Lights, Camera, Sodor Chapter 11: Using the TV for the First Time, a thomas the tank engine fanfic

As Thomas chuffed along the branchline, Annie asked, "Do all MPAA ratings have the same thing we saw on the screen?"

"Not all of them," Dr. Herr replied. "Some of them are just blue, while some are just black, both with one of the logos, and it isn't always the big one."

"Sometimes, the blue screen is displayed at the end of movies too, and there's just the big one," the first colleague added, his voice thoughtful.

"But you can always see the ratings at the back of movie cases. Some of them look smaller than the normal one," the second colleague also chimed in.

"Smaller?" Clarabel asked, curious.

"That version only appears on either movie cases, discs, or both," Dr. Herr explained. "And it only has the rating and the logo next to each other, no descriptor."

"So, it's a more compact version?" Annie asked, now intrigued by the subtle differences.

"Exactly," the first colleague replied with a nod. "It's a simpler form, but it still gets the message across."

"Good to know!" Clarabel said. "I guess there's always more to learn about the movie world!"

"Though, I noticed the title, The Ring," Thomas chimed in. "What's that about?"

"Ah, The Ring," Dr. Herr said with a small chuckle. "That's a horror film. It's a remake of a Japanese movie called Ringu. The story is about a cursed videotape. Once you watch it, you get a phone call telling you that you're going to die in 7 days, unless you figure out how to break the curse."

"That sounds spooky," Clarabel replied, a slight shiver running through her. "I can't imagine watching something like that."

"It's definitely one of those films that keeps you on edge," the first colleague added. "But it's also a classic in the horror genre."

Thomas puffed out a thoughtful breath. "I don't know if I'd want to watch that one. I'm not sure I like the idea of being haunted by a creepy videotape!"

"Well, I wouldn't recommend it for a relaxing evening," Dr. Herr said, laughing. "But for those who enjoy a good thrill, it's definitely popular."

"You'd be surprised to know that DreamWorks made it!" the second colleague added with a grin.

"Wait, DreamWorks?" Thomas asked, surprised. "They made horror films? Ellen only told us about their animated films!"

"Yep, it's not their usual type of movie, but they did release The Ring in the U.S.," the second colleague explained. "DreamWorks is known for a lot of different genres—comedy, animation, adventure, but they've also dipped into horror once in a while."

"Well, that's a twist!" Clarabel said. "I wouldn't have guessed DreamWorks was behind a scary movie like that."

"Yeah, it's a bit unexpected," the first colleague agreed. "But it shows how versatile the studio can be."

"That's true," Thomas said thoughtfully. "I guess you can never really tell what surprises a studio has up its sleeve!"

"And they also made the Norbit movie we got you, which is PG-13 rated along with The Ring," Dr. Herr added.

"And I thought DreamWorks only made animated movies," Annie remarked, a bit surprised.

"Yeah, me too," Thomas agreed, puffing out a thoughtful breath.

"And I thought The Ring would have the age rating up since it's horror," Clarabel said, still a bit puzzled.

"Yeah, you'd think it would be rated R, right?" the second colleague chimed in. "But they gave it a PG-13 rating because, even though it's creepy, it doesn't have the same level of graphic content that an R-rated movie might."

"Interesting," Thomas mused. "It's kind of funny how ratings work, and how some movies that seem like they'd be too scary for younger viewers actually end up with a PG-13 rating."

"Exactly," Dr. Herr said. "It all depends on how intense the content is, not just the genre. But some people might still find The Ring a little too frightening for that age group."

Clarabel shuddered a little at the thought. "I think I'll stick to the animated movies, thank you very much!"

"Well, if you are gonna watch it, I recommend you do it during the day," the first colleague said, giving a playful smile.

"Good idea," Thomas chuckled. "I think I'd be too scared to watch it at night. It's the kind of movie that makes you look over your shoulder when it gets dark!"

"Definitely," Annie agreed, her voice a little nervous. "I'd be too worried about something creeping out of the shadows."

Clarabel shivered. "I think I'd prefer something a bit lighter. Maybe a nice animated movie, something like Shrek."

"That sounds perfect," Thomas said. "No creepy monsters or cursed videotapes—just some good laughs!"

"Trust us, you'll get a lot of laughs out of it. But keep those kinds of movies at your coaches' shed, Thomas," Dr. Herr advised.

"Don't worry, I will," Thomas assured him. "I don't think Sir Topham Hatt would be too happy if I started showing those at Tidmouth Sheds."

"Probably not," Annie agreed. "We'll keep the more, um, grown-up movies for our own time."

"Good call," the first colleague said with a nod. "Now, let's get to the airport before we miss our flight."

Dr. Herr thought for a moment before replying. "Well, Christian refers to someone who follows Christianity, which is a religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ."

"And religious is a broader word," the first colleague added. "It means someone follows a faith or belief system, not just Christianity, but any religion."

"So, not every religious person is Christian?" Annie asked.

"Exactly," the second colleague confirmed. "There are many religions in the world—Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and more. Each has its own beliefs and practices."

"I see…" Clarabel said thoughtfully. "And Christianity is just one of them."

"Right," Dr. Herr said as Thomas continued toward the airport. "And fun fact—some of the movies we got you, like The Prince of Egypt and Joseph: King of Dreams, are based on biblical stories, which are important in Christianity and Judaism."

"And most importantly, God," the second colleague added. "Christianity, along with many other religions, believes in God as the creator of everything."

"So, God is at the center of Christianity?" Annie asked.

"Yes," Dr. Herr nodded. "Christians believe in one God and that Jesus is His Son, who came to teach people about love, kindness, and faith."

Clarabel thought for a moment. "And other religions believe in different things about God?"

"Exactly," the first colleague confirmed. "Some religions believe in one God, some believe in multiple gods, and others have different views entirely. But faith is an important part of many people's lives."

Thomas puffed thoughtfully. "That's a lot to take in… but it sounds very important to a lot of people."

"It absolutely is," Dr. Herr said as they neared the airport. "And it's something people have studied, followed, and debated for thousands of years."

Dr. Herr checked his watch. "Well, we better get inside. Our plane will be leaving soon."

Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel's smiles softened. "We'll miss you," Thomas said.

"We'll miss you too," Dr. Herr replied. "But don't worry—you'll still be hearing from us."

The first colleague nodded. "Whenever we come across older movies we think you'll enjoy, we'll mail you the Blu-rays and DVDs."

"And when new movies come out that we think you'll like, we'll make sure to send those too," the second colleague added.

Thomas beamed. "Really? That's wonderful!"

Annie and Clarabel exchanged excited glances. "We'll have even more to watch and learn about!"

The second colleague grinned. "Exactly. So keep an eye on your deliveries."

With that, the engineers gave one final wave before turning toward the airport doors, disappearing inside.

Thomas sighed as he watched them go. "It's always tough saying goodbye to new friends…"

"But we'll always have the memories," Annie reassured him.

Clarabel smiled softly. "And all the movies to remind us."

Thomas let out a small, contented puff of steam. "Yeah… and who knows what new stories we'll discover next?"

With that, he slowly chuffed away from the airport, heading back down the line with Annie and Clarabel, their thoughts filled with excitement for the movies yet to come.

Back at Annie and Clarabel's shed, the two coaches were positioned on either side of Thomas—Annie on the left, Clarabel on the right. Their new robotic arms, securely attached to their buffers by the driver, rested at their sides.

Since they had free time, and enough to watch the episode of Ellen they had been looking forward to, they decided to tune in. But for now, they watched the remainder of the 2:00 hour of TMZ on Fox 4.

Throughout the show, they watched various celebrity stories unfold—some amusing, some dramatic, and some outright bizarre.

"I must say," Clarabel remarked, her robotic arms shifting slightly. "This show is certainly... energetic."

Annie chuckled. "It's a bit nosy, don't you think? Always following people around with cameras."

Thomas smirked. "That's what they do—talk about famous people's lives. Some of it's interesting, but some of it… well, I don't see the point."

As the show continued, they saw footage of actors at airports, musicians leaving restaurants, and reality stars getting into heated arguments.

"Why do they always ask such odd questions?" Clarabel asked. "That man just landed from a long flight, and they're already asking about his next movie."

"Maybe they just want the latest scoop," Thomas suggested.

Though the Ellen show would be up soon, they couldn't help but be entertained by the latest round of gossip, and continued watching as the screen flickered with the ever-present buzz of celebrity news.

There were even funny narrator voiceover quotes and jokes from the TMZ crew in the studio, including Harvey Levin. The playful commentary added a touch of humor to the constant buzz of celebrity drama.

"Did you hear that?!" Annie exclaimed, her robotic arm adjusting slightly. "Harvey just said, 'If this is what they call a 'quiet day,' I'd hate to see what they think is a busy one!'"

Clarabel giggled. "I love how they can make even the most trivial things sound like breaking news."

Thomas chuckled too. "It's all part of the fun. They sure know how to make something simple sound important."

The narrator continued with their playful tone as they cut to a segment about a pop star's questionable outfit choice. Harvey's voice rang out in the background, dry and sarcastic. "Well, you know what they say—it's not a fashion disaster unless someone in the studio says, 'Oh no, they didn't!'"

Annie and Clarabel exchanged amused glances. "I don't think they have much of a filter," Annie said with a laugh.

Clarabel nodded. "But it makes for a funny show."

Clarabel giggled. "I love how they can make even the most trivial things sound like breaking news."

Thomas chuckled too. "It's all part of the fun. They sure know how to make something simple sound important."

Annie and Clarabel exchanged amused glances. "I don't think they have much of a filter," Annie said with a laugh.

Clarabel nodded. "But it makes for a funny show."

As they continued watching, the jokes and commentary flowed, making the time pass quickly, and before they knew it, the show was coming to a close.

After the copyright notice on the credits was displayed, the screen cut to a bold, uniformly red background with a smooth, untextured finish. The TMZ logo flashed onto the screen with a dramatic three-part drumbeat.

Next, a black-and-white logo appeared, accompanied by a six-note pizzicato string tune. The company name, Harvey Levin Productions, arranged itself on a black slate, with the "N" in "LEVIN" placed last by a hand. The camera then zoomed out, revealing the logo being held by a black-and-white photo of Harvey Levin, depicted as a prison inmate. In his right hand, he clutched a bottle of alcohol. His bottom lip moved up and down as he exclaimed, "I'm a lawyer!" A white camera flash transitioned the screen to a background of glowing orange embers.

A black, abstract comet streaked across, trailing dots from its left to create the illusion of motion. Bold red text reading paraMedia was displayed on the comet. An electric guitar note held throughout the sequence, accompanied by a deep, menacing hum in the background.

The screen then shifted to a deep brown backdrop as familiar music played. A gold bar zoomed out of view, followed by flashing lights darting in various directions, accompanied by a sound resembling sparkling lasers. The gold bar rotated, revealing the signature pieces of the Telepictures logo. The "T" was split in half, but the two halves soon rejoined to form a full letter. A black-and-white circle faded in, and a clanging sound played as the word "TELEPICTURES" rotated into place and zoomed out. The logo gradually pulled back to its standard size, with the byline at the bottom reading: A Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, before fading out.

Finally, the screen faded back into the Warner Bros. Television logo. The background was a rich blue gradient with soft, wispy clouds. The familiar gold-and-blue shield shimmered into view. Above the shield, the words "Distributed by" appeared, while at the bottom, the Warner Bros. website address was displayed.

"So, that's what the Warner Bros. logo looks like!" Annie remarked with fascination.

"Only for the TV shows, it seems," Clarabel added. "I wonder what the movie version looks like."

"We'll find out later," Thomas said. "Right now, let's hurry up and switch to NBC 5! We'll be on TV in a minute!"

"Oh, yes! Ellen!" Annie said as Thomas grabbed the TV remote with his left robot arm.

"Push 5, push 5!" Clarabel excitedly urged.

Thomas quickly pointed the remote at the TV, pressing the "5" button. The screen flickered for a moment before switching to NBC 5, where the familiar intro music of The Ellen DeGeneres Show started to play.

"Just in time!" Annie exclaimed. "Let's enjoy the show!"

Throughout the show, the blue engine and his coaches watched Ellen on the stage set against the Ulfstead Castle grounds. Even with Thomas as the voiceover announcer, they found themselves captivated by the various segments, including learning about new commercial companies from North Texas like Empire Today, Clay Cooley, Huffines, and a range of American car and food brands. They even got a glimpse of Ellen's closed captioning message during the 3:44 commercial break.

The host's comedic lines had the group laughing, and they especially enjoyed the train memes and trivia segment. Alicia Botti's interview was a highlight, and her singing performance added an extra bonus to the show. Bruno Mars' live performance kept them tapping along, while footage of Emily and Ellen's Sodor tour had them excited to see familiar faces.

One of the more amusing moments came when Sir Topham Hatt was interviewed and played Danger Word with Annie and Clarabel. The two coaches couldn't stop giggling as they got a little messy on national TV, feeling both amused and slightly embarrassed.

They were also delighted to see Dr. Herr and his two colleagues, standing proudly with Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel's gifts. A moment later, Sir Topham Hatt was presented with a giant check for $500,000 from BNSF to fund the railway.

Annie sighed happily, glancing at Clarabel. "It always feels good to know someone shares their generosity with others."

"Especially us," Clarabel added with a grin.

As the show neared its end, Ellen expressed her gratitude in an excited speech through the cheers from the audience and toots from the engines. Her signature "be kind to one another" slogan resonated as she said her farewells, leaving the group feeling warm and content.

As the upbeat theme played in the background, the credits rolled with cut transitions every few seconds, showing different camera areas. Each scene faded into the next smoothly during the credit sequence. The engines, Annie and Clarabel, still in the audience, were captured in the very back, but the camera did a quick close-up shot to capture their delighted expressions.

Throughout the credits, there were scenes of Sir Topham Hatt, the MIT engineers, and Ellen interacting. The shots would fade from one to the next, showing the crew conversing and laughing together in different areas. Annie and Clarabel occasionally exchanged playful comments, their voices adding to the overall jovial atmosphere.

Each camera angle shifted quickly, but smoothly, capturing every moment of joy and laughter. The quick fades kept the energy high, highlighting everyone's enjoyment throughout the show. The credit sequence was lively, with moments of humor, gratitude, and warmth filling the screen.

"I do love how they get us on TV like that," Annie remarked.

"Definitely!" Clarabel agreed, laughing. "Not every day you get to be on a show like Ellen's."

"I still can't believe we made it on Ellen," Thomas mused.

"I know! It's like a dream come true," Clarabel responded with a laugh.

As the last of the credits were displayed, the text shrank a bit in size, showing the copyright notice and production disclaimers, followed by a message about unauthorized use. At the bottom right corner, the IATSE logo appeared in its symmetrical design resembling a heraldic shield. At its center was a pentagon, with the letters "IA" displayed prominently in the shape of a badge. Radiating outward from the pentagon were six sharp-edged triangles, each containing one of the remaining letters of the acronym.

The screen then faded into a black background, revealing a picture of Ellen, Sir Topham Hatt, the engines, and Annie and Clarabel, all smiling for the camera. The credit text cut out for a brief moment, allowing the heartwarming image to fill the screen for a few seconds.

"Awww!" Annie cooed, clearly touched by the cheerful moment.

"They included our picture!" Thomas exclaimed with a smile.

"Ohhh... such a sweet memory we'll have..." Clarabel said, a touch of nostalgia in her voice.

The screen shifted to a graphic gradient background in soft teal hues. The frame was rectangular, but the footage inside remained square. In the distance, a Super 80 American Airlines plane flew gracefully to the right, midair. The sound of cheering, whistling toots, and faint music echoed in the background.

"200,000 people on 3,800 flights every day," Ellen's calm yet warm voiceover began. "American Airlines knows why you fly."

"American Airlines?" Annie asked, her curiosity piqued.

"That's a plane you don't see around here," Thomas remarked, looking thoughtful.

A moment later, the screen shifted to a stark white background. Ellen's legs appeared, dressed in black pants, black-striped white socks, and saddle shoes. Her left leg crossed over her right as she spoke. "Anyway…"

With a sudden flash, the screen snapped with the sound of a camera shutter, and the picture transformed into a 2D black-and-white version of Ellen's crossed legs. Next to her, the words "A VERY GOOD PRODUCTION" appeared in bold, stencil-like font.

"That has to be Ellen's legs and her voice, right?" Clarabel asked, still processing.

"I'd believe so," Thomas replied. "She did say she founded this company."

The screen then cut to the same Telepictures logo, followed by the Warner Bros. Television logo—the same ones they had seen earlier during TMZ. This time, neither logo faded in or out. Both logos displayed their usual jingle, but the show's audio had faded away.

After, the graphic intro for NBC 5 news came on, with bold letters and dynamic music filling the screen.

"Should we watch this or pick a movie now?" Thomas asked, glancing between the TV and his coaches.

"Mmm..." Annie pondered for a moment. "Why don't we watch this? I've always wondered what they do in news."

"Especially in North Texas," Clarabel added, her curiosity piqued. "I think it'll be interesting to see how they cover things around here."

Thomas nodded, and the three focused on the screen, ready to take in the latest headlines.

From 4:00 to 6:27, Thomas and his coaches tuned into NBC 5, including NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams at 5:30. Throughout the broadcast, they reacted to the stories unfolding before them—some left them stunned and saddened, especially those involving tragedy or conflict, while others piqued their curiosity, particularly reports on science and discovery. The "Making a Difference" segment especially warmed their hearts, showcasing uplifting stories of kindness and perseverance.

The local news segments captured their attention with in-depth weather predictions for North Texas, the U.S., and even global conditions. The intricate radar visuals and animated forecast models amazed them, leaving them in awe of how humans could anticipate the weather so precisely.

When Wheel of Fortune came on, Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel eagerly followed along, watching the spinning wheel and trying to guess the puzzle answers alongside the contestants. Annie and Clarabel gasped and groaned dramatically whenever someone landed on "Bankrupt," especially when it resulted in losing the Million Dollar wedge. At one point, they even pretended to lose their breath in exaggerated shock. The excitement peaked during the bonus round when a contestant won $100,000, confetti raining down as cheers erupted.

By the time the show wrapped up at 6:58, Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel were fascinated by the closing logos from CBS Television Distribution and Sony Pictures Television.

The first logo unfolded against a backdrop of dark girders and towering walls. On the left, a time-lapse of clouds streaked across the sky, while on the right, animated helixes with rippling reflections twisted gracefully, set against a sleek, reflective surface. Then came the Sony Pictures logo, emerging on a navy blue background with its signature eleven colorful bars.

"Huh... I've never seen clouds move that fast," Thomas observed, tilting his funnel slightly.

"I don't think they really do," Clarabel replied with amusement.

"But now we know what Sony Pictures looks like! And CBS!" Annie chimed in excitedly.

"Well, Sony, only the TV one. But I think we'll see CBS every time we watch this channel," Thomas said thoughtfully.

"*Now* we can watch a movie," Clarabel added, her tone full of anticipation.

"What should we watch, though?" Annie asked, turning to Thomas with a curious glance as he switched to the Blu-ray player and turned it on, the familiar hum of the system filling the air. He then grabbed the remote and opened the tray with a quick press of the button.

"How about School of Rock?" Thomas suggested with a grin, his excitement clear at the thought of a fun movie choice.

"That sounds interesting," Annie replied, leaning forward with curiosity. "I wonder what it's rated."

"Well, let's look at the back of the DVD," Clarabel suggested, her voice filled with certainty. "That's where the rating should be, so we've been told."

Thomas quickly grabbed the DVD case, flipping it over to check the back. The familiar rating symbol caught his eye.

"It's PG-13," Thomas announced. "Should be fun!"

"The way 'PG-13' is written looks different," Annie remarked curiously.

"The curls on it don't look... how do I put it? Circular... or something..." Clarabel added, studying the text carefully.

Thomas turned the case to get a better look. "You're right. It's like a different style. Maybe it's just the version of the logo they use for this release."

"Either way, it still gets the point across," Annie shrugged. "Let's put it in and get started!"

"Now we're ready," Thomas grinned as the tray slid back into place, and the Blu-ray player automatically began loading the disc.

As the loading finished, the screen cut to black. Then, it popped back up, revealing a starry sky as the camera panned downward to a set of clouds, beginning in silence.

"Ooh, pretty stars," Clarabel remarked.

As the camera slowly zoomed backward, a few comet-like objects streaked downward, revealing themselves as the trademark Paramount stars that soared past the camera. When they did, soft whooshing sounds gradually rose.

"Oh! For a second, I thought I felt a breeze out here," Annie said.

The familiar "Paramount" script, adorned with a gold border, zoomed outward with a dramatic whoosh, revealing it had been a reflection the entire time. As the reflection faded to white, a total of 22 stars shot past the script, encircling a now more realistic-looking mountain, set against a dusk-colored background.

Suddenly, a DVD flew in from the bottom of the screen, gliding with a loud whoosh before crashing behind the summit with a synthesized explosion effect and a thunderclap. The unexpected sound startled Thomas and his coaches slightly as the "Paramount" script settled at the mountain's peak. Then, a bright flash beneath the summit revealed the word "DVD" with a line below it, followed by the byline "A VIACOM COMPANY." The background faded to black, and a white laser scanned the disc in a downward motion with a humming sound, turning both the DVD and the mountain silver while changing the script to black. As one last gust of wind was heard, two options graphically appeared on either side of the logo—"PREVIEWS" on the left and "MAIN MENU" on the right. The selection indicator was blue, starting with the menu option.

"Well… that was quite a logo," Thomas commented.

"I guess that's Paramount," Clarabel added. "And that was quite a big DVD!"

"Well, I don't think this is the official logo," Annie said. "Judging by the options, and from when we first saw one of the Lord of the Rings movies, this is more like a custom variant."

"Anyway, should we watch the previews or go straight to the menu?" Thomas asked.

"Hmm..." the two coaches hummed in thought.

"I kind of want to see what previews they have," Annie admitted.

"Me too," Clarabel agreed. "We might discover another movie we'd like to watch later."

"Previews it is, then," Thomas said as he used the remote to select the option.

A soft "bong" was heard as the logo faded out, followed by a robotic whirring sound when the selections disappeared and the screen faded to black.

It then cut to a screen with a green background, displaying white text that read, "The following preview has been approved for all audiences by the Motion Picture Association of America."

Annie and Clarabel watched intently.

"Ooh, trailers!" Annie said excitedly.

"I wonder what movies they'll show," Clarabel added as the screen transitioned to the first preview.

Once the menu appeared, it graphically displayed different posters as rock music played before settling on one that read *Battle of the Bands* at the top while displaying scenes from the movie. The options presented were *Play, *Set Up, *Special Features, and *Scene Selection.*

"Wait, before we start this, I think the DVD case had the CC symbol on the back," Thomas said.

"Oh, right. I think I remember how the MIT crew told us to put the Closed Captions on in the player settings, not the built-in ones in the movie," Clarabel added.

Thomas pressed the *Settings* button on the remote, bringing up the player's options. He navigated through the menu, selected *Subtitles Captions, and scrolled until he found *Closed Captions: ON.*

"There we go," Annie said as the settings disappeared. "Now we won't miss a thing!"

With that set, Thomas exited the settings, returning to the main menu.

As Thomas pressed Play, the screen graphically panned to a poster reading in all caps, STICK IT TO THE MAN, accompanied by one last guitar riff. Jack Black's voice rang out enthusiastically, "Let's get rockin'!" before the screen zoomed in and cut to black.

Immediately after, the promo for VH1's Save the Music Foundation campaign began.

"Oh! Well, this is new," Annie remarked, her tone curious.

Clarabel nodded as she watched the screen. "I don't think we've seen anything like this before a movie starts."

After the promo was done, the screen transitioned to the MPAA screen. This time, however, the background was black. The text at the top, like they had seen on the blue screen earlier, was bold but not in all caps. The descriptor was bold and in all caps.

The MPAA logo appeared discreetly to the far right of the box—small, but noticeable. The "PG-13" text had serifs that were less oval-shaped than what they saw earlier. The bottom box read, "For Some Rude Humor and Drug References," and below that was the website address for film ratings.

"Huh. The MIT crew wasn't kidding about the MPAA screens looking different," Thomas remarked.

"I can see the MPAA logo, but not very clearly," Clarabel added.

"I think the blue one with two of the logos is better," Annie said.

As the MPAA screen cut away, the screen remained black for a brief moment before a sudden rock music signaled the appearance of the Paramount Pictures logo.

This time, the camera glided over a blue-hued landscape before revealing the iconic mountain peak, encircled by the same 22 gleaming stars. The word Paramount elegantly arched over the summit in its signature script font, standing out against the rich, cinematic backdrop.

"Oh! This one doesn't have the DVD text like the other one," Annie observed.

"Yeah, this must be the actual movie logo," Thomas noted.

The majestic image lingered for a moment before fading to black. Then, without hesitation, the opening scene of School of Rock began.

"This is going to be fun!" Clarabel exclaimed as the opening credits rolled.

Annie let out a small chuckle. "I have a feeling we'll be laughing a lot during this one."

Thomas, his usual enthusiasm palpable, chimed in, "I can't wait to see what Jack Black has in store for us!"

As the movie continued, they settled in, ready to enjoy the movie.