I'm not steeped in Thomas the Tank Engine lore; my son showed some interest in the program and it looked like a pretty good series, so we decided to get him this DVD set. However, as much as I appreciate the fine model train artistry (it is awesome!) and George Carlin's narration, I just can't get into this series.

First and foremost, I think it is AWFUL that you have to watch 5 minutes of commercials before you can watch any of the Thomas DVD. The DVD prohibits skipping the loud, tedious commercials. Because of this, this DVD never gets watched (1 of 3). If you don't mind having to watch 5 minutes of commercials (or start the DVD and come back 5 minutes later to watch it), this won't bother you as much as it does us.

Also, as has been mentioned, the stories are in a completely jumbled order, so its difficult to piece together a linear narrative of how the characters develop. If you don't know much about Thomas and his friends (like me) I would not recommend this series. On its face, the series looks very appealing, but in the end, simple goofs in putting together the DVD make it aggravating to watch and difficult to fully appreciate.

I should say upfront that my husband and I find the whole Thomas line to be ridiculously overpriced ($20 for a train that is soft wood and chips easily--especially compared to a Matchbox car for $1 that lasts forever?????). However, after the grandparents gave him his first Thomas train, our son has ADORED the trains, tracks, and accompanying hoopla. After watching, at his request, the same two DVDs over and over for the past year and half (Thomas Helps Out and Cranky Bugs), we decided it was time to give him this set for Christmas. He is thrilled and it's nice to have different narrators, too (Ringo Starr is incredibly cool). If your child already loves Thomas & Friends, this is a great deal (consider: three "Best of" DVDs for not much more than 1 regular DVD)!

I bought this DVD set for my son, who loves Thomas and Friends, plays with his train set all the time and watched Hoorray for Thomas DVD a thousand times.
I am so disappointed! First you have to put up with about 5 min. of commercials before you even get to watch the movies and then all you see are grumpy engines always critizicing each other, attacking each other with words, not the attitude I want my son to learn. Not the way I want him to relate to others. I am so upset. It was a total waste of money. I give it one star because the scenery is awesome and, besides, it is not possible to give it less than one star.

I know you're always going to find a person who will argue whether or not something is the best but I'm trying to find someone who agrees with the episode list. After the Ringo era was re narrated by George Carlin they decided not to even include the old episodes in the new DVDs. I think if you're going to buy a Thomas DVD these days you should go out and buy the early days set. I individually wrote reviews for each of these DVDs but I'm disappointed by the 5 minutes of useless commercials that come before the DVD. Not only that but sometimes you have to wait 2 minutes to actually play the DVD itself.

Of the three greatest hits sets, the Percy set was easily the best. The Thomas one was alright but the last few on it weren't' very good. I have mixed feelings about the Best of James but I am glad the Best of Gordon was not put on because that set was a disgrace. This set may be good for you if your child is just getting into Thomas but try and find the earlier ones if you can. It's not very easy to find the best Thomas sets but if you can, they are worth it.

I got this for my friend's boy- so I think I got the review toned down. She said it had the SAME preview that lasted forever before the actual video came on. The 2 1/2 year old saw it so many times that he just would get up to do other things...and she couldn't fast forward through it. She sold it later on Ebay. HA HA HA.

These DVD's could've been much better. I agree with what lillian said above. It would've been so much better to have the episodes in chronological order. That way kids would've been able to see how Thomas changed over the years. I dont't know why these DVD's need so many special features. Back in the days when all Thomas was on was Shining Time Station and videos the entertainment you got were the episodes themselves. And why does only the best of Thomas get a music video at the end? If one got the rest should've too. A good collection, but it had a lot more potential.

To start of, we're not a thomas fan. But having received a thomas train set from a friend, we gave the dvds a try as well. To my surprise, these are great videos to show to my son. They expose the daily activities in life. Good or bad, a lesson is learned at the end. It helps foster good friendship, teamwork & cooperation, and responsibility. Something that cannot be taught in school alone. Thomas videos aren't just any kind of videos. There's always a moral to learn in each & every story stops. I believe these are the types of videos to show kids to expose them to the real world. The trains may be crossed but it's one way to help kids deal with life's pressures. You can't just show them all the goodies in the world and later get shocked of what the world really is. They just need your supervision when you think there are things needed to be explained so as not to mislead them. But in my own opinion, they are just great. He's free to watch this anytime.

Best of Thomas, Percy and James are just wonderful... We hope they come up with another edition of the collector's edition in a boxset. It's a great compilation of only the best story stops in one great price. Nothing beats that. We're discovering more of thomas. A new item in our wishlist.

I bought this for my 2 year old son who loves Thomas & Friends. The set is great value for money - and we particularly enjoyed the sing-a-longs on each disc. I think the DVDs all have wonderful story lines and the lessons to learn as well. Overall I am very happy with the purchase and my son is delighted with his DVDs. I am sure they will bring him many hours of enjoyment :)

The stories in these DVDs are our favorite classics which is why it gets 3 stars. The problem? Whoever put these together put no thought into them whatsoever! These would have been GREAT if they had put the stories in chronological order. It would have been so easy! Maybe the kids don't notice, but the parents who have to listen/watch repeatedly sure do. For example, the James video has several episodes mentioning James' problem with bootlaces before showing the episode with the bootlaces. Another problem with the James video - they had an excerpt of the James song in between episodes but did not play it at the end. Why wouldn't they play the James song on the James video?

Overall, very disappointing that they did not put a little more effort into these DVDs (this includes the Gordon video which we also have). What a wasted opportunity!

Can you tell I've watched too many Thomas videos???!!!

I have to disagree with those who feel that the engines being "cross" with each other is not something they want their children to watch. I too was not sure about the content until my son misbehaved and later apologized for being "cheeky" (a common term used in the DVDs). Although the engines are cross with each other, they always learn a lesson: it's not nice to tease, everyone makes mistakes, the engines are "grounded" when they misbehave, etc. My son loves to watch Thomas, and often acts out the stories with his own train set.

Well, not quite often, but anyway I started with Thomas and his Friends help Out on Region 1 DVD, but it came from (...). My Thomas and Friends: Platinum Collection (Best of Thomas/James/Percy) is on its way. We felt sure I will get it, if not it will arrive too late.

Although, on Best of Thomas DVD, we have 8 episodes, including: -

1) Thomas Gets Bumped
2) A New Friend For Thomas
3) Thomas, Percy & the Dragon
4) Thomas Saves The Day
5) Trouble For Thomas
6) Thomas and Stepney
7) A Big Day For Thomas
8) Thomas Meets The Queen

Best of James DVD: -

8 Episodes

Best of Percy DVD: -

Read-Along Story: Henry and the Elephant


Thanks for your support!

Michael Higham

Our daughter loves her Thomas the Tank Engine, Percy, Lady and Salty trains. They look so sweet with their happy little smiles. Luckily, the trainset we bought for her came with a free video because I would have hated to have spent the money on buying the DVD for her. As one of the other reviewers mentioned - these trains are always "cross" and just all around grumpy. Everyone in Thomas World is miserable. So, we still let her play with her trainset - she just can't watch the videos.

I bought this set of DVD's to my son and he loves it. Each DVD has many different stories and my son loves them all. I also like them. Each DVD also includes like three sing along sons. I recommend it to all Thomas fans.

If your child or grandchild likes Thomas the Tank Engine, this set would make a perfect gift! The three-disc set features three favorite friends: Thomas, James, and Percy. In addition to loyal fans' favorite episodes, the discs have extras such as learning games, coloring pages, and more.

This is a good series for a Thomas fan starter. The best of Thomas is very good, Percy's is excellent and James's is satisfactory. Cumulatively it contains a lot of different stories, which is good. It also has some extra features such as a computer video game, dvd game, songs (really good), an introduction to the different engines, and read a long thomas books. (...)Overall it is a good starter, but long time fans might want something that introduces other engines.Enjoy.

This was a disappointing purchase! I bought the Thomas videos on the recommendation of a friend who said they had good stories and a must for THomas fans. We were disappointed to find that the engines are always "cross" at each other, trying to get back at one another or in bad moods. Best of Percy has a ghost in it that scared my kids. I would reconsider this purchase!

Thomas The Tank Engine's GREATEST American Collection, Thomas & Friends - Platinum Edition [3 Disc Set] Is Coming This October!!
Includes Best Of Thomas, Best Of Percy & Best Of James In 1 Pack!
Stories Are: Thomas Gets Bumped / A New Friend For Thomas / Thomas, Percy & The Dragon / Thomas Saves The Day / Trouble For Thomas / Thomas & Stepney / A Big Day For Thomas / Thomas Meets The Queen / Percy's Ghostly Trick / A Scarf For Percy / Percy Takes A Plunge / Percy's Predicament / Thomas, Percy & The Mail Train / Percy Runs Away / Percy & The Signal / Percy Proves A Point / Percy's Promise / A Proud Day For James / James In A Mess / Old Iron / No Joke For James / James Learns A Lesson / Percy, James & The Fruitful Day / James Goes Buzz Buzz & Time For Trouble. I Hope You Enjoy This Traintastic DVD Coz It's 2 Thumbs Up [Or In Thomas' Case, 2 Buffers Up!!]