Underground Ernie - Review & Retrospective!
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- čas přidán 10. 06. 2024
- Underground Ernie is a creepy nightmare! HELP! Join me on a FULL Series Review & Retrospective! of Undergound Ernie. Special thanks to @PlayDontPause and @usualblokeluke for helping me react on this one! #maythe4thbewithyou
ALSO big shout out to my Patreons!
🟠 PATREON: / thomastheorist
CHAPTERS:
0:00 Intro
3:14 Production History
9:42 Cast Of Trains (Humans)
13:11 Cast Of Trains (Main Characters)
19:32 Cast Of Trains (International Characters)
25:08 Plot & Structure
31:50 Ernie's Legacy
35:03 END + 19,000 Subs Special!
MUSIC
Underground Ernie Intro Music @ • Underground Ernie | So...
End of Summer @ • The 126ers - End Of Su...
No Rain @ • No Rain (Instrumental ...
Solitude @ • Solitude
Donut Plains @ • Donut Plains
Final Fantasy 7 Music @ • OC ReMix #3207: Final ...
It's clear Underground Ernie really wanted to be a love letter to the London Underground, but a lot of its kinks caused it to fall into obscurity.
I feel like Underground Ernie’s art style feels like a weird hybrid between early Dreamworks/Pixar animation, with the realistic looking humans look eerily similar to the ones in Shrek (but more soulless) to the train’s character designs that all feel like mashups of Cars, Finding Nemo, & A Bug’s Life.
But then again, CGI was a new form of animation at the time and many companies haven’t exactly mastered it.
Yep, agreed. But it still reminds me of Foodfight or Video Brinquido's productions.
It reminds me of Valiant, which came out the year before and also looks older than it really is.
This is a real Ernie Moment.
PlayDontPause!?
H O L Y C R A P
🎵ERNIIIIIIEEEEEEEEE🎵
Under ground boi
🎵 “ERRRRNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” 🎵
God, it’s a good thing they’re kept underground..
*THATS WHAT YOU THINK*
ernieeeEeee.
Hahaha 🤣
13:07 ah yes my favorite show.
Sir Topham Hatt's trains.
I sure also like Vee’s Futuristic Railway and Captain Star’s Tugboats
Or STHT
I remember when the theme song came on my brother and I would sing “Underground Ernie, We hope he never gets there!” and it was peak comedy to us. Looking forward to this retrospective
It would be kind of cool and funny if Victoria was portrayed as a metropolitan 4-4-0 to show how old she's really meant to be
Maybe victoria could be based of Fowler's ghost
Now I know why Thomas waited until 2008 to try Cgi
Erm actually TATMR used CGI 🤓
@@Daansstuff-altbut only when it was needed
@@Waskotorowy r/whoosh
@@Daansstuff-alt stop this r/wooshing ples its annoying as heck
@@Waskotorowy of course you’d say that 😂😂😂
This was a welcome surprise! I “run” the Underground Ernie wiki featured in this video (run being a big statement, it’s not been updated for ages) - great to see the show being talked about. Thanks for making this one!
i'm just gonna hear ERNIEEEEEEEEE every time i wake up in the middle of the night, aren't I?
I ' M P R O U D T O B E O F S E R V I C E .
Probably 😅
31:32 Maybe Ernie's sentient balls are the ones that sing that random 🎶🎶ERNIE🎶🎶🎶 cue!
I guess we solved an unanswerable Underground Ernie question XD
16:19 my headcannon is he can upload his consciousness into a computer and use it the way we would use it
That does seem like the more logical approach.
My idea is that he uses his wheels to play. Like, there’s a bit of his shed that goes off the rails, with a computer at the end, and he uses that
The concept of Underground Ernie and even the well written banter between the characters feels natural enough that it could honestly work in the same world as Thomas in my opinion... provided the world and how the railways work is tweaked to make a bit more realistic sense and the train characters are given some serious TTTE style redesigns.
From one person who has reviewed this specific show, to another.
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen loads of badly animated productions in my life, but never found this show creepy from its animation or designs. I thought the Dancing CGI Bear on a carousel from Teletubbies looked creepier.
If there was a second season, not only would the animation have improved, but imagine them adding in new international stereotype trains to market into merchandise.
Berlin from Germany, Beijing from China, Vancouver from Canada, Pisa from Italy, Dublin from Ireland, Cairo from Egypt- okay, I’ll shut up now.
Let's not forget:
Stockholm from Sweden
Madrid from Spain
Bern from Switzerland
Nairobi from Kenya
Hanoi from Vietnam
Dubai from India
I personally don't find the show creepy at all - but most people do, so at thr start I kinda react how people would react now when first seeing the show but I honestly have no issue with it haha
Oh cool, James A. Williams himself is here. Who else has seen his video on Underground Ernie raise your hand.
@@joshuaW5621 *raises hand*
The OG Ernie reviewer is back, I guess. You’re not alone anymore.
Hey, where’s Manila from The Philippines as Filipino rep in Ernie?
It’s a shame that Underground Ernie is such an easy target because the theme song goes incredibly hard
9:44 EERNIEEE 19:00 THOMASSS
I’ve learned a lot about Underground Ernie thanks to this video, and it sounds like a cool show! So cool that I will add errrrrniieeeeeee to my alarm clock
I think Moscow is the coolest looking character in the show. I like how his mustache is like a furnace that helps keep him warm in the winter, it really helps him standout I feel.
Dublin is planning on building a metro system too in a few years.
I was also on the London Underground earlier this year when I visited London.
The Dublin Metro was initially supposed to be built before 2010
22:22 Japan loves Thomas The Tank Engine because he resembles the yokai; oboroguruma
17:26 HE SAID IT! HE SAID IT!
Guys, I have a theory, Underground Ernie was edited in Imovie which can explain the transitions and random fades
More likely than unlikely. Though it was probably edited in a program that no longer exists!
Rather than being JUST based on Sherlock Holmes, Bakerloo was a mix between Sherlock Holmes and the Duke of Wellington. Bakerloo was originally an abbreviation for The Baker Street and Waterloo Railway, so there's Sherlock Holmes from Baker Street, and Duke of Wellington from Waterloo
I was going to search up something Mario-related that began with “Underground” and when I typed it in, the first thing I see is “Underground Ernie” and I was confused why it was searched so much. And now I find out why.
I read in an issue of Steam Railway magazine in 2006 that Underground Ernie was intended to put Thomas & Friends into the sidings. But in reality, it was Underground Ernie that ended up in the sidings instead of Thomas & Friends.
If a CGI reboot of this show ever came (which is unlikely), i hope the trains don't look creepy and freakish and nightmare inducing
Side note: cgi characters around this time were very creepy, freakish and nightmare inducing, such as spooky spoon
Here's a nightmare:
Underground ernie all engines go
The only things about underground Ernie I remembered from my childhood were:
Victoria shouting help when she skids on the snow
Hammersmith and city breaking apart along with the grunting noise Hammersmith made
The dinosaur hologram which terrified me as a kid
I never watched "Subterranean Ernest" as a 'Murican kid, but I only discovered that show from my first trip to the Bachmann UK website in 2006/2007.
Now imagine if there was a cartoon like this, but with NYC’s subway system
Honestly it’d be extremely cursed since there aren’t many options when it comes to face positioning. It could go for either the Underground Ernie style, or maybe a Chuggington style where the faces are embedded into their bodies.
But either way the show would be VERY cursed lol
Perhaps something like X95 in this video czcams.com/video/TNbXt_TXRVw/video.htmlsi=SPUUw3XGnyJy7TWA
As someone who literally works for the NYC subway, there's an easy way to make them look sentient; by having the front windows be the eyes and having the mouth be on the front door (although, I personally wouldn't have it open as a result.)
@@nwrxj9264 But now this brings a new question: Would the trains have a face at either end, or would each cab car be sentient like Pip and Emma?
Plus, not all trains have 2 windows at each end. For example: The R46, R62, and R68s. Their second windows are replaced with rollsigns.
And also, maybe the show would progress throughout the years starting with cars like the Low-V’s and Arnines and then progress to what we have now with like the NTTs such as R142s and R211s.
@@ethan_playzroblox4265hey, you just mentioned the NYC subway in the first comment, so I just explained my design logic for that.
Also in my mind, I wouldn't have a face on both ends of a hypothetical fleet of anthropomorphic NYC subway engines.
Sure the animation definitely wasn’t the best, but I think the characters and stories are enough to carry the show, proving bad animation can be saved by other better features
It’s sort of similar to Jimmy Neutron. Another CGI show with its animation wasn’t exactly the best either but it became so memorable with its writing and jokes.
why are you here
I think that Underground Ernie deserves a reboot. Don't you.
if so maybe make it look less ugly
Maybe Jubilees hologram projector can be used for Vocaloid stuff.
28:07 sounds a bit like the Kermit frog
ERNIEEEEEEEE
(Thank you for 6 likes Thursday 9th May)
TT: How do you make a game you're a train?!?!?!
Jubilee: I've got a printer and a big PC
With indie animation taking off on CZcams, I'm surprised no one has tried to reboot this show.
14:03 Victoria’s personality and appearance is that of Daisy’s, oh my she even has lipstick!
If Underground Ernie had a series 2, there would be a GWR pannier tank engine painted in London Underground colours to represent the underground trains of the past.
Fun fact about Circle:
Bachmann made a train set that has a model of her. It's.. certainly an uncanny valley sort of thing with how weird it looks. *It's eyes move, which make it worse.*
Someone should make a fanmade series of Ernie
UNDERGROUND ERNIE!! I remember its vaguely mainly about some episode about a tunnel. But still iconic
They even had mall rides produced based on characters from that show that I remember seeing in Australian shopping malls as a kid in the 2000s. I think that show was even aired by the ABC in Australia back then during their kids block.
It took 18 months to animate the show im pretty sure that if it looked decent, the computers rendering it would catch fire and blow up
You mentioning how the title of Underground Ernie has a human character's name reminds me of the title of Bob the Builder, infact I can also see a bit of similarities between Ernie and Bob. Also Moscow's mustache looks like a grill mouth from a Bob the Builder vehicle character honestly.
How can Jubilee work a computer despite being a train?
Because Jubilee is the computer.
Ok that actually makes a whole lotta sense
Or maybe he has invisible arms.
At least it’s not as confusing as Cars 2’s level of logic.
Or he has wheel hands
🤯🤯🤯
This was my favourite show alongdide Thomss when i was younger, thanks for the nostalgia!
Most of the show probably wouldn't bother me as a kid but Moscow would probably give me nightmares
Stingo.
That takes me back to when I was a kid watching Fifi and the Flowertots with my sister. Always used to come on after Thomas and Fireman Sam (S5, for anyone who's curious). I'd love to see someone make a retrospective on that series someday.
I always used to hate Primrose for how snooty she tended to be. Violet was pretty chill though she could lose her head sometimes. I always used to feel bad for Slugsy since he tended to get roped into Stingo's operations all the time. Bumble was a close friend of hers, and he was pretty chill. That's about everyone I can remember right now.
I think there was a spider too? I could be wrong.
Great review regardless! :)
ERNIEEEEE
I remember that show as well.
Also Underground Ernie uses the brake squeal sound effect from The Railway Series Ted Robins narrations
Oh my gosh I absolutely loved this show and its concept, even though in practice it was... this. I even had toys of the characters. So fun to see you covering it!
One other thing- I always found the gags at the end really creepy, especially that one with the football. Has a real liminal space feeling.
29:33 best WOW sound ever.
3:07 I feel nervous Ernie 😂
(Thank you for 3 likes Monday 6th May)
I remember watching this at a friends house and I still got the bachmann models of these.
As a kid I loved it Idkw but I just did lol.
16:20 i wonder what jubilee’s search history is like
also, i have a battery powered circle in a wooden box in a drawer, purely bc the battery compartment is so rusted i can’t get the batterys out.
MAY THE 4TH BE WITH YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And with you too.
Every day May as well be 420
To you too!
plot twist: Dr Hart's patients are Adam, Beta & Luke
Love the intro
" burn it, burn it with fire"
😂😂😂😂
Fantastic
Now I really want a show about the London overground
I remember watching this. I love it!
You know, I can only imagine what Gordon's encounter with one of the underground trains would be like, as from what I remember from my visit to London, there have been some points where the mainline and underground routes kind of run parallel to eachother.
Can certainly imagine some of them being as rough and harsh, as sort of the conditions of the railway system can get.
21:02-21:23 Also, the hell you're talking about, Thomas Theorist? This guy's a perfect representation of America.
He represents all the loud, obnoxious and in-your-face jingoists, that won't shut up about how great their country is.
I still wonder why they didn’t model the trains off of real tube trains, but then again I do like that all the trains are standard gauge
17:26 If Thomas still calls Percy a green caterpillar, then he hasn’t seen Circle, because she’s the true green caterpillar on wheels
Oh the Paddy waggon set up absolutely sent me 🤣🤣
I literally only know of this show because of Sam's Trains
Same here
Gary Linekear in 2000 voiced a CGI London Underground Character 😂.
Some of these characters look like they're from bug's life or hermie the caterpillar or cars.
Hope this show gets a reanimated collab.
I think something that would be fixed about the faces on the trains is if they made the faces more vehicle-ie like the cars characters
you know the feeling of "wait, I know that song" and then you struggle for 15 minutes trying to remember it
No Rain, by Blind Melon got me at 9:46 - 12:48
Anyway, really good and insightful video to this show Adam! Really enjoyed this one
besides me getting hung up on a song lmao
If this show was released now, Twitter would have a field day with it
Maybe it'll see a spike in fame, like Horrid Henry.
I realise why I've always been ok with Underground Ernie's animation, I grew up with early Barbie movies so I'm well accustomed to badly rendered CGI.
Nice callback to Sam'sTrains review of Circle (The Disease Caterpillar)
9:01 Guys, Stingo is the bee who stung James.
(Misinformation)
i didnt know that it was an actual show i got toys of these as a kid and I thought it was just random toys
I remember seeing a pic of ernie and thought it was disturbing this was like a year ago
I got pissed at the fact that there wasn't a character based on the Fowler's ghost locomotive
Underground Ernie looks like Thomas and JJ had cursed babies. Well that's traumatizing 💔.
“o h n o” - Sir Topham Hatt 2013
This looks like a CZcams bootleg that would have something like a buncha Stalins reenacting 5 monkeys jumping on the bed.
If Underground Ernie got more Seasons, then I think they should have introduced these new characters
• Madrid from Spain
• Venice from Italy
• Berlin from Germany
• Brussels from Belgium
• Helsinki from Finland
• Bern from Switzerland
• Stockholm from Sweden
• Dublin from Ireland
• Cardiff from Wales
• Edinburgh from Scotland
• Auckland from New Zealand
• Vancouver from Canada
• Rio De Janerio from Brazil
• Buenos Aires from Argentina
• Athens from Greece
• Budapest from Hungary
• Istanbul from Turkey
• Larnaca from Cyprus
• Bucharest from Romania
• Beijing from China
• Hanoi from Vietnam
• Bangkok from Thailand
• Mumbai from India
• Lahore from Pakistan
• Tehran from Iran
• Jerusalem from Israel
• Nairobi from Kenya
• Cape Town from South Africa
• Dubai from The United Arab Emirates
• Mexico City from Mexico
• Seoul from North Korea
Seoul is South Korea bro
The way the human characters sometimes stand right next to the underground train's face makes me think the train could just stretch its face out, grab the person with its teeth, and swallow him whole.
Also, Moscow's weird glowing mustache thing kinda looks like a big wide smile at first glance and that makes it way more terrifying than it already is.
Also also, if there was to be an episode where Osaka met Brooklyn, I'm sure the first thing Osaka would say is "America ya!"
Was going to review this show but now I don’t have to. This looks very promising Adam!
Just like Chuggington, despite worse animation than that show, Underground Ernie is pretty charming and chill, plus being a good take on the talking train formula!
Anyways, back to the Cars ranking gulag I go!
I would love to see you do Underground Ernie tho!
@@ThomasTheorist maybe, if I have something unique to say about it
@@WaksWorld05may i ask you something
@@iamatrainfan yes
@@WaksWorld05 do i think chuggington is a rip off of thomas
My answer is yes abit or kinda
The reason why it's because the person who used to work in ttte's old toy company that manufacture thomas toys called learning curve want to create another version of thomas he even team up with someone who work on hit entertainment to created Ludorum
And importantly the guy who create chuggington hated thomas
29:09 well in Turning Red, 4Town has 5 members despite having 4 in the name
I don’t even think Matchbox 20 ever had 20 members anyway.
I had all of the Underground Ernie stuff. Now all I have is two trains: Brooklyn, Hammersmith and City - so technically three.
17:25
No she is not a hybrid of Percy Daisy and a caterpillar. She is a hybrid of Percy Daisy and Percy
You know at first I assumed the "Eeeerniieeee" you played during transitions was simply how the opening ended, but...what the hell where theuy thinking?!
We got underground Ernie, when are we getting city link Cecil? Taking place in the city link in Melbourne, Australia.
This a a joke btw, wanted to make that clear
They do actually have computers designed for people who aren’t able to use their upper body. I saw one that was designed to work based on the person’s eye movement rather than a mouse, some of these computers also use voice commands, so its not impossible for jubilee to use one if it’s been programmed to respond to eye movement or voice commands, he could also use a stick that he holds in his mouth to work the keyboard and mouse.
But then again they still had potato powered cellular modular telephones in the show so… the tech isn’t really there..
Well the designs are off-putting at least...
Great video Adam 👍
Also, as an American I want to say that Brooklyn is not a stereotype; That's exactly what all of us are like. 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I really wanted Ernie to introduce District, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly and Central in S2
It looks like chuggington and jay jay the jet plane had a underground subway child
“Am I having a stroke right now?!!?”
I’m so glad someone has taken the time to discuss Underground Ernie. Even though I’m an American I had a huge fascination with the show as a kid (I surfed around their website and played the games) even as I couldn’t watch the episodes. I even collected the motorized merch, and got almost every character of the main fleet. It’s uncanny, it’s hilarious for all the wrong reasons, but I still love it. You definitely gave the show a fair shake. Makes me wanna get out my Underground Ernie toys. Awesome job on this comprehensive review, you just reignited my Underground Ernie kick. 😂
P.S. Bakerloo was also always my favorite. Once I watched his episodes, that became even more certain lol.
Question: where are the other line trains? Because they were too creepy to appear in the show, they were off camera at all times
3:33 “rat infested” (proceeds to show a picture of the C train on the New York City Subway not even related to the London Underground)
I think the Eerrrniiie singing might be a reference to Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West) by Benny Hill, which is... a very curious choice for something to reference in a 00s children's show? :/
The animation and only the animation reminds of Hoodwinked, witch is a Underetted film by the way.
5:12 and people still say Sharon Miller is the only bad writer in Thomas
Baker loo is totally a BBC Sherlock fan and has an entire bulletin board dedicated to fan theories and predictions of what will happen next, and a dedicated Ripperologist.
And Jubilee definitely has a twitch account and livestreams Minecraft and Skyrim regularly.
And circle does weed
These are my headcanons, and if you disagree, then fight me.
Also, if a tumbleweed is sentient in TATMR a football can be sentient in UE