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- The film is based on the British children's book series The Railway Series by the Reverend W. Awdry, its televised adaptation Thomas & Friends by Allcroft, and the American television series Shining Time Station by Allcroft and Rick Siggelkow; it is the only theatrical live-action/animated film in the Thomas & Friends franchise.
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Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 children's fantasy adventure film written and directed by Britt Allcroft and produced by Allcroft and Phil Fehrle; the cast includes Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson, Didi Conn, Russell Means, Cody McMains, Michael E. Rodgers, and the voices of Eddie Glen and Neil Crone.
- Overview
- Plot
- Characters
- Locations
- Cast
- Songs
- Production
- Release
- Reception
can ― Thomas
is a 2000 British-American fantasy adventure film based on The Railway Series, the television series Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends and its American spin-off Shining Time Station. It was produced by Gullane Pictures, The Britt Allcroft Company, Isle of Man Film Commission and Destination Films and was distributed by Icon Productions in the UK and Ireland and Destination Films in the US. It stars Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson, Michael E. Rodgers, Cody McMains, Didi Conn, Russell Means and Lori Hallier, with the voices of Eddie Glen, Neil Crone, Kevin Frank, Susan Roman, Linda Ballantyne, Colm Feore, Shelley-Elizabeth Skinner and Britt Allcroft, who also wrote, directed and produced. In the 110-minute uncut version of the film, it includes original voice talents by John Bellis, Michael Angelis, Keith Scott and Patrick Breen and the performances of Doug Lennox. The latter five roles were ultimately cut from the final film.
Mr. Conductor begins the film by introducing Thomas the Tank Engine, his engine friends and the Island of Sodor.
At Killaban, Gordon complains to Thomas that he is eight seconds late with his passenger local. Thomas retorts that Gordon is being bossy, because he wants to be really reliable and right on time and says that he has to find Mr. Conductor, who is looking after the North Western Railway while Sir Topham Hatt is taking a holiday. When Gordon claims they can take care of themselves, he then changes his mind when an evil diesel named Diesel 10 speeds by, kicking up dust and dirt and leaving Gordon physically and literally rattling in fear. Thomas reminds him how devious Diesel 10 is and how he is rated 10 out of 10 for devious deeds and brutal strength and for his hatred of steam engines.
Mr. Conductor then introduces his home town of Shining Time, where we see happy residents, full of life at the station.
Thomas is later thinking trouble is soon to come if Diesel has unfinished business. He talks to James at Tidmouth Sheds, after he accidentally bumps into some buffers. James explains that he was shut up in the sheds by Sir Topham Hatt for being naughty, when Diesel 10 shows up and voices his plan to destroy a lost engine named Lady and thus establish Diesels as the dominant engines on Sodor. While James is confused, Thomas is worried and goes to find Mr. Conductor.
After seeing Billy Twofeathers' map and noticing some strange lines on it, a boy from Shining Time named Patch heads off to Muffle Mountain to see Burnett Stone once the Rainbow Sun arrives.
There is something on Muffle Mountain, a secret that Burnett only shared with his childhood friend and future wife Tasha: he promised he would drive an engine and take her with him. When Patch sees the engine, Burnett reveals the engine's past - her name is Lady since she was sealed inside Muffle Mountain after Diesel 10 crashed and nearly destroyed her long ago. Burnett has fixed her up but informs Patch that she still needs coal to fully run again. Unfortunately, Lady requires special coal to build up steam, which he has not found yet.
•Island of Sodor
•The Watermill
•Knapford
•Rail and Road Under Rail Bridges
•Killaban
•Killaban Yard
Voice actors
•Eddie Glen as Thomas •Kevin Frank as Henry, Dodge, Bertie, Harold and Sir Topham Hatt (uncredited) •Neil Crone as Gordon, Diesel 10, Splatter and the Tumbleweed •Susan Roman as James •Linda Ballantyne as Percy •Colm Feore as Toby •Britt Allcroft as Lady •Shelley-Elizabeth Skinner as Annie and Clarabel •Jared Wall as Young Burnett •Laura Bower as Young Tasha
Live-action actors
•Alec Baldwin as Mr. Conductor •Cody McMains as Patch •Russell Means as Billy Twofeathers •Peter Fonda as Burnett Stone •Didi Conn as Stacy Jones •Mara Wilson as Lily •Michael E. Rodgers as Junior •Lori Hallier as Lily's Mother •Shelley-Elizabeth Skinner as a Station Customer •Hugo Murray as Goldfish Boy •Keith W. Strandberg as a Passenger •Doug Lennox as P.T. Boomer (uncredited; full role cut) •Robert Tinkler as Older Patch (full role cut)
Original voice actors
•John Bellis as Thomas •Keith Scott as Diesel 10 •Michael Angelis as James and Percy •Patrick Breen as Splatter and Dodge
•Really Useful Engine
•Shining Time
•I Know How the Moon Must Feel
•Some Things Never Leave You
•Summer Sunday
•The Locomotion
Development
In the early 1990s, Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends was at the height of its popularity following three successful series. At the same time, its live-action American spin-off Shining Time Station was also successful. As early as 1994, prior to the launch of the fourth series, Britt Allcroft had plans to make a feature film based on both of these shows and would make use of the model trains from Thomas and the live-action aesthetic of Shining Time Station. Initial plans between Allcroft and co-creator Rick Siggelkow would've been a straight-forward Shining Time Station film; the film would've had a circus train coming to the station, with Mr. Conductor (unintentionally caused by J.B. King's latest efforts to find him) being captured by the evil ringmaster. The Shining Time gang, alongside Thomas and the other engines (together for the first time in the series' history) would've gone after him. Scenarios discussed for the film included a circus girl becoming friends with the station kids and overcoming her fear of horses to become a stunt rider, The Jukebox Band would be lost and scattered after their titular home gets knocked over, J.B. finally meeting Mr. Conductor, and Schemer being shot from a cannon. Plans for the feature were ultimately put on hold when Siggelkow moved to head the new children's division for BBC Worldwide Americas in September 1995,. In February 1996, Allcroft was approached by Barry London, then vice-chairman of Paramount Pictures, with an idea for a Thomas film. Allcroft signed a contract to write the script for the film with the working title of Thomas and the Magic Railroad. According to a press release, filming was due to take place at Shepperton Studios in the United Kingdom and the United States, with the theatrical release set for 1997. The same month, Wilbert Awdry gave his blessing for the film. He claimed; However, Paramount shelved the plans for the film after London left the company. This led Allcroft to seek other sources of funding. Discussions about the film were held with PolyGram, which did not did not go on any further as the company was in the middle of a corporate restructuring and sale. During all of this, her company would form Gullane Pictures, an American distribution arm, in 1997. With a minimum of $50 million of backing from the company, the primary mission of Gullane was "to develop, produce and distribute films and TV programming for the U.S. marketplace". Initial projects were distributing Thomas, Shining Time, and fellow Allcroft production The Magic Adventures of Mumfie (thru both pre-existing American contracts and the then-new Fox Family Channel), and producing an adult drama film Row Your Boat. In the summer of 1998, during the launch of the fifth series in the UK, Allcroft saw an Isle of Man Commission advert offering tax incentives to companies who wanted to film on the Island. Allcroft visited the Island a few weeks later and decided the location was perfect for the film. In 1999, Barry London became Chairman of the newly-founded Destination Films and renewed his interest in the project, leading to Destination Films becoming the main financial backer and studio for the film in February (with Gullane co-producing and handling distribution outside the US, UK, and Ireland). Destination was initially scheduled to distribute the film in the UK, but the also-newly formed Icon Film Distribution would purchase the rights that June.
Problems and Changes
In a 2007 Sodor Island Fansite interview, Britt Allcroft commented that the finished film was drastically different from the version she had written, with several scenes, plot elements and characters being cut from the final film. One of the biggest changes to the film was the removal of P.T. Boomer, the film's original main antagonist. He was cut after test audiences found him to be too frightening for children. Despite his excision, Boomer still appears in a few unedited moments of the final film and even appears in one of the trailers, which shows him and Diesel 10 falling off the viaduct. The official Thomas and the Magic Railroad website also had images and information regarding his character prior to being cut. Parts of his character, such as his goal to find Lady, were rewritten for Diesel 10. Several character voices were also changed during production. Thomas was originally voiced by John Bellis, a fireman and part-time taxi driver who worked on the film as the Isle of Man transportation coordinator and facilities manager. Bellis received the role after he happened to pick up Allcroft and her crew from the airport; Allcroft believed his voice suited Thomas perfectly and so he was flown to Toronto to record his lines. Test audiences in Los Angeles disliked Bellis' voice for Thomas, believing his Liverpudlian accent made Thomas sound "too old." Bellis was replaced by Eddie Glen, who gave Thomas a more youthful voice. James and Percy were originally going to be voiced by Michael Angelis, then-narrator of the television show. Test audiences also considered his voice to be too old for the characters and so he was replaced by Susan Roman and Linda Ballantyne who gave the two a more youthful but ladyish accent. Patrick Breen originally voiced Splatter and Dodge but he was also replaced for unknown reasons, to be replaced by Neil Crone and Kevin Frank. Diesel 10 was originally voiced by Keith Scott but his voice was later changed; Scott believes that he was replaced due to his voice sounding too scary to younger children. He was replaced by Neil Crone, who gave Diesel 10 a Russian accent. Due to complaints by test audiences, who believed the voice could be considered offensive, Crone gave Diesel 10 a stylised New Jersey accent. He and Kevin Frank both improvised a lot of comedy in the film. During filming of the confrontation scene at the smelters yard, James' model fell off the set and was significantly damaged. Even after repairs were completed, cracks could still be seen in his cab and other areas, even during the final cut.
Deleted Scenes and Original Script
All of these changes were featured in the original script of the film. They were cut out in either later scripts or the final release: •Originally, Sir Topham Hatt was to be casted in a live-action appearance but this was eventually dropped because no actor "of the right size" could be found. •The Island Song and Thomas' Anthem were going to be used in the film during the opening musical sequence. Additionally, Night Train was originally going to be used in the scene of Thomas and Percy pulling their mail trains. •The special takes place in 1999, hinted by Lily's age being the same as Mara Wilson's. •Lily was the narrator, telling the story to her children twenty years later. In the future, she became a railroad engineer like Burnett and married Patch. She also had a pet dog named Jeff, who was a descendant of Mutt. •Lily's mother was pregnant, which is why Lily goes to visit her grandfather. •Cranky was meant to have a nonspeaking role. In the scene where Splatter and Dodge ask Diesel 10 why he let Mr. Conductor escape, Cranky would have dropped a crate of fruits and vegetables on them. There was a second idea which had him drop oil on Diesel 10. In the final film, Diesel 10 is covered in coal from a hopper. Cranky's model still appears in the film, albeit as set dressing at Knapford. •Originally, Percy and Toby were going to be introduced hauling scrap from the scrapyard. Percy speaks about how he is glad to be out of the scrapyard as he finds it scary. He also tells Toby about Sir Topham Hatt going on holiday. Toby assures him everything will be alright. Splatter and Dodge are revealed to be listening in and leave to tell the boss, Diesel 10. •George was going to make an appearance as one of Diesel 10's lackeys. He agreed to help Diesel 10 destroy all the buffers on Sodor to find the ones that led to the Magic Railroad and as a reward he would be allowed to destroy the turntable at Tidmouth Sheds and turn it into a roller rink, though at some point he eventually turned against Diesel 10. As his model was never taken out of storage, his role was dropped in later scripts. •Diesel 10 was a new engine who came to help while Sir Topham Hatt was away, instead creating problems on the railway. •Pinchy would have been concealed underneath Diesel 10's roof and not been revealed until Diesel 10's first meeting with Splatter and Dodge. •Diesel 10's claw originally was not named. When Neil Crone was improvising dialogue in the recording studio, he came up with Pinchy. The team loved it, so it stayed. •Burnett Stone was given the task of being Lady's caretaker by a previous Mr. Conductor. •The railway was undergoing major repairs throughout the film, which would explain why Tidmouth Sheds was under repair in the final cut. •In the original script, Thomas meeting Gordon and Diesel 10's arrival was to take place at Knapford Station. Also, Thomas was to shunt Gordon's coaches and after Gordon gets shocked by Diesel 10 rushing past him, he was to jerk forward and leave his coaches and he went back to get them. •Mr. Conductor would have remained in his original size of ten inches on the Island of Sodor in certain scenes. The items in Sir Topham Hatt's office are described as being as large as him. •Mr. Conductor would have slept in a small hammock in Tidmouth Sheds instead of a bed. •When scratching James' itch, he was supposed brush James with a tree branch instead of a push brush. •The scene where Thomas was meant to be covered in dust by Harold was intended to carry on through the night at Tidmouth Sheds, with Diesel 10 dumping sneezing powder down Thomas' funnel. •The scene of Mr. Conductor talking to the baseball bat and plastic ball originally did not exist. •There is an unused brief few scenes where Thomas would temporarily have his whistle broken. •Another thing to note about the powder scene was that it originally took place at the quarry instead of Tidmouth. •Mr. Conductor would originally sparkle himself to the mountain and find himself at the wrong part of it, he would lost his sparkle at the bottom of the mountain instead of the top of it, he would then be forced to climb the mountain. •The windmill was not the location of the clue to the source of the gold dust. Instead, it was a large waterfall that Mr. Conductor had to climb up to retrieve a sheet of paper, it was then revised to a waterfall with a light shining into a barrel, a wagon and a rainbow reflecting onto a rock-face, Mr. Conductor would have to step onto the wagon to inspect the writing before it would disappear. •Lady originally did not speak. Her only ways of communicating would be through telepathy with Thomas on Muffle Mountain and her whistle. She was later given a speaking role in order to smooth over cuts to the final film. •In the original script, the differences between British and American terminology were acknowledged and occasionally poked fun at. The engines would continue to refer to Sir Topham Hatt as "The Fat Controller" and also corrected Mr. Conductor when he mistakenly said "Sodor Railroad" instead of "Railway." •There was an extended scene where Toby would hide next to Diesel 10 when he eavesdrops on Thomas and Percy. •Junior was originally described as being an English character. His nationality was changed after Michael E. Rodgers was cast for the role. •Patch was originally intended to be Irish. •Mr. Conductor escapes Diesel 10's claw by cutting a blue/green wire instead of the hydraulic hose he cuts in the final film. His original predicament would include him having to figure which wire to cut, one opening the claw and the other tightening it which could crush him, as opposed to the pliers falling out of his hands having to reach them under 10 seconds. Instead of being catapulted to the windmill by Diesel 10's claw, Mr. Conductor would have been dropped, caught onto Diesel 10’s wheel, lost grip and bounced off a bush before landing at the windmill. •There was an extra scene where Henry would return feeling a lot better and would thank Thomas for helping him. •When Toby distracts Diesel 10, he was supposed to use his whistle instead of his bell. In addition, the three diesels would get covered in scrap instead of being blocked by the roof. •The scene where Thomas speaks to Percy about the missing coal truck was meant to take place after Diesel 10 explaining his next plan instead of before. •Splatter and Dodge were not meant to reform; instead, George would have been the one who turned against them, telling them to destroy the magic buffers themselves. They try to do so but bump into each-other and derail. In another script, George would have helped Junior and James defeat the two diesels by pushing a boulder onto their line, trapping them on a siding. •In the original script, Thomas does not stop to pick up the missing coal truck despite recognizing it and only realises its significance after he reaches Muffle Mountain. Lily makes the same connection and Patch and his horse are sent to retrieve the truck. The horse's hooves are permanently etched with gold dust, allowing it to go down the Magic Railroad. •There an extended scene where Junior would taunt Diesel 10 and pretend to go surfing, serving to annoy him, to which the engine would try to throw Junior off by speeding. •In the original script, the chase scene with Thomas, Diesel 10 and Lady was originally going to have Lily with Burnett. However, this was cut. •In the original script when Lily notices the coal truck, she would fallen off of Thomas' cab, to which Thomas would go back for her. •In the original script, Thomas is knocked off of Muffle Mountain by an explosion caused by P.T. Boomer. In the final release, the ground under him simply crumbles away. •After Diesel 10 and P.T. Boomer fall into the barge, they would have either vanished or would have been turned into boiler sludge via Junior's magic bandanna, who arrived at the Big Dipper by Percy. •James and Percy were originally present in the ending at the wishing well but were later cut from the scene. •The ending would have seen Lily, now married to Patch, finishing the story with her children, who are on a picnic and looking through a scrapbook with pictures from Sodor. They can be seen walking together with their horse in the shot viewing Shining Time Station.
was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 14 July 2000 and the United States and Canada on 26 July 2000. The film premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square; for the purpose, a steam locomotive, LMS Fowler 3F no. 47298 (painted to resemble Thomas) was brought to the cinema by low-loader on 9 July 2000. National press coverage was ...
was negatively received by critics, sporting an approval rating of 21% on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 68 critics, with an average rating of 4.4/10. The site's critical consensus says "kids these days demand cutting edge special effects or at least a clever plot with cute characters. This movie has neither, having lost in its Americanization what the British original did so right." Metacritic gives the film a score of 19 out of 100, based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike."
Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film one star out of four and wrote "(the fact) That Thomas and the Magic Railroad made it into theaters at all is something of a mystery. This is a production with 'straight to video' written all over it. Kids who like the Thomas books might kinda like it. Especially younger kids. Real younger kids. Otherwise, no." While he admired the models and art direction, he criticised how the engines' mouths did not move when they spoke, the overly depressed performance of Peter Fonda, as well as the overall lack of consistency in the plot. Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times gave the film a 3/5 rating, saying, "Mr. Baldwin's attack -- there's no better way to put it -- is unforgettable." However, he had a positive, saying, It's very slow, though it does offer a respite from the overactive animation that kids are mostly subjected to. Kaleem Aftab of
William Thomas of Empire gave the film a one out of five stars, he was critical of the films special effects, stating, "But, believe it or not, the true villains of the piece are, in fact, the 'special' effects. Quite how – in today's era of slo-mo and seamless digital wizardry – such a shoddy result can have been achieved is anyone's guess. With clunky bluescreen, spot-a-mile-off matte work and an absolute lack of synergy between real-life and animated action, it all conspires to provide an appropriately amateur sheen." Plugged In stated, "While the animation maintains its simple appearance, the plot is anything but simple. And that's not good news for the many tots who make up the majority of Thomas' audience. Switching back and forth between Shining Time and Sodor, interweaving two relatively complex story lines, may confuse more than it challenges. Parents may well find that their children are squirming in their seats long before Thomas rides his magic rails into the sunset. That said and the magic notwithstanding, tikes who do manage to grasp the complex story lines and can sit still for an hour and a half, will learn good lessons about friendship, courage, hard work and being kind." Neil Minow of Common Sense Media gave the film three out of five stars and writing that it "will please [Thomas fans]" but that the plot "might confuse kids."
The film was also a partial box office flop, grossing $19.7 million compared to its $19 million budget. During its second week of screening in Britain, it only took in £170,000 (roughly $215,000 in the United States).
Thomas and the Magic Railroad is the series first and only featured length movie, excluding the Japanese crossover specials. The film is based off Thomas & Friends and it's spin-off Shining Time Station.
Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 film based on the Thomas & Friends series and the American spinoff Shining Time Station written and directed by Britt Allcroft. It is the first (and currently only) theatrical film in the Thomas & Friends franchise.
May 23, 2015 · Thomas and the Magic Railroad is an odd film. Released in the year 2000, it wasn’t a weird direct to video thing, but a full blown feature, with real actors and everything. My only...
Thomas and the Magic Railroad was released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 14 July 2000 and the United States and Canada on 26 July 2000. The film premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square; for the purpose, a steam locomotive, LMS Fowler 3F no. 47298, painted to resemble Thomas, was brought to the cinema by low-loader on 9 July ...
Aug 23, 2019 · It’s still ongoing. The show is heavily based on the books. One notable trait is The Narrator voiced by Ringo Starr, (the drummer from The Beatles) Alec Baldwin & the late George Carlin. Like the books, the show was a success among young viewers and families.
