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The Little Engine That Could
- Review Date: March 17, 2011
- G
- Genre: Family and Kids
- 2011
Common Sense Media says
Young train fans will enjoy this message-filled ride.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this straight-to-DVD animated adventure is fine for even preschool-aged kids, especially those who love trains. There only potentially upsetting moments are a brief scene when a couple of bullies throw a snowball at a boy and then steal his grandfather's beloved pocket watch, and when a somewhat frightening Nightmare Train threatens Little Engine and her haul. The language includes mild insults like "annoying," "creepy," and "failure," but the message is a classic that all children should be exposed to: If you "think you can" hard enough, you can do anything, even if it seems impossible.
Based on 11 parent & educator reviews:
- 36% say violence is an issue
- 36% say there are positive role models
- 36% say there are positive messages
- 27% say it's educational
Most useful reviews by all members
Parent of 2 year old
May 2, 2011
This is a great movie. My 3 year old loves it! It is a great fit for a boy or a girl.
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Parent of 2, 3, and 6 year old
March 26, 2011
Way too scary!
This movie was way to scary for my kids (4 and 6). We couldn't make it through the whole movie. My 4 year old stopped watching after the train almost fell off the scary bridge and the boy dangled over the abyss. My 6 year old stopped watching after the incredibly scary Nightmare Train. It was really frightening! The overall message of the movie may be good, but if you can't make it that far into it, even to see the resolution with the Nightmare Train, then the goodness is lost.
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Parent of 3 year old
April 2, 2011
We put this movie on for a group of kids (ages 3.5 to 8) and every one of them was scared. I can't believe it is rated acceptable for ages 4, my son (3 and half) actually cried he was so frightened. I would not recommend this for kids under 7.
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Parent of 4 year old
March 30, 2011
adorable characters and great message
This movie was awesome. I hear my son saying, "I think I can," whenever I ask him to do something. The train is a great role model. It has really taught my son that he can do anything if he will just try. There are a couple of edge of you seat scenes. If your children are really easily frightened, this is probably not the movie for them. There are a couple of bullies and a nightmare train that may be a little much for some youngsters. My son (4), usually easily frightened, got a little worried, but when I explained that everything would be ok, he was fine and made it to the end of the movie. He now wants to watch it over and ove (50 times a day). He understands that even though it is a little creepy for a few minutes, everyone will be ok.
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Parent of 5 year old
March 27, 2011
Nice gender neutral movie, cute characters, and nice message.
My 5 year old loved this movie. She did curl up in my lap during the nightmare train scenes, but overall, she really enjoyed it.
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Parent of 2, and 4, 4 year old
July 4, 2011
A few scary parts.
It's a little scary. My boys enjoy it, but I have to sit there and fast forward through a few parts - the nightmare monster is a little intense. My 5 year olds are just now comfortable with it, but the 3 year old finds it too much. It's 95% good ... I'm also a little uncomfortable with the bullying scene that starts the movie. It's well intentioned and helps provide an educational message, but if you're looking for an easy 'Winnie The Pooh' style movie, this is a bit more than you'd expect.
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Parent
November 21, 2011
A very good message.
My son is two, and he loves this movie. He never gets scared, and it seems like we watch it everyday. I can see why the nightmare train would be scary.. but it has never effected my son he gets excited every time we push the play button.
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Parent
September 16, 2011
Super cute movie with a great message
My 2.5 yr old absolutely loves this movie. He sees the picture on the tv for this movie on netflix and points at it and says "choo-choo" and then as soon as I push play he gets a big smile and says YAY!! and claps his hands. He isn't scared by the Nightmare Train at all. And its really cute to see him kinda sing along with the songs. Love this movie and would totally recommend it to others.
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Kid, 2 years old
September 1, 2011
Kinda scary
Definitely not toddler-age appropriate. Its very cute but has some scary scenes such as the bully who steals and the nightmare train. Graphics for these scenes could have been made a little 'softer' for this otherwise cute movie. I would prefer my child not watch this until he is older.
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Educator and Parent
January 27, 2012
Positive message about trying your best
My 2 year old loves this movie and wants to watch it every day. At first he thought the Nightmare Train was a little scary, but now he's not even phased by it. When he has a hard time doing something, we just say "Be like the Little Engine" and he says "I think I can, I think I can" and usually gets through the task. My 5 year old son enjoys it as well and tolerates it more than Sesame Street. Strong message about not giving up, good for talking about bullying and nightmares.
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