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    #16
    Yep. Doing more doesn't mean better. Take Lego as an example. The TV stuff and straight to video stuff makes them all bendy and does much more with them than actual Lego can do. When they went to make a huge budget feature, they locked that right down and made them move like Lego minifigures and it's way better.

    Often the appeal is tied to the limitations.

    This is one of the lessons I used to give animation students back when I gave talks - someone can stick buttons on a sock and bring that to life, most Muppets couldn't even move their eyes, so whatever limits you come across in animation are never an excuse if you can't make people believe that character is alive.

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      #17
      But as writers, did they know the secret as to why the Thomas universe is so crushingly dark?

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        #18
        No idea. The original writer of the books, reverend whatever his name was, definitely had a dark streak.

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          #19
          Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
          No idea. The original writer of the books, reverend whatever his name was, definitely had a dark streak.
          He lived next door to my mate in Stroud. Just a little terraced place. I found it most odd.

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            #20

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              #21
              Rejoice for the 3D animation for the TV show is going away! And being replaced by... https://www.toynews-online.biz/2020/...re-school-hit/

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                #22
                Originally posted by Neon Ignition View Post
                But as writers, did they know the secret as to why the Thomas universe is so crushingly dark?
                All the best kids stuff is dark. Like Roald Dahl. Or, going back a bit, Grimm’s fairy tales.

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                  #23
                  That redesign is interesting, feels so recent after the last refresh. At the same time it feels like Mattel isn't sure what to do with it after they picked it up, it was *pardon the pun* chugging along just fine so I assume all these changes all the time are a desperate attempt to grow the international audience at the risk of losing the existing one.

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                    #24
                    I'm honestly not sure how Thomas works as a property but I have my suspicions and here they are, bearing in mind this is speculation on my part - I think the Thomas toys still do really good business and get a boost every time a new TV product comes out but, overall, I reckon the audience for the TV stuff is actually small. I'm trying to rationalise a bit of a conflict here because, for decades, new Thomas TV content has been produced and a lot of money is pumped into it and yet it doesn't have a huge broadcast presence in spite of all the content. It often gets pushed to the edges of schedules where most other shows would be cancelled soon after. Thomas keeps going. I think if it was doing really well on broadcast, it would have a far greater presence on TV. And yet it's clearly serving a purpose for the license holders.

                    So if I going to speculate on this move to 2D move, I'd say it comes down to one thing - cost. A simple 2D show can be produced for a fraction of the cost of a 3D show. If they can keep up that TV presence, for whatever value that's creating, while keeping costs lower, they win.

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                      #25
                      Originally posted by Dogg Thang View Post
                      Rejoice for the 3D animation for the TV show is going away! And being replaced by... https://www.toynews-online.biz/2020/...re-school-hit/
                      Bugger

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