't do compare to CGI, I sometimes found it hard to accept it, and it was only the movies that convinced me that CGI Thomas is the course of direction which would keep the show going and to which has a TON of potential And now that I've come back as I have a T&F Renaissance, looking at the modern day show, I feel angry and sad, it's a show that has great stories to tell and also all about trains but has lost it's identity of what kind of a show it was, all the while corporate higher ups doesn't give a shit on what and how it was unless it could be make the cash

[@carltonpowell5313]

It woulda been cool if they’d made a video game based on all the sets they made for the cgi era Just so it’d be eternal

[@offbrandweasley1574]

I grew up during the original change from the model series to cgi, and the transition was well done to say the least. I remember getting a dvd copy of every thomas movie to come out since like 2004 to 2016 for my birthday every year, and watching the cgi of the series evolve was kinda cool.

[@MrDankEngine1999]

Excellent work Caleb!

[@wishbonefan]

You know, I'll still never understand the thought process behind the bouncing in the BWBA era and tail end of the Andrew Brenner Era. From what I can tell, the bouncing was part of Mattel's plan to make the show more marketable towards the preschool demographic, but if that was the case, then.... that's just plain dumb. The thing is that I honestly didn't actually notice the bouncing in JBS until everyone started talking about it a while after it was released. And I was around 12 or so when I first saw JBS and season 21. If a 12 year old doesn't notice a small detail like that, then some 3 year olds won't either. That's the thing about bouncing, it's just kinda pointless, it doesn't make the show better, nor does it ruin it. It's just kinda there. Like was it really necessary to put extra time and resources into this bouncing animation that a lot of kids probably never even noticed?

[@KiraSlith]

7:55 I was far out of the age range for 3D animated Thomas by the time it aired, but in retrospect I find the reused shots with different trains just as charming in 3D as the model animation doing the same was. It gives the island of Sodor a sense of verisimilitude (a word little me would've found amusing), an oft ignored component of world building. Now I think about it, the Thomas might've been what planted the seeds for my obsession with world building as an adult. 🤔

[@brightredmogul1912]

Yo bring this series back with a video explaining how the two episodes "Buzzy Bees" and "The Green Controller" are both cinematic masterpieces that changed your life forever Because I know for a fact you have not been the same since the viewing of those two masterpieces

[@yoyleb1711]

i like the way you present your videos! appreciate the cgi appreciation

[@FaysalIsGoated]

I personally didn’t mind the transition from models to CGI. Because as long as the show was written the same as it’s always been, I was cool with it. (Besides, I personally LOVED the sound of the engines braking and sparks⚡️flying everywhere.) We got gems such as Hero Of The Rails, Day Of the Diesels, Tale Of the Brave, The Adventure Begins, and my personal favorite: Sodor’s Legend Of The Lost Treasure. There we’re a few hiccups(COUGH Misty Island Rescue and the “Splish Splash Splosh” special), but other than it was fine for a while. But after “Big World, Big Adventures” came out, it was over. The characters were wobbling all over the place like this was Chuggington, there was way too much singing, Thomas himself became the Narrator, and the writing was just awful.😣 By 2019, I knew it was time to call it a day for my favorite childhood show.

[@Calebtrain]

It had it's time in the sun, and it was nice while it lasted.

[@FaysalIsGoated]

@@Calebtrain yeah. It’s just too bad Mattel only cares about money.

[@DaveMan1K]

The writing was never worse than how it was in S13-16: forced monotonous rhyming, lines being literally copy-pasted, and following the three strike rule without fail adnuasium. Nothing felt natural in that era.

[@FaysalIsGoated]

@@DaveMan1K yeah the constant rhyming and lines bing repeated over and over was hella annoying

[@DaveMan1K]

@@FaysalIsGoated But suddenly giving the engines body language is too far? That's something I never understood.

[@dylanlyles9453]

0:00 OMG! I love Mitchells vs the Machines!!!😍😍😍

[@Calebtrain]

It SLAPS

[@dylanlyles9453]

@@Calebtrain FR! And I meant For Real, not Furness Railway. LOL🤣🤣🤣

[@DullNull]

Y’know, looking back at the older seasons and the current state. I, and so many others, can no longer recognize the tank engine, and his friends, anymore. It is just sad knowing the one thing that has made a big part in our childhoods turn into this. But I can agree with everything said.

[@jetteraismabash4186]

Wonder what kids today prefer the old model Thomas or CGI series. I never liked the CGI series the physical models and sets had much charm in my mind. However that might be because that's what I first saw.

[@rrwholloway]

Nothing recreates the magic of the original 1984 series.

[@AjSmit1]

the live action + cgi was truly a golden age... while it lasted

[@AjSmit1]

or perhaps.. a silver era. either way i hated the full CGI following

[@gabrielramirez6570]

Died to “I’m not Canadian I’m welsh”🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@selinapersaud7629]

My biggest problem with the CGI era was only the fact that they switched around the timeline, other than that I liked it up to season 20.

[@foxboxarchives2059]

14:17 I actually do like how these guys look.

[@engineboy53productions15]

Excellent and fair discussion about the CGI Transition.

[@Calebtrain]

Thank you :)

[@thomasthetankman111]

I did struggle with that word!

[@Calebtrain]

You elevated this video by a gargantuan amount

[@Whistle17]

But my favorite part about the CGI series were the camera angles they always fascinated me as a kid especially when the sparks flew when they applied their brakes

[@ShiningTimeStudios475]

Yeah, and the realistic sound effects. 😊

[@Whistle17]

@@ShiningTimeStudios475 That to the chuffing sounds are so satisfying to watch on repeat

[@BlastedRodent]

I’ve never watched this show (the video was recommended to me by the algorithm) but as a complete outsider, man is the model version charming and man is the CGI generic. The models make the whole thing look like a toy railway come to life, which based on the “human” character designs appears to have been the original concept? And it’s just so tangible, even from those short cuts I want to pick up the trains and play with them. The CGI version is decent, and I appreciate the work that goes into it, but visually it looks like every other middle of the road children’s show.

[@Fellaperson5686]

Andrew Brenner really did save Thomas (Animation and Directing-wise and basically everything else), until Mattel ruined it with BWBA and AEG

[@Alex1.0dacoolguy]

I grew up with CGI Thomas and friends but instantly left when big world adventures started. I tried to force myself to watch it but it was no use. I had grown out of Thomas and friends. I have a whole lot of Thomas minis around everywhere and i just recently went through my old draws and put some of the trains into a bag which will be given to charity. Maybe if it goes back to its old days everyone can watch it. Every age, either for the memories or to be entertained and learn what it was like when it was at its peak time in history. RIP good CGI Thomas and Friends.

[@hannahlamagna]

Thomas good in this era my brother loved it the new show I haven't watched much of it's interesting

[@harrisonallen651]

Bankruptcy, Bankruptcy, Bankruptcy - that was the issue. Also, we can expect this upcoming theatrical film to have a release date for next year.

[@rosscustom]

The WOTW tripod sound effect, the video, opinions, jokes, is this dude just another version of me? 😂

[@aidan9411]

4:30 I love the KSP space music in here

[@kainhall]

1:23 the golden years....... . i wanted a model train set SO BAD as a kid and man do i still have all that old Lionel O-27 gauge and wooden first gen Thomas stuff . my sisters kids are getting a kick out of it now lol

[@BigLightning4360]

As much as the Unlucky Tug praised Arlesburgh Harbour as the pinnacle Thomas the Tank Engine’s CGI series, along with a majority of fans claiming Season 20 as the peak of that medium, Britt Allcroft put it best that it lacked the warmth, soul, and charm of David Mitton’s live-action model animation work.

[@Calebtrain]

I don't think Thomas ever quite reached that same level of warmth post-Mitton, but I appreciate the efforts teams made to try!

[@Killdane]

2:21 Gordon❗️❗️ Great job again with the video, very nice!

[@Calebtrain]

Thank you! :D

[@Killdane]

@@Calebtrain You’re welcome!

[@studioblackleaf]

This is the stuff you would watch at 3 am

[@thesovereign5mt]

THE "im not like other girls 😌" GOT ME BWAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

[@Calebtrain]

he's ✨ different ✨

[@thesovereign5mt]

@@Calebtrain he’s an icon 🕺

[@J4CK50N.]

Not gonna lie, I loved the older cgi style when they did a do over for Thomas because that’s when I thought “This could be as real as Thomas could get!” But classic will always be iconic for me.

[@ItsTrainBoy]

At least we had BustedBuffers to keep us mentally intact during this era 😔❤️‍🔥

[@Slop_Dogg]

I’m far more familiar with 2D animation & admittedly unfamiliar with the Thomas series, but I do remember watching the old “practical” episodes as a child. It seemed quite novel to me, even somewhat different from stop motion series, the closest thing I could compare it to. It’s unfortunate that it seems something has been lost in translation as the series has transitioned to a fully 3D animated production & switched studios.

[@YakkoWarnerTower]

I heard about the CGI Thomas so many times those seasons were after my time and I kinda used to think the name change "Thomas and Friends" was a conspiracy theory lol.

[@LuisLopez-mx3er]

When I first saw Thomas in CGI I was blown away with how they made the details it was a fresh new approach and that’s what kept me interested as I grew older, they need to look more bad-ass!

[@LuisLopez-mx3er]

FWI, please take my comment with a grain of salt if it’s to much.

[@user-uu9ru3de1y]

gargantuan- lol