Thomas and the Magic Railroad

Cinematography
 Production company
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**Thomas and the Magic Railroad** is a 2000 British/American fantasy adventure film by Britt Allcroft, Starring Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson, Alec Baldwin, Didi Conn, Russell Means, Cody McMains & Michael E. Rodgers, the film is based on the British children's book series *The Railway Series* by the Rev. W. Awdry, its televised adaptation of the children's television series *Thomas & Friends*, and the American series *Shining Time Station*. It was co-produced by Gullane Entertainment/The Britt Allcroft Company and the Isle of Man Film Commission. The film was distributed by **ABC Films in Australia**, Destination Films in the USA & Icon Productions in the UK.

## Plot

The film begins with Mr. Conductor introducing Thomas and the Island of Sodor.

At Killaban, Gordon complains to Thomas that he is 8 seconds late. Thomas retorts that Gordon is being bossy 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 Mr. Conductor is not needed, he then changes his mind when an evil diesel named Diesel 10 speeds by, kicking up dust and dirt and leaving Gordon physically rattling in fear.

Mr. Conductor then introduces Shining Time, where we see happy residents, full of life.

Thomas is later talking to James at Tidmouth Sheds 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.

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 since Diesel 10 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.

At the Quarry, Diesel 10 tells his cronies Splatter and Dodge of his plan. The 2 bumbling diesels report that Mr. Conductor is coming to Sodor, so Diesel 10 decides to destroy him too, only to humiliate himself in front of Splatter and Dodge when his claw whacks him on the nose.

Mr. Conductor prepares to leave Shining Time. Despite difficulty with his gold dust, he soon meets Thomas on Sodor. Thomas reports on Diesel 10; Mr. Conductor decides to use his Gold Dust to keep Diesel 10 in order.

Burnett looks at a painting of Lady and starts to have doubts in his belief of magic due to his failure to guard her. Meanwhile, far away, Burnett's granddaughter (Lily) prepares to visit him.

Thomas, James and Gordon begin arguing about who should have taken Mr. Conductor, unaware that Splatter and Dodge are spying on them. Over in the yard, Splatter and Dodge are laughing at the steam engines. Henry tells the other engines about why Diesel 10 wants to find the lost engine. Splatter and Dodge continue to laugh at Thomas until Harold flies by, spreading sneezing powder, set up by Diesel 10, over all 3.

At Knapford, Mr. Conductor reads the note Sir Topham Hatt left him. After trying on his top hat (and returning it after he notices the portrait of the Controller appears angry) he receives a phone call from Sir Topham Hatt and receives his instructions.

That night, Diesel 10 creeps up and demolishes the side of the Tidmouth Sheds with his powerful claw. Mr. Conductor reprimands Diesel 10, but then finally discovers that he has run out of gold dust. As Diesel 10 (delighted) tries to get Mr. Conductor to confess to the lost engine's whereabouts, Mr. Conductor frightens Diesel 10 away with a bag of sugar and threatening to dump the sugar in his tanks to seize him up permanently. Mr. Conductor voices his concern about his gold dust, but tells the engines to go back to sleep.

Later that night, Mr. Conductor has a nightmare of Shining Time in ruins and realises that his universe is in danger and that he needs more gold dust.

The next morning, Mutt goes to Lily's hometown with Billy, as he knows that Lily can help Mr. Conductor, but only if she meets someone special at Shining Time first. To reach that end, he directs her onto the wrong train, placing her on the train bound for Shining Time instead of Muffle Mountain. Meanwhile, Burnett Stone hears the sound of Lady's magic echoing through the mountain.

Back on Sodor, Mr. Conductor is helping make James' itch go away. When James notices that Mr. Conductor looks so tired and asks if it is because he is red, Mr. Conductor happily says that red is bright and cheerful just like his gold dust. He then sends James off to work while he departs to deal with his own problems.

Mr. Conductor goes to the windmill in search of more gold dust, but gets lost. Meanwhile, the engines gather for a meeting. As Bertie passes by and tells them to smile, all have their individual concerns. Thomas heads off to look for Mr. Conductor, apologising to Bertie when he is unable to accept Bertie's offer for a race.

Mr. Conductor finds a note left by Rabbit and tries a carrot and a stick of celery to make him think properly and has the idea of his beach-loving cousin Junior, who has used up most of his gold dust too. He tells Junior to go to Shining Time Station first and get his emergency whistle, then go to Sodor and warns him not to talk to anyone about the buffers. Before he can say anything else, the phone line goes dead.

Lily arrives at Shining Time and Mutt barks at her to get off the train. Lily finds the station empty and meets Junior. After a talk, Lily picks up the gold dust Junior leaves behind. At Sodor, Mr. Conductor is sleeping by a bush when he has another nightmare and wakes up hearing Thomas calling his name. While Mr. Conductor tries to reply, poor Thomas cannot hear him as he chuffs away.

Lily meets Stacy, who takes her to Burnett. That night, Burnett and Lily hear Lady's whistle coming from the mountains. Patch (who is outside with his horse) hears it too.

As Percy arrives at Knapford with the Mail Train, he and Thomas talk about Mr. Conductor and conclude that he travels to Sodor on a magic railroad. Diesel 10 overhears them and goes to the scrapyards to tell Splatter and Dodge his plan. Toby (who has secretly followed them there) interrupts them by ringing his bell; trying to catch him, Diesel 10 causes the shed to crash down on him, Splatter and Dodge, thus blocking their path.

Thomas finds Henry with a bad cold and offers to get some special Island of Sodor coal to make him better, but while collecting them, fails to notice the 6th truck rolling away into some magic buffers. Bertie passes and greets Thomas and his 5 trucks; Thomas is confused.

When Thomas tells Percy about the missing truck, they realise that the buffers where the truck disappeared are the buffers leading to the Magic Railroad. Thomas tells Percy to guard the buffers while he goes to find Mr. Conductor, citing that Percy is a brave engine.

Meanwhile, Mr. Conductor is wandering aimlessly when Diesel 10 appears. Mr. Conductor is captured by Diesel 10's claw and is dangled over the viaduct. Diesel 10 reveals that he knows about the buffers and threatens to drop Mr. Conductor if he does not reveal its whereabouts. Mr. Conductor notices the viaduct has begun to collapse, just like in his dream and realises the world is beginning to fall apart without the gold dust. Mr. Conductor escapes by cutting a hydraulic tube to Diesel 10's claw, thus catapulting him to the windmill. There, he sees the words: "Stoke up the magic in the mountain and the Lady will smile, then watch the swirls that spin so well." Splatter and Dodge ask Diesel 10 how come he let Mr. Conductor escape, he replies that he just did it on purpose and was testing to see if he could escape. Splatter and Dodge do not believe him and Diesel 10 decides to attempt to teach them "How to Stop Being Stupid," but knocks coal all over himself. James, Gordon and Henry laugh at Diesel 10.

Lily is introduced to Patch, who offers her a horse ride to Shining Time. There she meets Junior again, who takes her to Sodor via the magic buffers. They meet Thomas, who agrees to help and together they find Mr. Conductor at the windmill. When Mr. Conductor tells Junior about his clue to the gold dust, Lily is introduced to Mr. Conductor. Junior then climbs onto the sail and is flung onto Diesel 10. Meanwhile Patch tells Burnett that he has no idea where Lily is and that she was not at the station when he went back for her. Despite Lily having apparently vanished, Burnett is confident she will turn up again.

That night, Percy finds Splatter and Dodge at the magic buffers and races to warn Thomas.

Mr. Conductor and Lily camp out with Thomas. After a conversation, they realise that Burnett may hold the key to the clue of the gold dust.

As Burnett reveals to Patch that Lady is magic, they realise that the railroad is vanishing.

Thomas and Percy decide they must get Lily back to Muffle Mountain before Diesel 10 destroys the magic railroad. Thomas wonders how Lily can get home without gold dust, Mr. Conductor reveals that only the lost engine could do so now. Then he has the idea and asks Thomas if he will take Lily to Muffle Mountain. Thomas is not sure but decides that he will try before he and Lily set off. While journeying through the magic railroad, they discover the missing truck. While Lily realises the connection between the truck, the clue so Thomas decides to go back for it before setting off again. They soon arrive on Muffle Mountain. As Lily leaves to find Burnett, a gust of wind blows Thomas down the hill and back into the magic railroad through another portal at the bottom.

Lily finds Patch, who takes her to Burnett's workshop. Lily figures out only special Island of Sodor coal can make Lady steam, so she sends Patch to collect the coal from the truck.

Diesel 10 (with Junior still on his back) races into the Smelters where he encounters James. Junior tries to whistle both of them out only to discover that he (too) is out of gold dust. As Diesel 10 tries to force the 2 into a melting pit, Junior uses the last of his extra gold dust to teleport himself and James away to safety. The 2 arrive near the buffers, where Mr. Conductor is there waiting. James departs, while Mr. Conductor and Junior (both out of gold dust) refuse to give up hope. Lily asks Burnett Stone if Tasha took a ride on Lady and if she loved her as much as Burnett did. Burnett says that she loved it because he loved it, but could not fix her in time for Tasha to take a ride on her before she passed away.

By now Burnett Stone has finally got Lady to steam using special Island of Sodor coal, from the truck Thomas and Lily picked up from the Magic Railroad and along with Lily, Patch and Mutt, they set off into the magic railroad. The railroad (receiving energy from Lady) comes back to life, while Lady's face appears. The team encounter Thomas before appearing on Sodor, where they reunite with the 2 conductors.

While Diesel 10 starts to give chase, Splatter and Dodge (fed up with Diesel 10's ways) abandon him. Thomas offers to help Lady, with Burnett driving Lady. Mr. Conductor warns them about the collapsing viaduct. Just as the engines run away, the conductors realise that Lady is part of the clue to the gold dust.

The chase finally approaches the Viaduct. As Lady and Burnett pass, a gap appears on the viaduct. When Thomas manages to make it across the gap before it worsens, Diesel 10 cannot stop in time and falls off into a sludge barge and is towed away, not to be seen for a long-long time.

Thomas, Lady and Burnett return, where they and the rest of the team work out the answer to the riddle. Lily mixes water from the well with golden shavings from the magic railroad and with a little encouragement, tosses them into the air, where they form into gold dust. Delighted, the conductors resupply their whistles, while Thomas thanks Lady.

Patch and Mutt go to look around, while Junior gives Lily some gold dust. Junior tells Mr. Conductor that he wants to work now, so Mr. Conductor gives him his hat and sends him to a railroad with "palm trees and sunny spells". After Junior leaves, Sir Topham Hatt calls and says that he is on his way back, so Mr. Conductor sets off to welcome him, letting Sir Topham Hatt know that everything is under control before he hangs up. Lily offers her gold dust to Burnett, who sprinkles it on her bluebird toy and whispers that they will "always remember their Shining Time together."

With Lady and the Magic Railroad back to life, Shining Time is restored to its former glory. Thomas happily puffs into the sunset and the end credits roll.

## Cast

### Voice actors

* Edward Glen as Thomas the Tank Engine
* Noel McNeal as Edward
* Kevin Frank as Henry, Dodge, Bertie and Harold
* 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

### 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
* Laura Bower as young Tasha
* Jared Wall as young Burnett
* Shelley-Elizabeth Skinner as a station customer
* Hugo Murray as goldfish boy
* Keith W. Strandberg as a passenger
* Doug Lennox as P.T. Boomer (cut from the movie)
* Robert Tinkler as older Patch

### Original voice actors

* John Bellis as Thomas the Tank Engine
* Keith Scott as Diesel 10 and Gordon
* Michael Angelis as James and Percy
* Patrick Breen as Henry, Toby, Splatter and Dodge

## Production

### Development

In the early 1990s, the character of Thomas the Tank Engine (adapted from the Rev. W. Awdry's *Railway Series* into the TV series *Thomas the Tank Engine*, created by Britt Allcroft) was at the height of his popularity following 3 successful series. At the same time, a live-action American series (*Shining Time Station*) (also created by Allcroft along with Rick Siggelkow) was made and was also successful. As early as 1994, prior to the launch of Thomas's Thomas and Friends (series 4), Britt Allcroft had plans to make a feature film based on both of these series, and would make use of the model trains from *Thomas* and the live-action aesthetic of *Shining Time Station*.

In February 1996, Britt Allcroft was approached by Barry London with an idea for the *Thomas* film. Britt signed a contract to write the script for the film with the working title *Thomas and the Magic Railroad*. London's interest is thought to have stemmed from his 3-year-old daughter, who was enthralled by *Thomas*. Filming (according to a press release) was to take place at Shepperton Studios, in the United Kingdom and the United States, with the theatrical release date set for 1997. However, Paramount shelved the plans for the film after London left the company later that year. This left Allcroft to seek other sources of funding. Discussions with PolyGram about the film were held, but not for long because of the company being in the middle of a corporate restructuring and sale.

In the Summer of 1998, during Thomas and Friends Series 5 of Thomas's production, Allcroft saw an Isle of Man Film Commission advert. They were offering tax incentives to companies wanting to film on the Island. Allcroft visited and felt that the location was perfect. During that year, Barry London became Chairman of the newly founded Destination Films and Columbia Pictures (owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment). He renewed his interest in the project and Destination Films became the main financial backer and studio for the film.

### Filming

The movie was filmed at the Strasburg Rail Road in Strasburg (Pennsylvania (United States)), as well as in Toronto (Ontario (Canada)) and on the Isle of Man. Castletown railway station on the Isle of Man Railway formed part of Shining Time Station and the goods shed at Port St Mary railway station became Burnett Stone's workshop. Running shots of the "Indian Valley Railroad" train were filmed at the Strasburg Rail Road location. The large passenger station where Lily boards the train is the Harrisburg Transportation Center. Norfolk & Western 475' was repainted as the Indian Valley locomotive. Sodor was realised using models and chroma key. The models were animated using live action remote control, as on the television series. The model sequences were filmed in Toronto instead of Shepperton Studios, the "home" of the original TV show; however, several of the show's key staff were flown over to participate. The Magic Railway was created using models, CGI and water-coloured matte paintings.

## Release

*Thomas and the Magic Railroad* was released theatrically on 14 July 2000 in the United Kingdom and Ireland, and 26 July 2000 in the United States and Canada. The film was also released in Australia on 14 December 2000, and in New Zealand on 7 April 2001. The film premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square; for the purpose, a steam locomotive (47298 painted to resemble Thomas the Tank Engine) was brought to the cinema by low loader on 9 July 2000. The film grossed $19.7 million worldwide. During its 2nd weekend of screening in Britain it took in £170,000.

the film's failure caused Allcroft to be leaving Gullane Entertainment in September 2000 and Peter Orton was in charge of Thomas in July 2001.

after Orton passed away in 2007, former Nickelodeon executive (Jeff Dunn) took control of Thomas by January 2008.

### Home media

*Thomas and the Magic Railroad* was released onto VHS and DVD on October 19, 2000 in the United Kingdom by Icon Productions, in the United States on October 31, 2000 by Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment and in Australia on April 2, 2001 by ABC Video.

in 2007, Icon also released Thomas and the Magic Railroad on DVD in the UK.

## Reception

*Thomas and the Magic Railroad* has an approval rating of 19% on Rotten Tomatoes based on reviews from 67 critics, with an average rating of 3.9/10. The site's critical consensus states: "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". Nell Minow of Common Sense Media gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and writing that it "will please [Thomas fans]" but that the plot "might confuse kids". Roger Ebert of the *Chicago Sun-Times* gave the film 1 star out of 4, 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 criticized 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.

## Soundtrack

Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a soundtrack released on both CD and cassette. It features 12 music tracks except "Shining Time", "Shining Time (Reprise)", "I Know How the Moon Must Feel" & "The Locomotion" from the feature film composed by Hummie Mann.

## Song list

1. **Shining Time - Neil Donell**
2. **Shining Time (Reprise) - Robyne Dunn & Geoff Robertson**
3. **I Know How the Moon Must Feel - Disgust & ToeJam**
4. **The Locomotion - Atomic Kitten**

Original Score By Hummie Mann
Original 'Thomas' Themes by JNR Campbell & Mike O'Donnell
1. He's a Really Useful Engine - Steven Page
2. Some Things Never Leave You - Joe Henry
3. Summer Sunday - Dominic Gibbson, Dominic Goundar, Rob Jenkins, Gerald McLachan & Ben Wright
4. Main Title
5. Lily Travels to the Island of Sodor
6. Burnett and Lady/Diesel 10 and Splodge
7. Diesel 10 Threatens Mr. C/Lily & Patch
8. Through the Magic Buffers
9. The Chase, the Clue and the Happy Ending

## Trivia

* Voice clips and sound effects from the film are featured at the start and end of "He's a Really Useful Engine" by Steven Page.

## 2 Artists not featured in the movie & soundtrack

* 2 Artists
	1. Maren Ord
	2. Dayna Manning

## Tracklist with a Yes & a No

Track list 1 with a Yes

1. **Shining Time - Neil Donell**
2. **Shining Time (Reprise) - Robyne Dunn & Geoff Robertson**
3. **I Know How the Moon Must Feel - Disgust & ToeJam**
4. **The Locomotion - Atomic Kitten**

Track list 2 with a No

1. Some Things Never Leave You - Joe Henry
2. Summer Sunday - Dominic Gibbson, Dominic Goundar, Rob Jenkins, Gerard McLachlan & Ben Wright

## Gallery

Deleted SceneDeleted SceneDeleted SceneDeleted SceneDeleted SceneDeleted Scene

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