THE PLOT THUS FAR
Dinosaur Train embraces and celebrates the fascination that preschoolers have with both dinosaurs and trains while sparking an interest in life science, natural history, and paleontology.
Ride along on the Dinosaur Train with Buddy and his family through the Cretaceous, Jurassic and Triassic time periods to meet new friends, like Erma Eoraptor, one of the first species of dinosaurs. Sing songs with King Cryolophosaurus to celebrate Troodoon Train Day, and see how fast and amazing the new Rocket Train is
Episodes include…
Junior Conductor Jamboree – Our kids ride the Dinosaur Train from one end of the line to the other, through all three Time Periods — from the Cretaceous, through the Jurassic, to the Triassic. All along the way, they pick up friends who join them for a Junior Conductor Jamboree!
Rocket Train – Tiny and Buddy find out that a newer train will be riding the same tracks as the Dinosaur Train. The new train is called the Rocket Train, and its conductor is named Thurston Troodon, who was a former classmate and rival of Mr. Conductor. Thurston is very confident and boasts that the Rocket Train is newer, better, and faster than the “old Dinosaur Train.” Mrs. Troodon, Thurston, and Mr. Conductor’s old teacher, suggests a friendly train race. With Tiny and Buddy on board, the “old” Dinosaur Train ends up helping out Thurston and the new Rocket Train after it breaks down.
Erma Eoraptor – Buddy, Tiny, and Mrs. Pteranodon go on an expedition all the way back to the Triassic Time Period to meet Erma Eoraptor, one the first species of dinosaur that ever lived. They ride to the end of the line to find Erma, and then bring her back for a ride on the Dinosaur Train!
Troodon Train – The Pteranodon family rides to Troodon Town to celebrate Troodon Train Day, where the main event is a concert by King Cryolophosaurus, giving his first performance in years! When King comes down with some last-minute jitters, Buddy and Tiny help him overcome his stage fright and he sings a medley of his hits, including the Dinosaur Train theme song!
Rocket Train 2: Surprise Party – Buddy, Tiny and the other Junior Conductors get the thrill of a lifetime when they help drive the rocket train, and even pick up far-flung friends, gathering everyone for a surprise party for the one and only Mr. Conductor!
Rocket Train 3: New Conductor – Archrivals the Conductor and Thurston Troodon meet a rising star Troodon conductor — Tricia Troodon! Tricia is an amazing designer and is sure that her new train will be the best.
Train Trouble – The speedy dinosaur brothers Oren and Ollie join our kids on a train trip to Troodon Town, but unplanned engine trouble sends Oren and Ollie sprinting the Roundhouse to bring back another engine to save the day!
Ned the Quadruped – Buddy and Tiny tour the Dinosaur Train and earn their Junior Conductor hats while their friend Ned, a four-legged, long-necked Brachiosaurus and regular Train rider, tags along.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“I Love Trains” is the latest Dinosaur Train compilation. This appears to be a re-release, as I swear that I already have my daughter watching this on a loop when she isn’t watching BabyFirst TV. There’s tons of great visuals, but I’m not sure of the long-term value to your kids. After all, how many kids watch a program and talk about the visuals? The show claims to be aimed at 3-6 year olds, but I guess that’s just for the train connection. I tend to find that the program skews younger.
I like the work that the Jim Henson Company is undertaking here. That being said, it’s obviously on the lower end of their output. Henson and PBS go hand-in-hand since the late 60s. That being said, I just wish we got more of that proud legacy here than another kiddie show covering the same basic science tenets. Science is important, but we need something more than a couple of cartoon characters plotzing around and spitting out facts.
The DVD comes with a music video, interactive game, coloring pages and activities as the special features. The A/V Quality is on par for most recent standard definition PBS releases. The transfer isn’t amazing, but it works. The same goes for the Dolby 2.0 audio track. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!