Mr. Conductor, Junior

"He's just great fun. There is a part of him that is the child I wish I could've been. At heart, he's good and true and he sees the best in everyone around him, but eventually, he learns the consequences of being a little lazy and iresponsible."
- Michael E. Rodgers, talking about his character, Mr. Conductor Jr.Mr. Conductor, Junior is a supporting character in the 2000 children's comedy-drama adventure film Thomas and the Magic Railroad. He is the younger cousin of Mr. Conductor. He is played by Michael E. Rodgers in Thomas and the Magic Railroad and Thomas the Tank Engine 2: The Adventure Continues.
== About this Character ==
=== Thomas and the Magic Railroad (1997)/Thomas and the Rainbow Railway ===
Mr. Conductor Jr was first seen as the deutagonist in the unreleased film Thomas and the Rainbow Railway. He is the only major human character in this film, as he was with Thomas and his friends throughout the adventure.
He decided to go to Shining Time Station to visit his cousin, Mr. Conductor, after his parents got killed by a mysterious diesel. He then goes the wrong way, and ends up arriving in the Island of Sodor, where he meets Thomas and his friends. Junior, Thomas, and his friends go on an adventure to activate a rainbow railway to get him to Shining Time Station.
In this film, Junior is the only major human character, since he and the engines got more screentime than the other human characters, and he also spoke in an upper-class British accent, with some New Zealand and Canadian slipped in at some points.
=== Thomas and the Magic Railroad ===
Mr. Conductor Jr later on appeared in the 2000 film Thomas and the Magic Railroad, both cut and uncut versions.
In this film, his personality is a little more different than in the 1997 film of the same name. He worries a lot less, he never cries, and he is a lot more cheerful and fun-loving in this film. He is also less lazier and clumzier than in the 1997 film.
Unlike the 1997 film, his previous, unidentified actor did not reprise the role as Junior, instead being replaced by Michael E. Rodgers. He also spoke in a Scottish accent, but sounds similar to his previous voice.
=== Thomas the Tank Engine 2: The Adventure Continues ===
Mr. Conductor Jr reappears for the last time as the deutagonist in the unreleased film Thomas the Tank Engine 2: The Adventure Continues. His actor, Michael E. Rodgers, reprises the role as Junior in this film. He still keeps his Scottish accent and his fun-loving attitude, but he retains his personality from Thomas and the Rainbow Railway, but only a little less clumsy and lazy, and a little more dramatic.
=== Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2002 International Remake)/Thomas and the Magic Railroad 2002/ Thomas and Friends: Secrets of the Magic Railroad ===
In this international TV film remake of the 2000 film, Mr. Conductor Jr. retains his British accent from the 1997 film and he wears his conductor's hat almost throughout the film. Despite his similar sounding British accent, Junior was played by another unknown British actor, since Michael E. Rodgers and the actor that played Junior in the 1997 film was unavailable at that time.
== Actors/Voice Actors ==
Unknown Actor (Thomas and the Rainbow Railway, Thomas and the Magic Railroad 2002)
Michael E. Rodgers (Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Thomas the Tank Engine 2: The Adventure Continues)
Luis Daniel Ramírez (Latin America, theatrical version, Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
Raúl González (Latin America, theatrical version, Thomas and the Rainbow Railway, Thomas the Tank Engine 2: The Adventure Continues, Thomas and the Magic Railroad 2002)
José Antonio Macías (Latin America, TV version, Thomas and the Rainbow Railway and Thomas and the Magic Railroad)
Unknown Voice Actor (Latin America, TV version, Thomas the Tank Engine 2: The Adventure Continues, Thomas and the Magic Railroad 2002)
Joël Legendre (French Canadian, Thomas and the Rainbow Railway, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Thomas the Tank Engine 2: The Adventure Continues)
Hiroaki Hirata (Japan, Thomas and the Rainbow Railway, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Thomas the Tank Engine 2: The Adventure Continues, Thomas and the Magic Railroad 2002)
Kim Hasper (German, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Thomas the Tank Engine 2: The Adventure Continues, Thomas and the Magic Railroad 2002)
Tobias Schmidt (German, Thomas and the Rainbow Railway)
Davide Garbolino (Italian, Italia 1 dub, Thomas and the Magic Railroad 2002)
Unknown Voice Actor (Italian, RAI/Fox Kids/Jetix dub, Thomas and the Magic Railroad 2002)
Massimilano Pilino (Italian, all 3 TV versions, Thomas and the Rainbow Railway)
Unknown Voice Actor (Arabic, theratical and TV, Thomas and the Rainbow Railway, Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Thomas the Tank Engine 2: The Adventure Continues, Thomas and the Magic Railroad 2002)
== Personality ==
Mr. Conductor Jr is a fun-loving, innocent, and childish character.
In Thomas and the Rainbow Railway, he was lazy, clumsy, and dramatic, but still innocent and good-natured. He also worries a lot and frequently cries.
In Thomas and the Magic Railroad, his personality has been updated. Now, he is more cheerful and fun-loving. He also worries less often and never cries.
In Thomas the Tank Engine 2: The Adventure Continues, he has a mixture of his personalities in Thomas and the Magic Railroad and Thomas and the Rainbow Railway.
In the 2002 remake of Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Junior has the same personality from the May 19, 1999 script of the 2000 film. He is more optimistic, less clumsier and more lazier. He's also cool, calm, and doesn't have a big deal with anything.
== Trivia ==
According to what he said in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, Junior is allergic to grass, and easily gets motion sickness.
Although, Junior is British in Thomas and the Rainbow Railway, he was originally going to stay British in Thomas and the Magic Railroad, but after Michael E. Rodgers got the role as Junior, succeeding from his previous, but unidentified actor, his nationality changed from British to Scottish.
Junior had some deleted lines in Thomas and the Magic Railroad that was only heard in trailers. Also in the trailers, he said some lines in a different tone of voice. After the disasterious second test screening somewhere in March 2000, Michael E. Rodgers might've had to go back and re-record some of his lines for unknown reasons, possibly due to Junior sounding too "overeacting and whiny" in the original cut.
Due to them having fun on the set of the respectful versions of Thomas and the Magic Railroad and due to them having a great sense of humour, Michael E. Rodgers (in the 2000 film) and an unknown British actor (in the 2002 film) improvised and ad-libbed some lines as Junior during filming.
== Images ==
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Category:People of British descent
Category:Characters played by Michael E. Rodgers