Draft:Thomas & Friends in film
Comment: IMPORTANT NOTE: The reception and voice cast sections are copied from Thomas & Friends (franchise) only because said text would preferably be removed from there and replaced with a main article link if this draft is accepted. SleepDeprivedGinger (talk) 22:53, 21 July 2024 (UTC)
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Thomas & Friends is a British children's television franchise revolving around a cast of anthropomorphic steam engines who work on the Island of Sodor. Starting with a television series of the same name adapted by Britt Allcroft from The Railway Series (a book series created by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry) in 1984 and followed by a 2D animated reboot in 2021, several films and feature length specials have been produced, many of which being released theatrically, yearly or both.
This is a list of all films and specials released within the Thomas & Friends franchise.
List of films
[edit]| Film | UK release date | Narrator | Director | Screenwriter(s) | Producer(s) | Music by | Production companies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas and the Magic Railroad | July 14, 2000 | Alec Baldwin | Britt Allcroft | Britt Allcroft Phil Fehrle |
Junior Campbell & Mike O'Donnell (original Thomas songs) Hummie Mann (score) |
Destination Films Gullane Entertainment Isle of Man Film | |
| Calling All Engines! | October 3, 2005 | Michael Angelis (UK) Michael Brandon (US) |
Steve Asquith | Paul Larson Marc Seal |
Simon Spencer | Robert Hartshorne Ed Welch |
HiT Entertainment |
| The Great Discovery | September 20, 2008 | Pierce Brosnan | Sharon Miller | ||||
| Hero of the Rails | October 12, 2009 | Michael Angelis (UK) Michael Brandon (US) |
Greg Tiernan | Nicole Stinn | Robert Hartshorne | ||
| Misty Island Rescue | September 7, 2010 | Nicole Stinn (Nitrogen) Denise Green (HiT) | |||||
| Day of the Diesels | September 6, 2011 | Nicole Stinn (Nitrogen) Ian McCue (HiT) |
Robert Hartshorne Peter Hartshorne | ||||
| Blue Mountain Mystery | September 3, 2012 | Sharon Miller Andrew Brenner (script editor) | |||||
| King of the Railway | September 17, 2013 | Mark Moraghan | Rob Silvestri | Andrew Brenner | Brian Lynch Ian McCue Halim Jabbour |
HiT Entertainment Arc Productions | |
| Tale of the Brave | August 22, 2014 | Ian McCue (HiT) Robert Anderson (Arc) Brian Lynch (Arc) | |||||
| Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure | July 17, 2015 | David Stoten | Ian McCue (HIT) Jennifer Hill (Arc) | ||||
| The Adventure Begins | July 27, 2015 | Don Spencer | Rev. W. Awdry (original) David Mitton and Britt Allcroft (1st adapted) Andrew Brenner (2nd adapted) |
Ian McCue (HiT) Jennifer Hill (Arc) |
Junior Campbell & Mike O'Donnell (original Thomas songs) Peter Hartshorne | ||
| The Great Race | May 21, 2016 | David Stoten[1] | Andrew Brenner | Ian McCue (HIT) Robert Anderson (Arc) |
Chris Renshaw Oliver Davis Andrew Brenner | ||
| Journey Beyond Sodor | October 16, 2017 | Chris Renshaw Oliver Davis |
Ian McCue Tracy Baldgon |
HiT Entertainment Jam Filled Toronto | |||
| Big World, Big Adventures! | July 20, 2018 | — | Chris Renshaw | Micaela Winter (Mattel) Tracy Blagdon (Jam Filled) | |||
| Race for the Sodor Cup | September 17, 2021 | — | Jason Groh Campbell Bryer |
Peter Gaffney | Rick Suvalle Suzie Gallo |
Erica Procunier | Mattel Television Nelvana |
| Mystery of the Lookout Mountain | December 11, 2022 | — | Campbell Bryer | Craig Carlisle Daniel Share-Strom |
Suzie Gallo | ||
| Thomas & Friends: The Movie | TBA | TBA | Marc Forster | Alyssa Hill Jesse Wigutow[2] |
Marc Forster Renée Wolfe |
TBA | Mattel Films 2Dux2 |
Thomas & Friends
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2024) |
Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)
[edit]The franchise's first film, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, was released in July 2000, two years after the premiere of the show's fifth series. The film combines the model sets from the television series with real-life actors such as Alec Baldwin, Mara Wilson and Peter Fonda among others. It is an adaptation of both the Thomas & Friends television series as well as Shining Time Station, an American-exclusive series in which Thomas episodes were featured as segments narrated by the character Mr. Conductor in-universe. The film follows Mr. Conductor as he, his cousin Junior, a young girl named Lily Stone and Thomas the Tank Engine solve a mystery to find gold dust, which is used to travel between Shining Time and Sodor, all whilst being hunted down by the evil Diesel 10 who wants to put an end to steam engines.
The film was a critical and financial failure, and is thus the only Thomas film to be theatrically released worldwide.
Calling All Engines! (2005)
[edit]The first direct-to-video special, Thomas & Friends: Calling All Engines!, was produced to celebrate the franchises' 60th anniversary. It follows the steam engines and diesel engines as they gradually learn to put their differences aside in order to work together and build a new airport.
The Great Discovery (2008)
[edit]Thomas & Friends: The Great Discovery is the second special in the series, and the final Thomas & Friends production to solely use the model props before the switch to CGI in series 12. In the special, Thomas discovers an abandoned town called Great Waterton, but while restorations are underway, he grows jealous of a new engine named Stanley. The special is narrated by Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan, who was originally planned to narrate the television series following The Great Discovery.[3]
Hero of the Rails (2009)
[edit]The third special, Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails is also the first Thomas production to be produced using full 3D computer animation (CGI). Alongside this feat, this special introduces individual voice actors for the characters[4][5] for the first time since Thomas and the Magic Railroad. In the special, Thomas (voiced by Ben Small[6] in the UK dub and Martin Sherman in the US dub) discovers an old, broken-down Japanese engine named Hiro (voiced by Togo Igawa) and attempts to restore him without being caught by the villainous Spencer (voiced by Matt Wilkinson in the UK dub and Glenn Wrage in the US dub).
Misty Island Rescue (2010)
[edit]The second CGI special and the fourth special overall, Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue, was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on September 7, 2010, in UK theatres on October 2, 2010,[7] and US theatres on July 3, 2010.[8] In the film, Thomas is sent to the mainland but ends up on Misty Island by accident and must work with the Logging Locos to get home to Sodor.[7]
Day of the Diesels (2011)
[edit]![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
Blue Mountain Mystery (2012)
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
King of the Railway (2013)
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
Tale of the Brave (2014)
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
The Adventure Begins (2015)
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (2015)
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
The Great Race (2016)
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
Journey Beyond Sodor (2017)
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
Big World, Big Adventures! (2018)
[edit]The fourteenth and final Thomas & Friends special, Thomas & Friends: Big World, Big Adventures! was released in UK theatres on July 20, 2018, in conjunction with the franchise's rebrand following the twenty-second series.[9] In the film, Thomas follows an Australian rally car named Ace (voiced by Peter Andre[10]) around the world, meeting an African tank engine named Nia along the way.
Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go
[edit]Race for the Sodor Cup (2021)
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
Mystery of the Lookout Mountain (2022)
[edit] | This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (July 2024) |
Voice cast and characters
[edit]| Characters | Thomas and the Magic Railroad | Hero of the Rails | Misty Island Rescue | Day of the Diesels | Blue Mountain Mystery | King of the Railway | Tale of the Brave | The Adventure Begins | Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure | The Great Race | Journey Beyond Sodor | Big World! Big Adventures! | Race for the Sodor Cup | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2021 | |||
| Thomas | Eddie Glen (Workprints: John Bellis) | Ben Small (UK) Martin Sherman (US) |
John Hasler (UK) Joseph May (US) |
Aaron Barashi (UK) Meesha Contreras (US) | ||||||||||
| Edward | William Hope (US) Keith Wickham (UK) |
|||||||||||||
| Henry | Kevin Frank | Kerry Shale (US) Keith Wickham (UK) |
||||||||||||
| Gordon | Neil Crone | Keith Wickham (UK) Kerry Shale (US) |
Cameo | Keith Wickham (UK) Kerry Shale (US) |
||||||||||
| James | Susan Roman (Workprints: Michael Angelis) | Keith Wickham (UK) | Rob Rackstraw | |||||||||||
| Kerry Shale (US) | Rob Rackstraw (US) | |||||||||||||
| Percy | Linda Ballantyne (Workprints: Michael Angelis) | Keith Wickham (UK) Martin Sherman (US) |
Keith Wickham (UK) Christopher Ragland (US) |
Nigel Pilkington (UK) | ||||||||||
| Christopher Ragland (UK singing voice / US) | Christopher Ragland (US) | |||||||||||||
| Toby | Colm Feore | Ben Small (UK) William Hope (US) |
Rob Rackstraw (UK) William Hope (US) |
Background cameo | Rob Rackstraw (UK) William Hope (US) |
|||||||||
| Duck | Steven Kynman | Background cameo | ||||||||||||
| Donald | Silent cameo | Joe Mills | Background cameo | |||||||||||
| Douglas | Silent cameo | Joe Mills | Background cameo | |||||||||||
| Oliver | Joe Mills | Background cameo | ||||||||||||
| Emily | Teresa Gallagher (UK) Jules de Jongh (US) |
Teresa Gallagher (UK) | ||||||||||||
| Jules de Jongh (US) | Jules de Jongh (UK singing voice / US) | Jules de Jongh (US) | ||||||||||||
| Annie and Clarabel | Shelley-Elizabeth Skinner | Silent cameo | Teresa Gallagher | |||||||||||
| Toad | Joe Mills | Background cameo | ||||||||||||
| Spencer | Matt Wilkinson (UK) Glenn Wrage (US) |
Silent role | Matt Wilkinson (UK) Glenn Wrage (US) |
Matt Wilkinson (UK) Glenn Wrage (US) |
Background cameo | |||||||||
| Hiro | Togo Igawa | Silent cameo | Togo Igawa | Silent cameo | Silent role | |||||||||
| Nia | Yvonne Grundy Patricia Kihoro (singing voice) |
|||||||||||||
| Skarloey | Keith Wickham | Keith Wickham | ||||||||||||
| Rheneas | Ben Small | Ben Small | ||||||||||||
| Sir Handel | Keith Wickham | Keith Wickham | ||||||||||||
| Peter Sam | Steven Kynman | Silent cameo | Steven Kynman | |||||||||||
| Rusty | Matt Wilkinson | |||||||||||||
| Luke | Michael Legge | |||||||||||||
| Stephen | Bob Golding | Bob Golding | ||||||||||||
| Diesel | Background cameo | Kerry Shale (UK) | Silent cameo | Kerry Shale | Background cameo | Kerry Shale | ||||||||
| Michael Brandon (US) | Martin Sherman (US) | |||||||||||||
| Lady | Britt Allcroft | |||||||||||||
| Diesel 10 | Neil Crone (Workprints: Keith Scott) | Matt Wilkinson | ||||||||||||
| Splatter | Neil Crone (Workprints: Patrick Breen) | |||||||||||||
| Dodge | Kevin Frank (Workprints: Patrick Breen) | |||||||||||||
| Victor | Matt Wilkinson (UK) David Bedella (US) |
David Bedella | David Bedella | Picture cameo | ||||||||||
| Gator | Clive Mantle | |||||||||||||
| Timothy | Tim Whitnall | Tim Whitnall | ||||||||||||
| Marion | Olivia Colman | Olivia Colman | Silent cameo | Olivia Colman | ||||||||||
| Reg | Tim Whitnall | |||||||||||||
| Skiff | Jamie Campbell Bower | |||||||||||||
| Ryan | Eddie Redmayne | |||||||||||||
| Philip | Deleted scene | Rasmus Hardiker | ||||||||||||
| Flying Scotsman | Rufus Jones | Silent cameo | Rufus Jones | |||||||||||
| Millie | Miranda Raison | |||||||||||||
| Bertie | Kevin Frank | Background cameo | Keith Wickham | Fantasy cameo | Keith Wickham | |||||||||
| Bill | Johnathon Broadbent | Johnathon Broadbent | Fantasy cameo | Rasmus Hardiker | ||||||||||
| Ben | Johnathon Broadbent | Johnathon Broadbent | Matt Wilkinson | |||||||||||
| Merrick | Matt Wilkinson | |||||||||||||
| Owen | Ben Small | |||||||||||||
| Charlie | Trailer only | Steven Kynman (singing voice) | ||||||||||||
| Scruff | Kerry Shale and Matt Wilkinson (singing voice) | |||||||||||||
| Stafford | Silent cameo | Keith Wickham | ||||||||||||
| Daisy | Teresa Gallagher | |||||||||||||
| Connor | Jonathan Forbes | |||||||||||||
| Caitlin | Rebecca O'Mara | |||||||||||||
| Porter | Steven Kynman (UK) David Menkin (US) |
Steven Kynman (UK) David Menkin (US) |
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| Samson | Robert Wilfort | |||||||||||||
| Harold | Kevin Frank | Keith Wickham (UK) Kerry Shale (US) |
Silent cameo | Keith Wickham (UK) Kerry Shale (US) |
||||||||||
| Ashima | Tina Desai | |||||||||||||
| Vinnie | John Schwab | |||||||||||||
| Gina | Teresa Gallagher | |||||||||||||
| Ivan | Bob Golding | |||||||||||||
| Raul | Rob Rackstraw | |||||||||||||
| Frieda | Teresa Gallagher | |||||||||||||
| Yong Bao | Silent cameo | Dan Li | ||||||||||||
| Axel | Rob Rackstraw | |||||||||||||
| Carlos | David Bedella | Gabriel Porras | ||||||||||||
| Etienne | Rob Rackstraw | |||||||||||||
| Hurricane | Jim Howick | |||||||||||||
| Merlin | Hugh Bonneville | |||||||||||||
| Frankie | Sophie Colquhoun | |||||||||||||
| Theo | Darren Boyd | |||||||||||||
| Lexi | Lucy Montgomery | |||||||||||||
| Beresford | Colin McFarlane | |||||||||||||
| Rocky | Matt Wilkinson (UK) William Hope (US) |
Matt Wilkinson (UK) William Hope (US) |
Silent cameo | Silent role | Silent cameo | |||||||||
| Captain | Keith Wickham | |||||||||||||
| Kevin | Matt Wilkinson (UK) Kerry Shale (US) |
Matt Wilkinson (UK) Kerry Shale (US) |
Kerry Shale | |||||||||||
| Salty | Keith Wickham | Silent cameo | Silent cameo | Keith Wickham | Silent cameo | |||||||||
| Cranky | Silent cameo | Matt Wilkinson (UK) Glenn Wrage (US) |
Matt Wilkinson (UK) Glenn Wrage (US) |
Silent cameo | ||||||||||
| Beau | Kerry Shale | |||||||||||||
| Kwaku | Abubakar Salim | |||||||||||||
| Kobe | Abubakar Salim | |||||||||||||
| Ace | Peter Andre | |||||||||||||
| Natalie | Teresa Gallagher | |||||||||||||
| The American Diesel | Teresa Gallagher | |||||||||||||
| The Chinese Diesel | Su-Lin Looi | |||||||||||||
| Judy | Teresa Gallagher | Silent cameo | ||||||||||||
| Jerome | Tim Whitnall | Silent cameo | ||||||||||||
| Glynn | Keith Wickham | Silent cameo | ||||||||||||
| Norman | Kerry Shale | |||||||||||||
| Paxton | Kerry Shale | Steven Kynman | ||||||||||||
| Sidney | Kerry Shale | |||||||||||||
| Den | Keith Wickham | |||||||||||||
| Dart | Rupert Degas | |||||||||||||
| Belle | Teresa Gallagher | |||||||||||||
| Flynn | Rupert Degas | |||||||||||||
| Winston | Matt Wilkinson | Silent cameo | Silent cameo | |||||||||||
| Sir Topham Hatt/The Fat Controller | Picture cameo | Keith Wickham (UK) Kerry Shale (US) |
Keith Wickham | |||||||||||
Reception
[edit]Box office performance
[edit]| Film | Release date | Domestic opening weekend | Box office gross | Ref(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | Other territories | Worldwide | ||||
| Thomas and the Magic Railroad | July 26, 2000 | $4,154,932 | $15,933,506 | $3,814,503 | $19,748,009 | [11] |
| The Great Discovery | April 9, 2009 | $188,317 | $188,317 | [12] | ||
| Hero of the Rails | May 20, 2010 | $137,630 | $137,630 | [13] | ||
| Misty Island Rescue | April 21, 2011 | $175,885 | $175,885 | [14] | ||
| Day of the Diesels | September 16, 2011 | $220,509 | $220,509 | [15] | ||
| Blue Mountain Mystery | August 23, 2013 | $572,255 | $572,255 | [16] | ||
| King of the Railway | September 2, 2013 | $43,367 | $43,367 | [17] | ||
| Tale of the Brave | August 22, 2014 | $348,644 | $348,644 | [18] | ||
| Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure | July 17, 2015 | $3,616,105 | $3,616,105 | [19] | ||
| The Great Race | May 21, 2016 | $3,685,225 | $3,685,225 | [20] | ||
| Journey Beyond Sodor | August 25, 2017 | $482,723 | $482,723 | [21] | ||
| Big World! Big Adventures! | July 20, 2018 | $3,299,661 | $3,299,661 | [22] | ||
| Total | $4,154,932 | $15,933,506 | $16,584,824 | $32,518,330 | ||
List indicator(s)
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Critical and public response
[edit]| Film | Critical | Public | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic | CinemaScore[23] | ||
| Thomas and the Magic Railroad | 21% (68 reviews)[24] | 19 (23 reviews)[25] | B[23] | |
Future
[edit]A live-action animated film based on the Thomas & Friends franchise being directed by Marc Forster is currently in development at Mattel Films.[2][26]
Cancelled film
[edit]A live-action animated film titled The Adventures of Thomas, which would've taken place during World War II, was scheduled to release in 2012. The film was cancelled when Mattel purchased the rights to the Thomas franchise.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "EMPIRE CINEMAS Film Synopsis – Thomas & Friends: The Great Race". Empirecinemas.co.uk. March 31, 2016. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 6, 2020). "'Thomas & Friends' Movie in Development From Mattel With Marc Forster". Variety. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
- ^ "Pierce Is New Thomas". The Mirror. Mirror.co.uk. July 19, 2007. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
- ^ "Thomas the Tank Engine Speaks". ABC News. September 10, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ "Thomas the Tank Engine steams into computer age". WalesOnline. September 24, 2009. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ Savvas, Christina (September 24, 2009). "Hi-tech Thomas the Tank Engine returns with his very own voice". BirminghamLive. Retrieved July 23, 2024.
- ^ a b Drake, Lucy (October 1, 2010). "Thomas the Tank Engine steams into Vue". Eastleigh News. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Marcus Theatres® Announces New Family-Friendly Alternate Programming Schedule at Select Theatre Locations". Marcus Theatres. September 23, 2009. Archived from the original on October 21, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Global premiere of Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie takes place". Toy World. July 9, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Peter Andre to voice rally car in Thomas the Tank Engine film". BBC News. June 12, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ "Thomas and the Magic Railroad - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Thomas & Friends: The Great Discovery - The Movie - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesels - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Thomas & Friends: Blue Mountain Mystery - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Thomas & Friends: Tale of the Brave - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Thomas & Friends: The Great Race - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ "Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie - Box Office Mojo".
- ^ a b "CinemaScore". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on April 13, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
- ^ "Thomas and the Magic Railroad". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ "Thomas and the Magic Railroad". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (October 6, 2020). "Marc Forster to Direct 'Thomas & Friends' Movie for Mattel Films". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
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