Spectacular and charming though not for young children

Rating: 10/10 (30 December 2004)

A spectacular and charmingly entertaining film. I loved it. It is visually breathtaking with scenes that were exciting and dazzling. The sound track is enchanting with catchy theme music and some excellent songs. The racing train scenes had me on the edge of my seat even knowing it was animation. As a fan of Tom Hanks, I was not disappointed; he dominates the film in many characters. Though some could see this as a negative excess, each was done with a different touch and sometimes even his voice was not recognizable. There are lessons for children throughout. My only caution--this is not for young children; though dark edges of the adventure and some elements could be scary, there are no villains or horrible creatures. Even so, the topic and scenes are perhaps best for 8-12 year olds, and old codgers like me.