How This Movie Derailed a Franchise - An Analysis of Thomas & the Magic Railroad
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
- Watch the original version of the video here ▸ drive.google.com/file/d/1jrzF...
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CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
4:07 How'd This Thing Get Made?
15:43 It Ain't Allll Bad!
25:31 Why the Movie Sucks
37:38 The Movie We Didn't Get
46:26 Do You Believe in Magic?
52:14 My "Treatment"
55:56 Patreon Updates
♫ MUSIC
Thomas & the Magic Railroad Teaser Trailer (Instrumental)
• Thomas and the Magic R...
Thomas & the Magic Railroad Official Trailer (Instrumental)
• Thomas and the Magic R...
Labyrinth - Rosentwig
• Rosentwig - Labyrinth ...
Warmth - Home
• Warmth
A Ride in an Automobile - Luis Humanoide
• A Ride in an Automobil...
Pokémon Colosseum - Pyrite Town Remix
• Pokémon Colosseum - Py...
Pokémon DPPt Hearthome City Bossa Nova Jazz Arrangement (feat. Xnarky) - insaneintherainmusic
• Pokémon DPPt: Hearthom...
Dolphin - glaciære
• glaciære - Dolphin
Lily Travels to the Island of Sodor - Hummie Mann
• Lily Travels to the Is...
Through the Magic Buffers - Hummie Mann
• Through the Magic Buff...
Emile van Krieken
• Emile van Krieken - Me...
Overcooked! (Penne For Your Thoughts Gameplay Version)
• Overcooked! (Penne For...
The King's Wit - The Black Piper
• The King's Wit
Athletic Orchestra - Super Mario World 2 - Yoshi's Island
• Super Mario World 2: Y...
Sans - Undertale OST
• Undertale OST - sans. ...
MV1 - Animal Band
• Animal Band - MV1
Clocker Neighborhood - Luis Humanoide
• Clocker Neighborhood [...
The Thief Bunny Society - Per Störby Jutbring
• The Thief Bunny Society
The Adventure Begins Opening Title - Peter Hartshorne
• Thomas & Friends: The ...
Distance (feat. Memorex Memories) - Hotel Pools
• Distance (feat. Memore...
The Locomotion (Instrumental) - Atomic Kitten
• The Locomotion - Atomi...
There’s an interesting irony to having to keep re-editing a video about Magic Railroad again and again just to appease the advertisers
This is why I’m no longer watching unskippable ads.
Literally the entire development of the movie lmao, glad I wasn't the only one who noticed
@@chevyrodriguez4028 Like I get that Sony Pictures probably still owns the film rights to Thomas and it looks like copyright, but he's using fair use so they don't have to keep hitting him with copyright.
And just like Magic Railroad itself the original is still available in a different medium
Joneau u have an Marc logo cool
"Please don't make me watch Misty Island Rescue again. I don't think my heart can take it."
I'm now realizing he'll have to for the Season 14 Retrospective.
That’s right
It’s better than Big World Big Adventures lol
It feels as if the Season 14 is after Hero of the Rails, and Misty Island Rescue is just before Season 15 as we only get greatly introduced to the 3 speds on the Island in Season 15s first 3 episodes
@@Themasktrooper ... Boss
That part will take up half the videos
30:58 reminds me of how James Cameron pitched a documentary about the Titanic. But when nobody gave him the okay, he adds a Romeo and Juliet story and gets approved. And when you take a look at that movie, nearly half of the film focuses on the side characters (especially in the deleted scenes), and the budget was overspent to make the sets for the ship as precise as possible.
It was simply Titanic first, love story last. Just like Magic Railroad. Shining Time first, Thomas last.
I don’t think it’s quite the same as you put it, but sure, let’s go with that.
They're clearly speical in the head, Do you expect someone like them to know things like this?@@TeardropLabs
smh.
@@southerncoastproductions7587Jesus dude, okay. No need to be rude about it.
@@southerncoastproductions7587who hurt you man?
I find it stupid that children weren’t scared by a Diesel with a literal weapon on his roof , but did get scared by an old man
That only proves that the engines were the only parts of the movie that people care about. Nobody cares about the humans.
Little kids found him cool
Old men can be very scary
You could literally give Diesel 10 a freaking gun or missile on his roof and kids would be like “Oooo tha cool” and yet they get scared by a old man.
@@jmredguppy2799 I know his debut came out in the era of the first anime boom of the stuff like dragon Ball Pokemon sailor Moon
Funny how Brit canceled the missing coach for being too confusing and then she made this. 😂
xddddd
And she made Old Faithful air before a Bad Day for Sir Handel when it clearly takes place after. Continuity at its finest am I right?
@@joshuaW5621 I'm guessing it was due to production issues. You have a tight deadline and not a lot of time for corrections.
@@armorpro573 I don’t know if I should believe this or not.
@@joshuaW5621 I’m not saying this is confirmed to be true. But it’s definitely possible, considering there either wasn’t enough budget or time to make the follow-up episode
47:32 AGREED. The thing about Thomas is that Wilbert Awdry always meant for Thomas and the Railway Series to take place in the real world. As I got older, it always bothered me that TATMRR changed it so that the Island of Sodor was some magical place in a different dimension. That was never Awdry's original vision. The only magical thing is that the trains were sentient; other than that, it was pretty much grounded in a real-world setting.
It’s also bothering because of Britt’s ego..
Britt completely misunderstood Awdry’s vision when she made this movie.
I suppose this is why my mom always gets angry when I talk about Thomas the tank engine but not when I talk about similar shows (despite the fact that this movie never came out in my country).
@TheUnluckyTug..stop spamming everyone in the comments!
@@bartzacky9639What about Britt's ego
I think PT could've still worked, if they made him Diesel 10's driver or something. In the TV show, each locomotive has their own driver. Boomer could've been Diesel 10's driver. Likewise, Mr. C could've been Thomas' driver. Just a thought.
Yeah, I kind of agree. If the engines weren't run by magic, then it would make sense
This would totally work. Because in the show the trains needed people to operate and they probably should have stuck with the logic in the show instead of just saying everything happens because magic like in the movie
@@mustin07doesgaming Idk if it was part of Britt Alcroft’s intention to include the magical stuff or just company meddling. But IMO, the film should’ve been a combination between Great Discovery and Hiro of the Rails
If there is a remaster of the movie he deserves to be put back, Douglas was going to be in the film but was cut
I mean the parody film on YT gives the backstory that Diesel 10 is mind controlled by the pinchy claw which is AI that PT Boomer created and gives commands to I guess you could consider that like him being the driver of Diesel 10.
To be fair, if the first theatrical Thomas film was gonna be The Adventure Begins there would probably be the issue that most fans would see it as too simular to Season 1. I feel like part of what made The Adventure Begins so special is that it's a CGI movie, it adapts the oldest stories of the franchise in a modern style of making kids media.
Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure would be a better replacement for TATMR.
@@joshuaW5621 I was actually thinking a combination between Great Discovery and Hiro of the Rails
@@armorpro573 that would work too. I’m curious to see how that goes.
@TheUnluckyTug..I’m not falling for this scammer bot.
@@joshuaW5621agree... SLOTLT is The best Thomas's Movie ever.
Third time's the charm, hopefully. I only saw this film once as a kid, and I was asleep for everything except Harold's scene, the Conductor being dangled over the viaduct, and the last 10 minutes or so. Of course I still liked what I saw and immediately got the Diesel 10 and Lady Wooden Railway figures, but the fact remains, that I was completely disengaged for most of it, especially when the humans were on screen. My opinion isn't much different now, though I do really appreciate the time and effort it took to make. Still, I can't help but wonder what Britt Alcroft was thinking. As Tug says, it should've been a movie about Thomas, not a movie about these humans, with Thomas in it.
This is why I hate humans in non-human movies
I saw this in theaters in 2000 and don't recall anything from the movie and i could recall most episodes from the first 7 seasons😂😂
Haven't seen it since. Not really a good sign when one of the biggest Thomas fans doesn't remember anything from the movie😅😅
I still don’t understand how you can possibly misunderstand the franchise the way Britt Allcroft did.
@@joshuaW5621She didn't misunderstand the franchise she misunderstood what people wanted in a Thomas film
Should have been made so that it felt like a Thomas film rather than a Shining Time film with Thomas in it
It's hard to say what Britt's intentions were with removing real world references from the show. It could have been in an attempt to make the show more timeless, as references can sometimes date a piece of media. But on the other hand, it very well could have been to try and make Sodor seem like more of a fantasy land rather than a real place.
She probably wanted Sodor to stay ambiguous to the viewers. But I feel they should've kept some references in so it makes the setting more realistic
Yeah, 101 Dalmatians has markers of age, but still feels modern in a lot of ways
While I think Britt Alcroft should have focused more on Sodor, I did like the movie. My main complaint was that Edward wasn’t in the movie.
@@disgustof-riley8338what does that have to do with anything
@@disgustof-riley8338and 101 Dalmatians is a timeless Disney classic and so are the classic Thomas episodes from Seasons 1-4 and Season 5 to an extent (I’ve got some issues with season 5 now because I feel it was the eye of the storm of Magic Railroad). And while I have a soft spot for this movie, even I have to admit it doesn’t have the timelessness that the first 4 seasons of Thomas have. And I’m very thankful that when Season 6 came out after the movie, they made the very wise decision to continue the timelessness of Thomas and completely ignore the movie’s existence. And yeah, the show obviously started throwing in more unrealistic moments and putting the characters in out of this world scenarios, but to all of you Season 5 fans that claim Season 6 was the beginning of the end, please take off your nostalgia goggles and explain to me the sentient Boulder that just chooses to roll through Sodor by its own will, how Toby just floats on a wooden bridge during a flood, the heat from Skarloey’s engine can make an igloo?? And the driver and fireman just drink cocoa while trapped under ice?? Again, I know they’re talking trains so they’re allowed to be creative. I’m just frustrated with those who say Series 6 was the start of the downfall and claim Season 5 is just as timeless and perfect as the previous 4 Seasons. It’s just another classic example of being blinded by nostalgia. And maybe I’m also guilty of this by trying to defend Season 6, and I know I might sound like a hypocrite. Anyways, feel free to reply because I’m probably wrong about everything I said
To say that the fandom's relationship with this movie is complicated would be a massive understatement. For me, even though this movie makes a lot of missteps and unintentionally derailed the franchise, I just can't bring myself to hate this movie. Because I don't see it as an empty, soulless, cash grab of film like Day of the Diesels or Big Cringe Big Mistake, I see a flawed movie but still has passion put into it. But those are just my thoughts. I'm glad the review is back up, and hopefully it won't get taken down again. Keep up the good work, Tug! 👍❤️
Almost my thoughts exactly.
*Especially* BWBA
You gotta admit though that DotD's song is so good.
It at least had some effort put into it unlike Misty Island Rescue where I was constantly yelling at the screen the whole way through
It really has moments where you can see they were trying to give the series a true big-screen treatment, but also a lot of moments where the frequent rewrites, recuts, and demands from the marketing department were clearly causing conflicts in priority.
a hysterical mr. conductor:
Sparkle? Magic? Gold dust? Railway? Buffers? Lost engine? The family always told me as long as there is a railway, there will be harmony. As long as there is gold dust, there will be energy. You will never have to worry.
Yeah, sure.
This comment hit 69 likes at 14:44
To be fair, as a kid I had no idea that Thomas and the Magic Railroad was a theatrical feature. I actually thought it was like a PSA about trains on cassette. All while at the last minute slapping the Thomas branding on it to make it seem all the more interesting. That is until I got a physical copy of Magic Railroad. And to my surprise-it actually _was_ a theatrical feature.
I was lucky enough to see the film in theaters when I was 3.
Honestly, TATMR remains a staple of my childhood. Even to this day, it's my most favorite Thomas movie and I don't care what anyone says. The music, the characters, and atmosphere really sealed the deal.
Now after rewatching the film, I do agree that it has issues. For one, the plot itself is so complicated to follow even as a little kid. The problem with most kids movies today is that they're trying way too hard to be appealing when in reality, they're just making a convoluted storyline that becomes dullsome.
Now, Thomas was set in a realistic setting where trains acted like trains. There was a clear attempt by the crew to make Sodor look like a real place to visit, and they succeeded. Introducing that magical element not only ruins that charm with older fans, but it creates so many questions that are left unanswered. Like how was the magic railroad built, why does Diesel 10 want to destroy Lady, is Sodor just a bubble that's separate from the real world? etc. It just wastes production time and makes the film a bit unwatchable.
Besides that, I want to talk about the set designs. Don't get me wrong, they did a good job at presenting Sodor, but now as an adult, I feel they could've done better. It just feels bland with all that green and gray instead of a more variety of color. Ironic that the TV series had better set designs, and it didn't even have a big budget. We had those beautiful mountain sceneries, the bustling nature of the docks, and the quiet nature of the branchline. Putting in those settings would've added on towards worldbuilding, and allow the audience to realize that Sodor is a functioning railway.
Also, it's kind of weird that we don't see much life on Sodor. Aside from the human characters, the island of Sodor feels empty with virtually no life. No passengers, no drivers, and no workmen are ever present. IMO, they should've used human background characters to make the scene more lively. Additionally, we only get to see the Steam Team as well as a few recurring characters like Bertie, but never anyone else. It would've nice to see Duck or Boco or even the narrow gauge engines make an appearance.
Another criticism of the movie is the over-focus on the human characters, which I do agree. Aside from Mr. Conductor, Junior, and PT Boomer, they should've removed the human aspect because it deters away from the main plot. We all came to see Thomas the Tank Engine, but instead we get this generic love story between Patch and Lily. Now as a kid and today, I don't really mind that Shining Time is in the movie, although I can't deny it creates confusion amongst audiences. No one really pays attention to the sidekick character, so seeing Shining Time in a country that doesn't air the show would be mind-boggling. All that aside, I wish the film stayed true to its word and make Thomas the main character. Putting in these unnecessary additions is just a waste of time.
Moving onto humor. Now in order for a movie to be good, you gotta have some good comedy within those pages. TATMR does have those moments and they're pretty hilarious at times. I remember laughing when that portrait of Sir Topham Hatt literally frowned at Mr. Conductor wearing his hat. But upon rewatching, it kind of gets a bit silly. Like when Mr. Conductor calls his cousin via flowers. Once that scene comes into your head, you know it's not Sodor. I can take the magical buffers and gold dust, but creating something as wacky as that is not my cup of tea. Mr. Conductor especially is entertaining, but I find it odd that he would break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience in some shots. I understand he's the narrator, but it doesn't quite fit with the universe of Thomas.
Man that took a while, but you get it. Feel free to disagree
@@armorpro573 In the CGI series, the characters break the fourth wall on occasion and it fits well with Thomas like Paxton, Rocky and Percy.
@@DavidBContentExtravaganza3967 But I much prefer it to be the narrator instead
@@armorpro573you’re right about the Island of Sodor feeling a bit lifeless and smaller in the movie and the main reason was because they filmed all the model scenes in Canada so only the 6 Engine characters we see in the film as well as Bertie, Harold, Cranky and all the different sets were shipped over to Canada. I would’ve loved for this film to have had the engine scenes filmed in Shepperton with the wide cast of characters from the show, it would’ve made Sodor feel more lively and bursting with life. They could’ve had the wooden figures of passengers on the platform while the engines chat, I wouldn’t have minded because those scenes feel like classic Thomas episodes brought to the big screen. But the fact is that Canada was a more affordable location to film the engine scenes, I guess? So right from the start, the movie was already doomed to not have the full world of Sodor and it was just one of the many troubled production choices.
As for the humor, I think what happened was they had Neil Crone and Kevin Frank go through all the scenes and add in last-minute dialogue in an attempt to add humor, like taking a foreign film in another language and having American comedians come in and add dialogue that wasn’t originally intended. It becomes pretty obvious in some scenes with Splatter and Dodge at the sheds: “I’m not good at backing up.” “Me neither.” “Did you mean to look like that? Neither did I.” None of this sounds like something that was scripted, and Neil Crone giving the Tumbleweed a voice was the point where the movie just gave up in trying to have the dignity and respect for kids that the Classic Seasons of Thomas always had
My opinion on fixing Thomas and the Magic Railroad:
Remove the 2 worlds part. Have it all in sodor.
Keep the grandpa plot. He lives on Thomas's branchline, so the granddaughter rides Thoas's train to visit him. You could even name the station shining time as a reference. Have the two conductors stand in for the fat controller as more relateable trainline authories then the literal owner, but take out the golddust.
And have the plot be Diesel 10 looking for Lady, who's kept safe by the grandpa. You could even add PT Boomer as a Diesel 10 duo.
So the story will be how Lady, the oldest steam engine, older than Edward and Emily, facing being scrapped. The Granda hides her from the fat controller, and diesel10, and his grandaughter coming over risks the hiding place being discovered.
Have the bad guys find lady, take her to scrap, and have Thomas help the humans to rescue her, kinda like Doughlas saves Oliver or Rusty saves Stepni.
The chase scene with Thomas pulling lady away from the scrapyard and Diesel 10 on his heels would fit better this way too.
Then finish it by having the conductors use their authority as fat controller, or something, standins to conserve lady as a historical piece. The grandpa works at the museum where she is, and thrre we go.
This is more interesting than the actual movie. I like it 👌
This sounds like it would’ve been a far better movie than what we got. Instead of tanking the whole franchise, it would’ve boosted it to even greater heights.
Most logical magic railroad plot by fans
That sounds awesome. If your cool with it, I’d love to make that into a fan film.
It's so sad, seeing a loved franchise being taken down by a film that threw continuity and realism away...thats depressing.
The movie didn’t completely destroy Thomas as we know it. It definitely didn’t help of course, but the next 2 seasons after it still showed dignity and respect for the franchise, more so than most of the later seasons.
And right after that, the Hit Entertainment years completely screwed the brand over by dumbing it down. Jim Henson is a beloved icon for Muppets and Creature Shop but his subsidiary TV Division, Hensen International Television, which is the actual name before being rebranded as HiT, dampened Thomas’ reputation as a brand…
@@bartzacky9639 But the Brenner era helps the franchise back on the good path for a while.
Til the Brenner era briefly brings it back up again.
Only for BWUHBA to smack Thomas back down again.
I remember my reaction as a six year old being: "Who are these people? Where's Thomas? I'm bored" and "Why do the engines have weird, creepy voices?"
What are your thoughts now?
If one thing magic railroad did right was setting the mood. The scenes that intended to be scary like James being driven towards the smelting pit, diesel 10 destroying the sheds, the magic railroad being brought back to full strength. You can tell everyone who worked on this cared
That's true to some extent, but after rewatching the movie, I feel the sets could've been better. The television series put way more better quality into the set designs, whether it be at the docks, quarry, or even the main yards. There is a severe lack of variety when it comes to settings, albeit the sheds and scrapyard.
The scene with James in the scrapyard is the scariest scene in any Thomas film in my opinion
@@armorpro573 I think they should have filmed on the original set where the series is recorded so they would have a wide variety of options.
@@crisnacho8261 Yeah, I think that's pretty much why we never got to see any of the original props from the TV series. It would've been too inconvenient to transport them all the way to Canada.
@@armorpro573you’re right about the Island of Sodor feeling a bit lifeless and smaller in the movie and the main reason was because they filmed all the model scenes in Canada so only the 6 Engine characters we see in the film as well as Bertie, Harold, Cranky and all the different sets were shipped over to Canada. I would’ve loved for this film to have had the engine scenes filmed in Shepperton with the wide cast of characters from the show, it would’ve made Sodor feel more lively and bursting with life. They could’ve had the wooden figures of passengers on the platform while the engines chat, I wouldn’t have minded because those scenes feel like classic Thomas episodes brought to the big screen. But the fact is that Canada was a more affordable location to film the engine scenes, I guess? So right from the start, the movie was already doomed to not have the full world of Sodor and it was just one of the many troubled production choices.
As for the humor, I think what happened was they had Neil Crone and Kevin Frank go through all the scenes and add in last-minute dialogue in an attempt to add humor, like taking a foreign film in another language and having American comedians come in and add dialogue that wasn’t originally intended. It becomes pretty obvious in some scenes with Splatter and Dodge at the sheds: “I’m not good at backing up.” “Me neither.” “Did you mean to look like that? Neither did I.” None of this sounds like something that was scripted, and Neil Crone giving the Tumbleweed a voice was the point where the movie just gave up in trying to have the dignity and respect for kids that the Classic Seasons of Thomas always had
I still wish Edward was in the movie, voiced by Ringo Starr.
I heard his model was damaged en route to Canada, although I'm still skeptical
@@armorpro573he was never intended to appear. Watch Tug’s BTS video on the movie.
I remember laughing because someone on UA-cam referred to this movie as “Tragic Failroad” 😂
It’s a perfect title honestly
Exactly
Tug did, a long time ago.
And MikeD57S
I still have a certain fondness for this movie, despite its many flaws. Even so, I do feel that Britt should have approached this as a magic realism film: grounded in reality, but with magical undertones.
Also, I’ll say this; yes, this movie did derail the franchise. But it’s unfair to hold Britt Allcroft solely accountable. HiT didn’t have to dumb Thomas down as a result of this movie, just as Hasbro didn’t necessarily dumb Transformers down as a whole because of the Bay films. What HiT and Mattel did with Thomas should be held to them, and them alone.
I may respect Britt Allcroft more than I like her, but I will never understand how she misunderstood the franchise like that.
The movie wasn't responsible for the dumbing down of the show, but its financial bomb at the box office led to Britt having to let the show go.
Thank you for not scapegoating Britt Alcroft
@@rmn070…Thomas might’ve been better off without a theatrical film of any sort, Idk
I have a similar mindset as you regarding this film: The magic should have been metaphorical rather than literal.
This was my favorite movie as a little kid. I knew there was a lot wrong with the movie, but I didn't care because I loved Thomas and couldn't believe that movies could be bad.
Looking back, it's definitely not good, but the actual train stuff is still really good.
Honestly, TATMR remains a staple of my childhood. Even to this day, it's my most favorite Thomas movie and I don't care what anyone says. The music, the characters, and atmosphere really sealed the deal.
Now after rewatching the film, I do agree that it has issues. For one, the plot itself is so complicated to follow even as a little kid. The problem with most kids movies today is that they're trying way too hard to be appealing when in reality, they're just making a convoluted storyline that becomes dullsome.
Now, Thomas was set in a realistic setting where trains acted like trains. There was a clear attempt by the crew to make Sodor look like a real place to visit, and they succeeded. Introducing that magical element not only ruins that charm with older fans, but it creates so many questions that are left unanswered. Like how was the magic railroad built, why does Diesel 10 want to destroy Lady, is Sodor just a bubble that's separate from the real world? etc. It just wastes production time and makes the film a bit unwatchable.
Besides that, I want to talk about the set designs. Don't get me wrong, they did a good job at presenting Sodor, but now as an adult, I feel they could've done better. It just feels bland with all that green and gray instead of a more variety of color. Ironic that the TV series had better set designs, and it didn't even have a big budget. We had those beautiful mountain sceneries, the bustling nature of the docks, and the quiet nature of the branchline. Putting in those settings would've added on towards worldbuilding, and allow the audience to realize that Sodor is a functioning railway.
Also, it's kind of weird that we don't see much life on Sodor. Aside from the human characters, the island of Sodor feels empty with virtually no life. No passengers, no drivers, and no workmen are ever present. IMO, they should've used human background characters to make the scene more lively. Additionally, we only get to see the Steam Team as well as a few recurring characters like Bertie, but never anyone else. It would've nice to see Duck or Boco or even the narrow gauge engines make an appearance.
Another criticism of the movie is the over-focus on the human characters, which I do agree. Aside from Mr. Conductor, Junior, and PT Boomer, they should've removed the human aspect because it deters away from the main plot. We all came to see Thomas the Tank Engine, but instead we get this generic love story between Patch and Lily. Now as a kid and today, I don't really mind that Shining Time is in the movie, although I can't deny it creates confusion amongst audiences. No one really pays attention to the sidekick character, so seeing Shining Time in a country that doesn't air the show would be mind-boggling. All that aside, I wish the film stayed true to its word and make Thomas the main character. Putting in these unnecessary additions is just a waste of time.
Moving onto humor. Now in order for a movie to be good, you gotta have some good comedy within those pages. TATMR does have those moments and they're pretty hilarious at times. I remember laughing when that portrait of Sir Topham Hatt literally frowned at Mr. Conductor wearing his hat. But upon rewatching, it kind of gets a bit silly. Like when Mr. Conductor calls his cousin via flowers. Once that scene comes into your head, you know it's not Sodor. I can take the magical buffers and gold dust, but creating something as wacky as that is not my cup of tea. Mr. Conductor especially is entertaining, but I find it odd that he would break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience in some shots. I understand he's the narrator, but it doesn't quite fit with the universe of Thomas.
Man that took a while, but you get it. Feel free to disagree
@@armorpro573 Wow, you put a lot into that. I love rare youtube comments like these, haha. I agree with all you say, as someone who was never too into Thomas (likely because I was a girl - though I did find there was something oddly comforting about the series and atmosphere). The point about Sodor not being lively was something I noticed right off the bat, honestly. I also thought the whole teleportation thing and Mr. Conductor/Junior being these elf-sized creatures who travel between the real world and the island of Sodor was odd too.
All that aside, I watched the movie for the first time last summer quite literally due to some handsome man being in the thumbnail (it was Alec Baldwin, lol) - and l am so embarrassed to say that I actually ended up really enjoying the movie (to the point it joined my 'comfort movie' list), and I still don't fully understand why. Everything from the imagery of Shining Time, the innocence of the story, and Burnett Stone having me in fits of laughter due to his deadpan lack of emotion (even when his granddaughter was missing for 24 hours), Diesel being some comically evil random villain who's motives still aren't clear to me, and Junior being the comedic relief I guess? Some of the acting was wooden, and some of the interactions were awkward - but that's what makes the film so fluffy and silly. You're right in saying the plot was overly complex, but the rest of the movie wasn't. And that's what I like so much. It gives you a slice of nostalgia, sure, but the innocence and happiness of it is a breath of fresh air.
@@laurac.405 Thanks mate. Like I said before, I still love this movie as an adult. It might have flaws, but it remains a key part of my childhood.
Speaking of which, ever since its release, I always wondered how it could be made better to where audiences would appreciate more. So I rewrote the script to make it more appealing. If you're interested, then buckle up and enjoy:
The movie begins with the usual title card, but instead of Baldwin's narration, we hear an orchestral mix of chuffing and whistles as they gradually get louder. Then with a billow of smoke, the camera pans out to the Island of Sodor in its former glory.
The music starts as we're introduced to gorgeous valleys, peaceful villages, and importantly the engines doing their work. This time though, we see a variety of sets like the quarry, Brendan Docks, the coastal beaches, etc. Like usual, everyone is happy to be working on Sir Topham Hatt's railway.
Now instead of Alec playing Mr. Conductor, the movie reintroduces him as Sir Topham Hatt. He gets a special invitation from his brother Lowell Hatt played by Junior who wants to run operations. Lowell is an enthusiastic, comedic guy who doesn't really take things too seriously compared to his brother, but he's still determined to be really useful.
Meanwhile, Gordon is impatiently waiting for Thomas to arrive. After a bit of banter, the two are taken off guard by Diesel 10 who rumbles past. It's later revealed that D10 is an experimental engine from the mainland sent in by Sir Topham Hatt to work on the scrapyard. The engines take a dislike to the newcomer, especially since he's a diesel.
Anyways, the Island of Sodor is running through tough times. Passenger numbers are down, which creates financial problems. If things don't change drastically, the railway might be forced to close down a few lines. This upsets the others, who form a meeting to discuss any options.
While taking a goods train, Thomas accidentally stumbles upon an abandoned part of Sodor. Thrilled, he tells the others and news spreads quickly. Seeing the potential opportunity, the Hatts announce a massive plan to redevelop the line for tourists. Not only does this expand worldbuilding, but it's also a great moment to introduce Jack and the Pack.
High up in the mountains, an old derelict engine sits alone looking depressed. Her owner Burnett Stone watches anxiously as he oils her rusty wheels. The engine's name is Lady, an old Victorian engine from the mainland. Since the film never explains why D10 wants to kill her, I'd thought to put in some backstory.
Lady was the pride of the line, a beautiful piece of work who'd pull trains long distances. Then in comes D10, a long sleek passenger diesel who can pull trains at high speeds. One fateful day, the two get into a horrific accident, leaving them badly injured. D10 is rebuilt into a new body by PT Boomer, a disgruntled rival of Sir Topham Hatt, but is told he can never return to passenger service. Instead he's forced to work in maintenance.
Lady on the other hand isn't as lucky. Her parts are too antiquated so Burnett Stone hides her away on Sodor where she can be safe. Now she sits in isolation in constant fear, wondering if she'll ever be useful.
Eventually, Thomas discovers her presence and promises to keep her secret. The engines grow aware of her presence, and vow not to tell Sir Topham Hatt in fear D10 might find out.
Alright this is taking too long, so I'll just skip to the main climax. D10 and his minions discover Lady's whereabouts and kidnap her to the smelters. The other engines hear the horrific news and rush to her aid. James and Percy distract Splodge and lure them out to an old shed where Diesel traps them underneath. I wanted to include Diesel so the audience knows that diesels aren't always malicious.
As Thomas drags Lady out, D10 is furious and gives chase. As they're approaching the old viaduct, PT Boomer lights some dynamite which causes the structure to crumble. Using every puff of steam, Thomas pushes Lady across just as the last bit of track falls under. D10 and Boomer fall and get covered in sludge.
The engines celebrate victory at Knapford Station as Sir Topham Hatt congratulates them. Lady is returned to her homeland to be in a museum and is given a celebratory goodbye. Coincidentally, the new line has just finished so in a final montage, "He's a Really Useful Engine" plays as Thomas speeds past the camera. End.
Man that took a while, but that's how I'd fix the movie. No gold dust, no major focus on the human characters, and no magic. If this had been worked into the original, who knows how successful it could've been. Let me know what you think.
@@armorpro573 That was a great read - very entertaining. I admire the thought you put into that, wow. Sounds like a good script, and something much more coherent with Thomas lore. I wonder if you could somehow submit it to the franchise/company and see if it'd work..? Seems like a lot of creative potential to me!
@@laurac.405 No need to remind me. It's not 100% perfect, but it's honestly way more exciting than the original. If Britt actually went through with this, the film could've done a lot better.
BTW, the part about Lady's backstory was inspired by a fan-made film called Tobias and the Half Pariah. I fully recommend it as it's one of the best, if not suspenseful.
I said this on the original video, so I might as well say it again lol
Lost Treasure is what Magic Railroad should've been. Season 5 was greenlit so they could test out some whacky concepts for a movie and then all that happened in TATMR was Diesel 10 knocked down a small part of the sheds that was being repaired and the viaduct collapsed. Lost Treasure is the perfect follow up to Season 5 as it really goes to town with the action and destruction, has everything a Thomas movie could want and even does stuff Magic Railroad did.
A story with Thomas as the main focus:✅
Action and even Explosions on the sets:✅
More Worldbuilding:✅
Humans that can be greenscreen'd onto the sets:✅
New characters that can have toys galore:✅
A possible grand finale to the series:✅
Not to mention, the movie's longer runtime would allow for a backstory for Skiff and Sailor John, and there would be a use for the large scale models of Thomas and Percy built during Season 5's production, so they can build models of the miniature engines and also have a giant pirate ship prop for the climax.
This is exactly what I keep telling myself. Lost Treasure is the best way to do a Thomas movie.
@@joshuaW5621 And you're telling yourself correctly
@@therwsgeek683 Honestly, TATMR remains a staple of my childhood. Even to this day, it's my most favorite Thomas movie and I don't care what anyone says. The music, the characters, and atmosphere really sealed the deal.
Now after rewatching the film, I do agree that it has issues. For one, the plot itself is so complicated to follow even as a little kid. The problem with most kids movies today is that they're trying way too hard to be appealing when in reality, they're just making a convoluted storyline that becomes dullsome.
Now, Thomas was set in a realistic setting where trains acted like trains. There was a clear attempt by the crew to make Sodor look like a real place to visit, and they succeeded. Introducing that magical element not only ruins that charm with older fans, but it creates so many questions that are left unanswered. Like how was the magic railroad built, why does Diesel 10 want to destroy Lady, is Sodor just a bubble that's separate from the real world? etc. It just wastes production time and makes the film a bit unwatchable.
Besides that, I want to talk about the set designs. Don't get me wrong, they did a good job at presenting Sodor, but now as an adult, I feel they could've done better. It just feels bland with all that green and gray instead of a more variety of color. Ironic that the TV series had better set designs, and it didn't even have a big budget. We had those beautiful mountain sceneries, the bustling nature of the docks, and the quiet nature of the branchline. Putting in those settings would've added on towards worldbuilding, and allow the audience to realize that Sodor is a functioning railway.
Also, it's kind of weird that we don't see much life on Sodor. Aside from the human characters, the island of Sodor feels empty with virtually no life. No passengers, no drivers, and no workmen are ever present. IMO, they should've used human background characters to make the scene more lively. Additionally, we only get to see the Steam Team as well as a few recurring characters like Bertie, but never anyone else. It would've nice to see Duck or Boco or even the narrow gauge engines make an appearance.
Another criticism of the movie is the over-focus on the human characters, which I do agree. Aside from Mr. Conductor, Junior, and PT Boomer, they should've removed the human aspect because it deters away from the main plot. We all came to see Thomas the Tank Engine, but instead we get this generic love story between Patch and Lily. Now as a kid and today, I don't really mind that Shining Time is in the movie, although I can't deny it creates confusion amongst audiences. No one really pays attention to the sidekick character, so seeing Shining Time in a country that doesn't air the show would be mind-boggling. All that aside, I wish the film stayed true to its word and make Thomas the main character. Putting in these unnecessary additions is just a waste of time.
Moving onto humor. Now in order for a movie to be good, you gotta have some good comedy within those pages. TATMR does have those moments and they're pretty hilarious at times. I remember laughing when that portrait of Sir Topham Hatt literally frowned at Mr. Conductor wearing his hat. But upon rewatching, it kind of gets a bit silly. Like when Mr. Conductor calls his cousin via flowers. Once that scene comes into your head, you know it's not Sodor. I can take the magical buffers and gold dust, but creating something as wacky as that is not my cup of tea. Mr. Conductor especially is entertaining, but I find it odd that he would break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience in some shots. I understand he's the narrator, but it doesn't quite fit with the universe of Thomas.
Man that took a while, but you get it. Feel free to disagree
@@armorpro573 You clearly put a lot of effort into writing this and I don't mean to sound like I'm taking a dump on your hard work, but none of your paragraphs fit what you're trying to prove. You said that "The music, the characters, and atmosphere really sealed the deal." with why TATMR is your favorite Thomas movie, but then you just went on to criticize most of those things in the movie instead of talking about how it's your favorite Thomas movie. What are you trying to say or am I missing something?
@@therwsgeek683 I'm not criticizing, but rather just nitpicking. I still to this day love the movie, but now as an adult, opinions can change over time. Believe me, the music and character interactions are what sealed the deal, but again I'm just making suggestions on how the movie could've been executed.
Because I do agree with some of the criticism. Now in comparison to all the other Thomas films that have been released, TATMR holds a particular candle. Idk if it's my childhood nostalgia being biased, but the CGI movies feel kind of lacking in terms of charm. Sodor Legend of Lost Treasure didn't really hit me that hard for some reason.
I guess I'm just used to the model seasons and the fact that this was Thomas' first cinematic role.
I love the banter between Diesel 10 and his claw Pinchy!!! It’s funny when Pinchy does everything he can to make Diesel 10 angry and I would argue that he’s as much an individual character as anybody, even though he doesn’t have any lines and he’s attached to Diesel 10 as a tool!!
I still think it's funny how Neil Crone now voices Gordon in All Engines Go
Honestly he’s a great voice for Gordon. I think it fits.
At least it’s the Neil Crone. Thought I wish All Engines Go gave the adult characters their own episodes.
Honestly, it feels like fan-service.
@@thomasnwrengine4936it is fanservice Neil Crone really should be doing something else in his life instead of wasting his voice acting talents on all engines go!
Just now found that Eddie Glen (Who voiced Thomas in TATMR) also now voices Toby in AEG.
My Fiancé and I have been watching this movie as well as several other Thomas film specials we got over the years. My Fiancé and I definitely agreed with A LOT of what Tug said about the movie. Two years from now in 2025 will mark 80 years of when Thomas was created. So as a fan of Thomas and what his legacy really stands for, I decided to make a fan made Thomas film and actually screen it at my local movie theater. The film will be screened at the Hamburg Palace in Buffalo New York in Summer 2025. I wanna do this because I think this will send the correct message of what Thomas is supposed to be. My film however won’t be a remake of Thomas and the Magic Railroad but instead about Thomas on Sodor complete with realism ACTUALLY being a part of the movie- no magic, no main human cast, just Thomas and his Friends. I’ll be making the announcement at a later date on my UA-cam channel!
This is fantastic idea!!
A Thomas movie with actual realism, eh? I love it! I hope it'll be a big sensation for you! Good luck!
While I am able to enjoy the movie out of sheer nostalgia, I will admit that the movie is flawed and maybe would’ve done better by ditching the magic element.
I still stand by what I said earlier this year, and say that Thomas’ big movie adventure should’ve been based on the greatest train story of all time: Flying Scotsman’s USA Tour.
As for the villain, perhaps a human pro-scrapper/anti-preservationist like Alfred E. Perlman would work okay. Still want Diesel 10? I suppose changing him into an E or F unit could work…
Perlman chasing Thomas in a clawed F unit seems like an interesting visual.
Honestly, TATMR remains a staple of my childhood. Even to this day, it's my most favorite Thomas movie and I don't care what anyone says. The music, the characters, and atmosphere really sealed the deal.
Now after rewatching the film, I do agree that it has issues. For one, the plot itself is so complicated to follow even as a little kid. The problem with most kids movies today is that they're trying way too hard to be appealing when in reality, they're just making a convoluted storyline that becomes dullsome.
Now, Thomas was set in a realistic setting where trains acted like trains. There was a clear attempt by the crew to make Sodor look like a real place to visit, and they succeeded. Introducing that magical element not only ruins that charm with older fans, but it creates so many questions that are left unanswered. Like how was the magic railroad built, why does Diesel 10 want to destroy Lady, is Sodor just a bubble that's separate from the real world? etc. It just wastes production time and makes the film a bit unwatchable.
Besides that, I want to talk about the set designs. Don't get me wrong, they did a good job at presenting Sodor, but now as an adult, I feel they could've done better. It just feels bland with all that green and gray instead of a more variety of color. Ironic that the TV series had better set designs, and it didn't even have a big budget. We had those beautiful mountain sceneries, the bustling nature of the docks, and the quiet nature of the branchline. Putting in those settings would've added on towards worldbuilding, and allow the audience to realize that Sodor is a functioning railway.
Also, it's kind of weird that we don't see much life on Sodor. Aside from the human characters, the island of Sodor feels empty with virtually no life. No passengers, no drivers, and no workmen are ever present. IMO, they should've used human background characters to make the scene more lively. Additionally, we only get to see the Steam Team as well as a few recurring characters like Bertie, but never anyone else. It would've nice to see Duck or Boco or even the narrow gauge engines make an appearance.
Another criticism of the movie is the over-focus on the human characters, which I do agree. Aside from Mr. Conductor, Junior, and PT Boomer, they should've removed the human aspect because it deters away from the main plot. We all came to see Thomas the Tank Engine, but instead we get this generic love story between Patch and Lily. Now as a kid and today, I don't really mind that Shining Time is in the movie, although I can't deny it creates confusion amongst audiences. No one really pays attention to the sidekick character, so seeing Shining Time in a country that doesn't air the show would be mind-boggling. All that aside, I wish the film stayed true to its word and make Thomas the main character. Putting in these unnecessary additions is just a waste of time.
Moving onto humor. Now in order for a movie to be good, you gotta have some good comedy within those pages. TATMR does have those moments and they're pretty hilarious at times. I remember laughing when that portrait of Sir Topham Hatt literally frowned at Mr. Conductor wearing his hat. But upon rewatching, it kind of gets a bit silly. Like when Mr. Conductor calls his cousin via flowers. Once that scene comes into your head, you know it's not Sodor. I can take the magical buffers and gold dust, but creating something as wacky as that is not my cup of tea. Mr. Conductor especially is entertaining, but I find it odd that he would break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience in some shots. I understand he's the narrator, but it doesn't quite fit with the universe of Thomas.
Man that took a while, but you get it. Feel free to disagree
@@armorpro573Stop spamming
@@fanofeverything30465 Make me. LOL
"As for the villain, perhaps a human pro-scrapper/anti-preservatonist like Alfred E. Perlman would work okay."
Tell me you watch History in the Dark without telling me you watch History in the Dark.
@@harrisonofcolorado8886 Without using those exact words? Okay…
I WANT THAT STEAM ENGINE!!! ⛓️💥🪚
Regardless of what anyone says, this movie was my childhood. Scariest antagonist a child's movie may ever have produced, filled with nostalgic childhood magic, and connects to the real world no matter how failed the attempt was. It leaves enough to interpret however you choose, and the music always brings me to tears. Maybe I just love trains too much!!!!!
It's my personal favorite out of every T&F film
51:36 You know "Misty Island Rescue" is bad when it can't even properly stay inside the cropped box lol
This is definitely better than the Nostalgia Critic’s review of the movie, simply because it’s being reviewed by someone who’s actually familiar with the show.
What I find a bit funny is that the NC criticized the movie for the mouths not moving. While I get films have bigger budgets, the faces would've looked even creepier had they actually moved
@@armorpro573 Which is why the switched to CGI
Wilbert Awdry wanted the movie to be like the books, Then he died in 1997. Then they made this. He died for his dreams to be crushed to the ground
It’s such a shame that there was so much potential for this movie yet it was ultimately wasted. 😕 Plus side, many years later, Andrew Brenner really helped the show become so much better. Though sadly you know what has happened come into reality and made it worse than the film itself. *sigh* I hope someday the show returns to it’s glory again. *sigh* Darn 🥺
I promise it will. I’ll help out with reviving the franchise.
@@joshuaW5621 Good luck bud! I’ll do the same thing on my end with gauge one customs of the different characters in the roster in the near future. 🫡
If I ever win the lottery I'll buy the rights to Thomas off Mattel and return the show to its former glory
@@fanofeverything30465Do you have a billion dollars to buy an extremely popular IP?
@@fanofeverything30465 Please do! 🙏🏾
I like how in the chase scene Burnett says to diesel 10, “because the magic you refuse to believe in will get the better of you”. When this whole time diesel 10 did believe in the magic, and that’s why he wanted to destroy lady.
for those who are wondering, the only difference between this video and the original version is the background in the scenes and the pixelated censorship
Thanks
Honestly, I'd love to see him review all the Thomas Movies as individual videos in the order of The Thomas Retrospective. He did this after season 5, so how about, like after Season 19, he goes more in-depth with The Adventure begins. I know he did the whole movie ranking thing, but I would find it interesting if Tug went more into it. Just an idea.
That would be awesome.
@@joshuaW5621 esactly!
I remember he did a review of TAB, SLOTLT, TGR and JBS and BWBA kinda so the other movies would be cool (especially HOTR, BMM and TOTB)
@@stepneydr_n.5561and hyperpholictygit!
Usual Bloke Luke recently covered Calling All Engines as part of his retrospective series, but I think Tug only made an in-depth review of Magic Railroad because it's weird and complicated.
Now this. THIS is a great review of Thomas and the magic railroad. Not the one Nostalgia Critic did in 2012.
Very very much agreed. Also, 2017? I thought it was much older than that.
@@wyattgoralski818 my mistake
And also this guy doesn't do the shady shit of committing financial fraud, endangering members of the public and turning a blind eye to sexual harassment as Doug Walker did.
@@jackmonaghan8477 Yep. LOL
Nostalgia Critic doesn't understand Thomas. This review was done by a Thomas fan who understood the show.
Fun Fact: Susan Roman, the voice of James in the movie was also the original English voice of Sailor Jupiter in Sailor Moon and Percy's voice, Linda Ballentyne, also voiced Sailor Moon herself in the third and fourth seasons of the original 90's dub (following Tracey Moore, the first dub voice in the first 11 episodes, plus episodes 15 and 21, and Terri Hawkes, the second voice for the rest of season 1, season 2, and the original dubs for the three movies). Speaking of which, Thomas's voice actor, Eddie Glen has done some anime voice over work as well with roles such as Ryoma in Power Stone (1999 series), Shigeo Shiba in Patlabor (mostly in the original MangaUK English dub of the first two movies), and Jean-Paul Barthez in Beyblade: G Revolution.
Fascinating, I didn't know that
I got to meet both Susan and Linda in 2013. Both of them were very sweet and I talked about the movie with them
Man, voice acting trivia is always so fun to me. Its kinda fun to see completely unrelated franchises be related via voice talent.
35:50
“She never took a ride on me”
-Burnett Stone TATMR
I've always liked the idea of having human actors interact with the trains, but I feel it also caused the movie to suffer from that issue a lot of movies about non-human characters featuring live-action actors tends to fall into where the titular characters are barely in it in favor of the live-action actors.
Yeah I've also noticed that on my latest rewatch. If they had cut out a lot of that screentime and given it to the steam engines, it would've been more appreciated. Many of these human characters are ones that we've never heard or even care about in the first place. I feel this movie is more of a Shining Time based plot because if you remove Thomas, it doesn't really impact at all.
Great to see this up again! I love the music score to the film - it’s a great take on the original themes and the full orchestra feels like a “real” cinematic film and not just a kids movie.
Honestly, TATMR remains a staple of my childhood. Even to this day, it's my most favorite Thomas movie and I don't care what anyone says. The music, the characters, and atmosphere really sealed the deal.
Now after rewatching the film, I do agree that it has issues. For one, the plot itself is so complicated to follow even as a little kid. The problem with most kids movies today is that they're trying way too hard to be appealing when in reality, they're just making a convoluted storyline that becomes dullsome.
Now, Thomas was set in a realistic setting where trains acted like trains. There was a clear attempt by the crew to make Sodor look like a real place to visit, and they succeeded. Introducing that magical element not only ruins that charm with older fans, but it creates so many questions that are left unanswered. Like how was the magic railroad built, why does Diesel 10 want to destroy Lady, is Sodor just a bubble that's separate from the real world? etc. It just wastes production time and makes the film a bit unwatchable.
Besides that, I want to talk about the set designs. Don't get me wrong, they did a good job at presenting Sodor, but now as an adult, I feel they could've done better. It just feels bland with all that green and gray instead of a more variety of color. Ironic that the TV series had better set designs, and it didn't even have a big budget. We had those beautiful mountain sceneries, the bustling nature of the docks, and the quiet nature of the branchline. Putting in those settings would've added on towards worldbuilding, and allow the audience to realize that Sodor is a functioning railway.
Also, it's kind of weird that we don't see much life on Sodor. Aside from the human characters, the island of Sodor feels empty with virtually no life. No passengers, no drivers, and no workmen are ever present. IMO, they should've used human background characters to make the scene more lively. Additionally, we only get to see the Steam Team as well as a few recurring characters like Bertie, but never anyone else. It would've nice to see Duck or Boco or even the narrow gauge engines make an appearance.
Another criticism of the movie is the over-focus on the human characters, which I do agree. Aside from Mr. Conductor, Junior, and PT Boomer, they should've removed the human aspect because it deters away from the main plot. We all came to see Thomas the Tank Engine, but instead we get this generic love story between Patch and Lily. Now as a kid and today, I don't really mind that Shining Time is in the movie, although I can't deny it creates confusion amongst audiences. No one really pays attention to the sidekick character, so seeing Shining Time in a country that doesn't air the show would be mind-boggling. All that aside, I wish the film stayed true to its word and make Thomas the main character. Putting in these unnecessary additions is just a waste of time.
Moving onto humor. Now in order for a movie to be good, you gotta have some good comedy within those pages. TATMR does have those moments and they're pretty hilarious at times. I remember laughing when that portrait of Sir Topham Hatt literally frowned at Mr. Conductor wearing his hat. But upon rewatching, it kind of gets a bit silly. Like when Mr. Conductor calls his cousin via flowers. Once that scene comes into your head, you know it's not Sodor. I can take the magical buffers and gold dust, but creating something as wacky as that is not my cup of tea. Mr. Conductor especially is entertaining, but I find it odd that he would break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience in some shots. I understand he's the narrator, but it doesn't quite fit with the universe of Thomas.
Man that took a while, but you get it. Feel free to disagree
Very happy to see this back. Sad that it was struck down by UA-cam but hopefully it will remain because it is a fantastic review of a film that was doomed before it began. As I said in my previous comment, the ‘magic’ aspect should have been reworked to feature ancient Sudrain folklore or something. It would have been an interesting take but it would have kept the film grounded potentially somewhat. I’d be more than happy to elaborate if anyone is interested 😂
What UA-cam did to Tug convinced me to boycott unskippable ads.
The human characters being the center focus state of the engines is pretty the films equivalent of how the human characters in the transformers films being the center focus instead of the actual transformers themselves
Can't argue with that. That's kind of a problem with a lot of these live action films. They seem to cast aside the main characters with humans that we just don't care as much.
There’s actually a term for this on TV tropes-“Human-focused Adaptation”
Other examples that come to mind are both Tom and Jerry theatrical films and the 1980’s live action Masters of the Universe film
@@GabyGeorge1996i dont get it when theatrical movies based on famous franchises always have more focus on humans than the characters that we came to see like: the smurfs(2011), tom and jerry both 90's movie and 2021, transformers 2007. I mean we want to see the smurfs, tom and jerry, optimus prime in action not these human characters that we never meet and never going to see again
James being voiced by one of the narrators felt fitting but very strange due to it feeling like it was narrated
I definitely agree that Britt wanted to adapt Shining Time Station and not Thomas the Tank Engine. And honestly, if it aired as originally intended - when Shining Time Station was still airing/as the Family Specials were being made - I can see where that would make sense. But there's a couple problems with that. One, by the time Magic Railroad was released, Shining Time Station hadn't released a new episode since 1995 (or 1996 if you're counting Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales). That's five whole years, and those final Shining Time episodes were specials that aired during prime time, not regular episodes that aired on PBS during the day, which is how I watched the show (I've only seen one Family Special). And two, I get that Britt, as co-creator of Shining Time Station, wanted her show to be popular and accepted - I'm a writer and blogger, and I understand wanting people to see my content. But what I think Britt failed to understand (and seemingly still fails to understand) was that, as you mentioned, kids were not watching Shining Time Station for the humans; they were watching it for Thomas. The trains almost seem like an afterthought to this movie. As if she'd written the script and realized, "Oh, wait, we need to include these characters, don't we?" As for my personal experience with this movie, I saw it once in the theater (I was nearly 12 years old when it was released, and saw it with my two cousins, who were 2 and 3 at the time) and when it was released on home media, I rented it from Blockbuster, but shut it off around the time Junior first appeared because I was bored, and that's the last time I watched this movie. I never even owned it, and I owned almost every piece of Thomas media up to that point! One of these days I'll revisit it, but it might be when I have children of my own. I'm almost 35 now, and really have no interest in rewatching a movie that left me bored at 12 years old.
I personally love the film as a child, and don't attack me for this but it was the first ever movie of Thomas that captured my childhood innocence. Now, I get the criticism that this movie has received, and rightfully so. The movie tries to do so much, without giving the audience a chance to revel in it.
The most obvious of which being the magical element. When we were kids, Thomas was so appealing not just for the smiling characters, but the realistic universe they were set in. Sodor felt like an actual, functioning railway unlike the more simplistic designs in other British shows like Postman Pat. The crew put their biggest effort into making the sets look as real as possible. Not to mention the stories were really encaptivating with their simplistic tone.
So therefore, revealing to your audience that all the characters you've ever loved are made from magic, it kind of turns away your older fans. Because nothing matters, if something doesn't make sense, it's due to magic. It just feels like a cheap way to introduce a film without being as creative. Another thing to mention is the over-focus on the human characters. A few were definitely humorous like Mr. Conductor and Junior but the rest feel forced IMO.
We never even seen this characters in the blue and yet the movie drags on for a considerable amount of time. Honestly, this feels more like a Shining Time movie than a Thomas one. If you removed the engines from the final cut, nothing much would change. Additionally, the island of Sodor feels a bit stale in comparison to the TV series. As mentioned previously, there was a clear effort to make Sodor as interesting as possible and that's something that's kind of lacking. TATMR has those season 6 vibes where everything is just countryside, apart from the sheds and smelters. I would much prefer a diverse set of locations like the docks, quarry, coastal beaches, etc because we get the scope of how big the Island is.
I've only noticed this on my latest rewatch, but we only see the main steam team in action. Duck, Boco, Bill and Ben, or the Narrow Gauge engines ever appear, which is a shame considering they rarely get the spotlight. I agree that the film should've focused on them as well as the main cast because it reconnects these charming memories.
Therefore this movie should've been a combination of Great Discovery and Legend of Lost Treasure. Idk, something like that would've been more epic
Another aspect that shows how much the Thomas part is an afterthought is just how few Thomas characters even appear. One of the best things about Thomas and Friends as a franchise is the sheer size of the cast, and while I understand you couldn't effectively put all of them in a single movie, it almost feels like they were trying to use as few as possible.
"Rest In Peace Fulton Ferry."
Me: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
This is the first Tug video I've ever watched and the thing that brought me back to TTTE for the first time since i was a kid. I've seen this vid multiple times, but to say I've been waiting for this vid to come back is an understatement!
Yet another great thing about the Brenner era (and ironically bwba) is that by including real engines like Flying Scotsman and real places like SanFran, it gave the middle finger to the magic element in this film
Yeah, they should've honestly done that for the film. It would've made a whole new impact on the railway series. Also they should've included a variety of settings like the quarry, Brendom Docks, or even the scrapyard
Magic Railroad has always been an odd one for me. I only watched it once or twice when I was younger, but I remember being confused with how little Thomas was in it and all the Shining Time stuff. I seemed to like Hero of the Rails more around that time, probably because the story is about Thomas. Some of the sets and filming locations for TAMTR are gorgeous though, and are probably my favorite part of it other than the insanity that is Alec Baldwin's performance.
The magic railroad sort of makes sense because if you take shining time station to account, you meet mr conductor in the show and he’s a small magical man that can travel through magic, and he says he goes to the island of sodor and has met the engines by talking about them. I think this movie is more about shining time than Thomas really.
And This... This is the real problem man :(
@@stepneydr_n.5561 Honestly, TATMR remains a staple of my childhood. Even to this day, it's my most favorite Thomas movie and I don't care what anyone says. The music, the characters, and atmosphere really sealed the deal.
Now after rewatching the film, I do agree that it has issues. For one, the plot itself is so complicated to follow even as a little kid. The problem with most kids movies today is that they're trying way too hard to be appealing when in reality, they're just making a convoluted storyline that becomes dullsome.
Now, Thomas was set in a realistic setting where trains acted like trains. There was a clear attempt by the crew to make Sodor look like a real place to visit, and they succeeded. Introducing that magical element not only ruins that charm with older fans, but it creates so many questions that are left unanswered. Like how was the magic railroad built, why does Diesel 10 want to destroy Lady, is Sodor just a bubble that's separate from the real world? etc. It just wastes production time and makes the film a bit unwatchable.
Besides that, I want to talk about the set designs. Don't get me wrong, they did a good job at presenting Sodor, but now as an adult, I feel they could've done better. It just feels bland with all that green and gray instead of a more variety of color. Ironic that the TV series had better set designs, and it didn't even have a big budget. We had those beautiful mountain sceneries, the bustling nature of the docks, and the quiet nature of the branchline. Putting in those settings would've added on towards worldbuilding, and allow the audience to realize that Sodor is a functioning railway.
Also, it's kind of weird that we don't see much life on Sodor. Aside from the human characters, the island of Sodor feels empty with virtually no life. No passengers, no drivers, and no workmen are ever present. IMO, they should've used human background characters to make the scene more lively. Additionally, we only get to see the Steam Team as well as a few recurring characters like Bertie, but never anyone else. It would've nice to see Duck or Boco or even the narrow gauge engines make an appearance.
Another criticism of the movie is the over-focus on the human characters, which I do agree. Aside from Mr. Conductor, Junior, and PT Boomer, they should've removed the human aspect because it deters away from the main plot. We all came to see Thomas the Tank Engine, but instead we get this generic love story between Patch and Lily. Now as a kid and today, I don't really mind that Shining Time is in the movie, although I can't deny it creates confusion amongst audiences. No one really pays attention to the sidekick character, so seeing Shining Time in a country that doesn't air the show would be mind-boggling. All that aside, I wish the film stayed true to its word and make Thomas the main character. Putting in these unnecessary additions is just a waste of time.
Moving onto humor. Now in order for a movie to be good, you gotta have some good comedy within those pages. TATMR does have those moments and they're pretty hilarious at times. I remember laughing when that portrait of Sir Topham Hatt literally frowned at Mr. Conductor wearing his hat. But upon rewatching, it kind of gets a bit silly. Like when Mr. Conductor calls his cousin via flowers. Once that scene comes into your head, you know it's not Sodor. I can take the magical buffers and gold dust, but creating something as wacky as that is not my cup of tea. Mr. Conductor especially is entertaining, but I find it odd that he would break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience in some shots. I understand he's the narrator, but it doesn't quite fit with the universe of Thomas.
Man that took a while, but you get it. Feel free to disagree
40:05 What the hell were they on when they filmed this?
Peter Griffin: Crack!
The Unlucky Tug: WHAT THE F-!
Hey at least they weren't drinking, Brian
Here's my take on how to fix this movie:
*Remove:*
1. Magic
2. Gold Dust
3. Real World Settings/Places
4. Two other plot lines
5. Countless Scenes of Humans Only
6. Moments of the Conductor talking to himself or to the audience
7. Moments of Characters being thrown in the air
8. Other human side characters we don't care about
*Keep/Have:*
-Have Thomas receive more screen time doing his daily jobs
-Keep Edward
-Have Lily introduced as a very close girl friend of Thomas (A character whom the children can relate to and see themselves involved in the story)
-Have 50% of scenes and moments with Trains only, 40% with Trains and Humans Together, and 10% of Humans Only.
-Keep Sodor as the only main setting
-Have Michael Angelis as the Narrator
-Have Mr. Conductor as Thomas's Driver
-Have Junior as Thomas's Fireman
-Keep P.T. Boomer as Diesel 10's Driver (since both have the same goal)
-Have P.T. Boomer as the silent type villain plotting for revenge, and Diesel 10 as the loud one who actually wants to destroy lady
-Keep Burnett Stone's Short Sad Story, that means Lady too, not as some fairy Godmother Train, but as a symbol of Burnett's Guilt.
*The Plot (In my opinion):*
-Keep the introduction of Diesel 10 with Gordon and Thomas reacting to his return, but this time...
-Have Lily witness Diesel 10 too while riding Annie and Clarabel, right after noticing the ground and the coaches started shaking due to an incoming train when she looked out the window.
-Have Lily ask Thomas, Mr. Conductor and Junior who Diesel 10 is. (They don't know, to which Gordon replies, Diesel 10 did something horrible to an engine which got him banned from Sodor)
-Have Lily ask Gordon how he knew Diesel 10 (Gordon reveals that he first got to Sodor at the time Diesel 10 was being sent away by the Fat Controller, and Edward told him who he was)
-Have all the engines start talking about Diesel 10 who came back to Sodor as the news started spreading
-Have all the engines get back to work and show each of them doing their own thing
*"Burnett's Sorrow" Plot (Should at least take up about 6 minutes of the movie):*
-Have Burnett Stone live at Thomas's Branch line (thus they see each other and wave good morning every day)
-Have Burnett ask Lily how was her day, to which Lily tells him about Diesel 10
-Have Burnett freeze for a moment, to which he suggests they should go camping in front of their house with Thomas
-Have Burnett, Lily, and Thomas have their camping moment (A depiction which shows Thomas is both for kids, AND adults).
-Have them reveal each of their backstories through flashbacks (Thomas then calls back to the first episode from Season 1)
-Have Lily tell her backstory to when she got lost because she followed a dog and got out on the wrong station called *_"Shining Time Station_"*
-Have Burnett reveal, he had an engine so beautiful and popular, that someone chased her out of jealousy until she crashed, and she never got to see the light of day again. (flashbacks)
-Have Lily and Thomas notice Burnett's tears falling... and empathize with him, until eventually they went to sleep.
-Have Burnett wake up in the middle of the night while Thomas and Lily are asleep, as he quietly goes to his basement to which he visits... Lady. (nobody knows except him)
-Have Burnett say, *_"I'm sorry for everything"_* over and over as he starts crying and having a mental breakdown like he had lost a loved one, as the camera slowly zooms out in front of Lady.
-All the while, have the narrator, Michael Angelis, state the tragedy of Burnett Stone regarding Lady's history.
-Have a shot of Thomas and Lily sleeping outside during the night expressing their complete and utter unawareness of Burnett's sad secret and the existence of Lady.
-Keep Lady, not as a Magical Engine, but as Burnett's Biggest Regret, and as a once well known Engine who ran Sodor for years and suddenly disappeared like *_Magic._*
*"The Restovda Plot" (basically rest-of-the-plot, which should take about almost half of the movie):*
-Have the scene cut to the next morning, where everybody wakes up ands starts working again.
-Have the movie balance the good and dark vibes of Thomas; Diesel 10 being a comic relief and also menacing, Steam Engines being in character, Steam Engines speaking to humans, Humans, speaking to Trains, Trains talking to Diesel 10, Diesel 10 planning his evil plans, while P.T. Boomer drives him around while planning his revenge, and Mr. Conductor and Junior being iconic duos as Thomas's Driver and Fireman, and also Burnett and Lily spending time with Thomas while he does his work like a really useful engine whom he also takes around Sodor to meet other engines too.
-Have Burnett confess to Lily and Thomas that the once beautiful engine he owned, was still kept inside under their house in the basement, and finally decides to take Lady out once again
-Have Thomas looking surprised to witness the Engine that had been hiding under the Island of Sodor this whole time and near his Branch Line of all places.
-Have Burnett explain that he must take the risk of being caught by P.T. Boomer and Diesel 10 once again and thus risking Lady to accidentally crash herself again just like before if it means he could talk to P.T. Boomer and apologize for his mistakes, as Boomer has no intention of stopping by to talk. Instead of _"He made her go too fast, and then he crashed her."_ which he refers to Diesel 10, it would be, _"I made her go too fast, and I crashed her."_ To which he would try to maintain Lady's speed as to not crash her again if there's ever another chase from Diesel 10 and Boomer.
*"Diesel 10 Strikes and P.T. Boomer Booms" Plot:*
-Have Boomer and Diesel 10 continue their hunt for Burnett and Lady in the island of Sodor like they initially planned since the beginning of their introduction when they returned.
-Have Splatter and Dodge spread the news to Diesel 10 that a new engine has been roaming around Sodor, to which Diesel 10's delight, he goes to see it for himself.
-Have Splatter and Dodge regret telling Diesel 10 about the new engine which turns out to be his old victim, they're not as bad as Diesel 10 is.
*-Let The Chase Begin*
-Have Mr. Conductor, Junior, and Lily join the chase as they have no choice since they were going out with Lady whom Burnett is driving her while on Thomas's Flatbed prior to the chase.
-Have a short dialogue of P.T. Boomer greeting Burnett Stone grudgingly while expressing their reunion together.
-Have him know that he has come to take Revenge against Burnett for what he had robbed off of him.
-Have a plot twist where P.T. Boomer says, *_"You were my best friend Burnett, and you stole MY Lady. We were together, and you took her away, so did everything I could've hoped for."_*
-Have a shot at Burnett expressing guilt and regret through his facial expression, while Thomas and Lily get shocked to find out Lady was the Engine whom Diesel 10 crashed in the past.
-Have Burnett apologize and explain he wasn't a good man in the past, and now, the Turntables have turned.
-Have Burnett express how he realized that crashing Lady was the price he had paid for stealing Lady away from Boomer, his once former Best Friend, all because of the success he would benefit from driving Lady around Sodor, wherein P.T. Boomer felt betrayed, therefore hunted Burnett down with Diesel 10 where they've eventually been falsely accused of crashing Lady down, thus getting banned from Sodor.
-Have P.T. Boomer reject his apology and continue to rage and chase Lady and Burnett with Thomas along with them wherein Mr. Conductor and Junior are panicking and hurrying in a silly way
-Have P.T. Boomer eventually falls along with Diesel 10 on the bridge, but unlike from the movie, this time, Burnett eventually goes back to help pick them up, to which they aid him.
*"Getting Back On Track" Plot:*
-Have Burnett and Boomer start making amends and forgive each other, and make Lily proud of her Grandpa to admit his mistakes, meanwhile Thomas visits Diesel 10 to get him repaired.
-Have P.T. Boomer depart from Diesel 10 and tells him that he realized he actually wanted to destroy Lady, when all he wanted was Burnett Stone. To which Diesel 10 is now left with no driver.
-Have Burnett offer Lady back to P.T. Boomer with Lady's consent to which brings him joy once again, whereas Diesel 10 is just glad he's getting repaired as he admits, _"That Lady is hard to get."_
-Oh, and that said, there's gonna be a lot of adult jokes because of Lady. I can already see a flaw from this movie, if you'd consider it a flaw at all, my bad.
-Ironically, Diesel 10 getting repaired, puts him in the same situation or fate as Lady was when she got fixed up, and never saw the light of day again because no one is there to drive her.
-That said... Have Diesel 10 start working daily jobs like a normal train, to which Calling All Engines would take a clear continuity on this.
-Have Thomas and all the engines witness the whole thing while Lily is with him before saying goodbye to Lady and P.T. Boomer, while Diesel 10 and Burnett stays on Sodor.
-Everybody cheers, and it's time for everyone to go home... Just like Thomas.
-Have the Fat Controller call Mr. Conductor in the end and ask, _"Did I miss anything?"_ to which Alec Baldwin freezes, and cuts to the credits.
I don't think my version of this movie is perfect, but I wouldn't be stating all of this if I knew none of this not even a little would at least improve the original product. So what do you guys think? Oh, and you might as well change the title to, *"THOMAS AND FRIENDS: WAKE UP TO REALITY"* or whatever....
Interesting, though here's my take:
We get introduced to the title card as usual, but instead of Alec Baldwin's narration, we hear a grand whistle and mighty chuffing noises in the background. The music builds up as the Island of Sodor is introduced. From here, we see the main characters in action doing their main duties, but instead of showing just the countryside and Knapford, we see a variety of sets like the coastal run, the mountainous region of the Skarloey railway, the harbor, etc.
That immediately gives you an idea of how big and massive the railway is. While Sir Topham Hatt is away on important business, he invites his trusty assistant Mr. Conductor and his cousin Jr. to look after things. Thomas is late coming at the station and Gordon is there to reprimand him. Just then D10 comes flying out of nowhere, taking the audience off guard. It's later explained that he's a new diesel purchased from the mainland to help at the smelters.
The engines obviously take a dislike to his presence and choose to stay away. Meanwhile, we get introduced to Burnett Stone, a former railway worker who's hiding a dark secret. We don't know what it is but it's clear it's something big.
Back on Sodor, times are tough. The railway hasn't been performing well and passenger numbers are low. The engines are worried they'll be sold off or possibly scrapped. Then Thomas accidentally finds an abandoned part of Sodor. News spreads and interest grows quickly.
It's soon announced that this abandoned town will be restored to attract tourists. This would be the perfect opportunity to introduce Jack and the Pack. On the other side lies an engine rusty and decrepit. Her name is Lady and she is an old Victorian engine in hiding from D10. The original film never fully explained why D10 hates her so I added in a backstory.
Many years ago, Lady was the pride of the line, running passenger trains on the mainland. Then D10 is introduced. He looks completely different with a new paint job and no claw attached. He was once an express diesel capable of reaching top speeds. Then one fateful day, the two crash and get horrifically injured. D10 is rebuilt into his current self by PT Boomer, a disgruntled rival of Sir Topham Hatt. Lady on the other hand isn't as fortunate. Knowing that D10 will hunt her down, she is snuck onto the Island of Sodor where Burnett Stone keeps her safe in the mountains.
Now for the main climax, you could have D10 and his minions Splatter and Dodge find Lady and essentially kidnap her to the scrap yard. The other engines find out and they rush to her aid. James and Percy distract the diesels while Toby traps them underneath the shed. D10 is furious and gives chase while Thomas pulls Lady out.
This would give Thomas a better role in the spotlight. They barely make it to the old viaduct where it's crumbling. Thomas and Lady make it just in time before it collapses, and then D10 falls off. In the end, Lady is given a proper restoration and is brought back to the mainland in a museum. Burnett Stone now works there keeping her company. In the credits, the old town is finished and the engines do a celebratory run, Thomas being in the front. The ending song He's a Really Useful Engine plays as Thomas zooms past the camera.
That is my official rewrite of the movie. It might not be perfect but it's a lot better than what the original presented. It expands the worldbuilding of Sodor while eliminating much of the problems from the original. No gold dust, Shining Time Station nonsense. Just our pals on Sodor living it up on the big screen. Tell me what you think of it.
55:26 Y'know, at this point, I think the mere mention of the words "Misty," "Island," and/or "Rescue" will be enough to give Tug a serious PTSD attack. (You'd understand more if you saw Tug's Thomas movie ranking video)
Baldwin **HA-HAAAH** commences
Your last line before patreons gave me chills, I also like the idea of adapting the First few stories, I would've loved Henry's old shape model be shown again.
This review made me realize that Lady is from this movie. I only watched the series and had a lot of Thomas toys. My favorite train was Lady and I was always very puzzled why she was never in the show.
Very glad this came back on the new channel, excited to see what comes next!
This remains a very cathartic review for me. It articulates all of my disappointments with the film and its vision. Throwing away its grounded realism for magic and a focus on Shining Time in conjunction with a convoluted plot were baffling choices, and the franchise never truly recovered.
Yeah, and it's even more baffling when it's the same people who have worked on the series since the beginning. As an adult, Idk why they had to introduce that whole magical element in the first place. Perhaps it was to attract a more younger audience or something. Anyway, it kind of aged poorly considering it just leaves a bunch of questions
43:09 Yes actually as according to the Thomas and the Magic Railroad wiki Destination Films was already beginning development for a sequel before the movie was in theaters in early July 2000. But it was quietly cancelled once the film ended up being a flop.
Working on a sequel before the first movie’s release is never a good idea.
@@joshuaW5621 indeed. But it's happened before many times.
The Sequel’s plot is rumored to have MR.C being kidnapped by some circus leader and it would be up to the Sodor Trio (Thomas, Percy, and James) going to Shining Time to find and rescue him.
@@bartzacky9639 interesting
@@evanf1293 Similar to Journey Beyond Sodor
I remember watching this movie on UA-cam divided in parts when I was younger. I wanted to see the engines, but then I had to sit through several boring human scenes and then I dropped the movie.
When I was a kid I had the dvd so I just skiped the Human Parts
52:04 "It's - It's like poetry, it rhymes"
-George Lucas
I hope one day they’ll reboot Thomas to a big movie and tell the storys or have a good plot. Like the super Mario movie for example
Unfortunately, that'll never happen
But it doesn’t really have a good plot though. It’s a good movie, but there was no good plot there.
Even the Mario movie wasn’t free from the Hollywood trope of “setting the fictional setting not in our world”
@@automan224 True, but the OG lore had them be two brothers who worked as plumbers in Brooklyn and somehow got transported to the Mushroom Kingdom. So, if anything, the film was a callback to that.
Well, there's Marc Forester’s Thomas movie that's currently in development, so we'll have to wait and see.
I’m so grateful the analysis vid is back!! 😄. This is one of my favorite videos from @The Unlucky Tug 👍. TATMR is such a unique movie to me, I don’t like all the scenes in the film but there’s a lot that I find entertaining and still enjoy from it (and that includes the human scenes as well). Also One of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard! Tug’s take on this movie was very fun to listen to, he should really be a writer for films.
The soundtrack is honestly one of the best I've ever heard.
This movie is a real guilty pleasure. It’s great to have this review back after how UA-cam wronged you and convinced me to never sit through 15-20 second unskippable ads again. While I don’t fully agree with the title of the video as I think derailed is a bit far. Magic Railroad, while it didn’t help of course, didn’t really destroy Thomas, but it does prove how much Britt began to misunderstand what he franchise. It better not get taken down again though because otherwise UA-cam will lose any respect I still have for them.
Honestly, TATMR remains a staple of my childhood. Even to this day, it's my most favorite Thomas movie and I don't care what anyone says. The music, the characters, and atmosphere really sealed the deal.
Now after rewatching the film, I do agree that it has issues. For one, the plot itself is so complicated to follow even as a little kid. The problem with most kids movies today is that they're trying way too hard to be appealing when in reality, they're just making a convoluted storyline that becomes dullsome.
Now, Thomas was set in a realistic setting where trains acted like trains. There was a clear attempt by the crew to make Sodor look like a real place to visit, and they succeeded. Introducing that magical element not only ruins that charm with older fans, but it creates so many questions that are left unanswered. Like how was the magic railroad built, why does Diesel 10 want to destroy Lady, is Sodor just a bubble that's separate from the real world? etc. It just wastes production time and makes the film a bit unwatchable.
Besides that, I want to talk about the set designs. Don't get me wrong, they did a good job at presenting Sodor, but now as an adult, I feel they could've done better. It just feels bland with all that green and gray instead of a more variety of color. Ironic that the TV series had better set designs, and it didn't even have a big budget. We had those beautiful mountain sceneries, the bustling nature of the docks, and the quiet nature of the branchline. Putting in those settings would've added on towards worldbuilding, and allow the audience to realize that Sodor is a functioning railway.
Also, it's kind of weird that we don't see much life on Sodor. Aside from the human characters, the island of Sodor feels empty with virtually no life. No passengers, no drivers, and no workmen are ever present. IMO, they should've used human background characters to make the scene more lively. Additionally, we only get to see the Steam Team as well as a few recurring characters like Bertie, but never anyone else. It would've nice to see Duck or Boco or even the narrow gauge engines make an appearance.
Another criticism of the movie is the over-focus on the human characters, which I do agree. Aside from Mr. Conductor, Junior, and PT Boomer, they should've removed the human aspect because it deters away from the main plot. We all came to see Thomas the Tank Engine, but instead we get this generic love story between Patch and Lily. Now as a kid and today, I don't really mind that Shining Time is in the movie, although I can't deny it creates confusion amongst audiences. No one really pays attention to the sidekick character, so seeing Shining Time in a country that doesn't air the show would be mind-boggling. All that aside, I wish the film stayed true to its word and make Thomas the main character. Putting in these unnecessary additions is just a waste of time.
Moving onto humor. Now in order for a movie to be good, you gotta have some good comedy within those pages. TATMR does have those moments and they're pretty hilarious at times. I remember laughing when that portrait of Sir Topham Hatt literally frowned at Mr. Conductor wearing his hat. But upon rewatching, it kind of gets a bit silly. Like when Mr. Conductor calls his cousin via flowers. Once that scene comes into your head, you know it's not Sodor. I can take the magical buffers and gold dust, but creating something as wacky as that is not my cup of tea. Mr. Conductor especially is entertaining, but I find it odd that he would break the fourth wall and talk directly to the audience in some shots. I understand he's the narrator, but it doesn't quite fit with the universe of Thomas.
Man that took a while, but you get it. Feel free to disagree
I feel so incredibly silly sitting here thinking about Thomas as I'm now considered an adult. Despite that I am still in love with this movie. I can't bring myself to hate it. I adored it as a little kid and I adore it now at 20. I think they did their absolute best with what they had. Is it perfect? No. Is my heart happy everytime to watch the movie? uh, YES! It's a movie I watch when I'm sick, sad, or lonely. It's a comfort.
I wanted more characters to appear
Edward,Duck, Donald and Douglas,Oliver, etc.
I wanted "Thomas anthem", "Night Train" and"Island song" to be included as insert songs...
Me too. If only they had the right purpose
Third time’s the charm.🤞 Also I think I can speck for everyone when I say that compared to most of the Nitrogen Era, BWBA, and the AEG reboot, no matter how you feel about Magic Railroad it isn’t anywhere nearly as bad as them.
I was already out of what one would call the 'Thomas Age' by the time this movie came out but to this day, I remember reading the paper (REMEMBER THOSE KIDS?!?) and reading reviews for this thing and the critics, including the ones in my city, tore this movie to shreds to the point of acting like this movie was destroying the world. It was honestly the first time I was shocked by critics reaction because I was old enough to understand how they viewed movies but still being young enough to be utterly thrown about that they were *THAT ANGRY* over a movie about Thomas the fucking Tank Engine.
As an adult and looking into film and animation the flaws hang out a lot more but even within that, I can't gear up my anger to hate the film as much as the people did back when the movie came out. If anything, my biggest issue with this film was the tone. It honestly is the first time the movie made Thomas out to be 'for babies' even though this was more of an American/Canadian thing thanks in part to Shining Time Station doing just that. THAT was the version of Thomas I grew up with and the tonal shift between the Thomas segments and the live action bits are very clear; one is a show that while made for children doesn't TREAT them like children. The live action bits however DO *BUT* that in of itself is not a bad thing. What was bad was how so much of this was brought over into the film and when the greater US audience got a better look at Thomas that WASN'T on PBS, that was the general idea they now had about the series; it was a baby show. And from the fallout, that's what it became when the HiT area began and in a way it's such a shame. I went on a binge of watching Thomas between 2018-2020 and I was utterly astounded by the prop work, the writing, the narration and the characterization that I finally understood WHY this series has endured for so long and kept such a massive adult fanbase. It really is just a story of some English chaps working on the rails but in this case, those chaps ARE the trains and the moment that struck me I was laughing at how brilliant that was in hindsight.
I'm not gonna hate on Britt given a lot of this was her baby since she clearly loved BOTH versions and wanted to bridge them together but it is clear through all the test screenings and rewrites, there were too many cooks in the kitchen and the worst contributors were the exects, especially with how they pushed out a lot of actors AGAINST Britt's protests. The whole thing with Billy being told that 'he was hard to understand' and how Britt to this day is still upset over that gained a lot of respect from me on that because she KNEW it was wrong. She called it out as wrong but she was still ignored so the whole thing was just a mess.
In the end though, the legacy this film left is amazing both in positive and negative ways. The history of the making of it was utterly amazing even if the final product was lackluster and your retrospective is amazing. I don't think you get enough credit for your history breakdowns of this series so thanks, Tug. Thanks so much for doing this for us.
Honestly, TATMR remains a staple of my childhood. Even to this day, it's my most favorite Thomas movie and I don't care what anyone says. The music, the characters, and atmosphere really sealed the deal.
Now after rewatching the film, I do agree that it has issues. For one, the plot itself is so complicated to follow even as a little kid. The problem with most kids movies today is that they're trying way too hard to be appealing when in reality, they're just making a convoluted storyline that becomes dullsome.
Now, Thomas was set in a realistic setting where trains acted like trains. There was a clear attempt by the crew to make Sodor look like a real place to visit, and they succeeded. Introducing that magical element not only ruins that charm with older fans, but it creates so many questions that are left unanswered. Like how was the magic railroad built, why does Diesel 10 want to destroy Lady, is Sodor just a bubble that's separate from the real world? etc. It just wastes production time and makes the film a bit unwatchable.
Besides that, I want to talk about the set designs. Don't get me wrong, they did a good job at presenting Sodor, but now as an adult, I feel they could've done better. It just feels bland with all that green and gray instead of a more variety of color. Ironic that the TV series had better set designs, and it didn't even have a big budget. We had those beautiful mountain sceneries, the bustling nature of the docks, and the quiet nature of the branchline. Putting in those settings would've added on towards worldbuilding, and allow the audience to realize that Sodor is a functioning railway.
Also, it's kind of weird that we don't see much life on Sodor. Aside from the human characters, the island of Sodor feels empty with virtually no life. No passengers, no drivers, and no workmen are ever present. IMO, they should've used human background characters to make the scene more lively. Additionally, we only get to see the Steam Team as well as a few recurring characters like Bertie, but never anyone else. It would've nice to see Duck or Boco or even the narrow gauge engines make an appearance.
Another criticism of the movie is the over-focus on the human characters, which I do agree. Aside from Mr. Conductor, Junior, and PT Boomer, they should've removed the human aspect because it deters away from the main plot. We all came to see Thomas the Tank Engine, but instead we get this generic love story between Patch and Lily. Now as a kid and today, I don't really mind that Shining Time is in the movie, although I can't deny it creates confusion amongst audiences. No one really pays attention to the sidekick character, so seeing Shining Time in a country that doesn't air the show would be mind-boggling. All that aside, I wish the film stayed true to its word and make Thomas the main character. Putting in these unnecessary additions is just a waste of time.
Man, that was long to type, but you get the idea of what I'm saying
@@armorpro573 It's funny you bring up how empty Sordor looks because Shining Time is PACKED full of people and energy almost to a fault, given how much goofy stuff was going on around it, to the point it didn't feel like a train station but some weird circus land. The emptiness of Sordor is felt because even with the models, the people filling the areas made it feel busy and lived in without the need for them to constantly move around but for Sordor, the movie made it out that the trains only needed Topham and Mr. Conductor to run and that there was no one else on the island. It may have been another 'magical' element they added but ironically, it made the island seem LESS magic and just sort of there.
It sort of shows they maybe they should have bit the bullet and have everything happen in 'our world' instead of complicating things or if they wanted that magical element so badly, they could have at least worked it in a lot better. It's just that prior to all of this, nothing in the Thomas shorts from Shining Time alluded to magic themselves so that could be the reason why it's sudden introduction felt so forced and not used well, simply because the Shining Time wrap-arounds did a better version of establishing magic in ITS OWN WORLD, but when you got to the Thomas shorts, everything was so normal outside of the talking trains you sort of forget about magic even being at play and just accept that talking trains exists BECAUSE they just happen to exists, nothing else needed to explain anything.
@@SuperCosmicMutantSquid Never thought of it like that. Well regardless, I still love this movie as an adult. It might have flaws, but it remains a key part of my childhood.
Speaking of which, ever since its release, I always wondered how it could be made better to where audiences would appreciate more. So I rewrote the script to make it more appealing. If you're interested, then buckle up and enjoy:
The movie begins with the usual title card, but instead of Baldwin's narration, we hear an orchestral mix of chuffing and whistles as they gradually get louder. Then with a billow of smoke, the camera pans out to the Island of Sodor in its former glory.
The music starts as we're introduced to gorgeous valleys, peaceful villages, and importantly the engines doing their work. This time though, we see a variety of sets like the quarry, Brendan Docks, the coastal beaches, etc. Like usual, everyone is happy to be working on Sir Topham Hatt's railway.
Now instead of Alec playing Mr. Conductor, the movie reintroduces him as Sir Topham Hatt. He gets a special invitation from his brother Lowell Hatt played by Junior who wants to run operations. Lowell is an enthusiastic, comedic guy who doesn't really take things too seriously compared to his brother, but he's still determined to be really useful.
Meanwhile, Gordon is impatiently waiting for Thomas to arrive. After a bit of banter, the two are taken off guard by Diesel 10 who rumbles past. It's later revealed that D10 is an experimental engine from the mainland sent in by Sir Topham Hatt to work on the scrapyard. The engines take a dislike to the newcomer, especially since he's a diesel.
Anyways, the Island of Sodor is running through tough times. Passenger numbers are down, which creates financial problems. If things don't change drastically, the railway might be forced to close down a few lines. This upsets the others, who form a meeting to discuss any options.
While taking a goods train, Thomas accidentally stumbles upon an abandoned part of Sodor. Thrilled, he tells the others and news spreads quickly. Seeing the potential opportunity, the Hatts announce a massive plan to redevelop the line for tourists. Not only does this expand worldbuilding, but it's also a great moment to introduce Jack and the Pack.
High up in the mountains, an old derelict engine sits alone looking depressed. Her owner Burnett Stone watches anxiously as he oils her rusty wheels. The engine's name is Lady, an old Victorian engine from the mainland. Since the film never explains why D10 wants to kill her, I'd thought to put in some backstory.
Lady was the pride of the line, a beautiful piece of work who'd pull trains long distances. Then in comes D10, a long sleek passenger diesel who can pull trains at high speeds. One fateful day, the two get into a horrific accident, leaving them badly injured. D10 is rebuilt into a new body by PT Boomer, a disgruntled rival of Sir Topham Hatt, but is told he can never return to passenger service. Instead he's forced to work in maintenance.
Lady on the other hand isn't as lucky. Her parts are too antiquated so Burnett Stone hides her away on Sodor where she can be safe. Now she sits in isolation in constant fear, wondering if she'll ever be useful.
Eventually, Thomas discovers her presence and promises to keep her secret. The engines grow aware of her presence, and vow not to tell Sir Topham Hatt in fear D10 might find out.
Alright this is taking too long, so I'll just skip to the main climax. D10 and his minions discover Lady's whereabouts and kidnap her to the smelters. The other engines hear the horrific news and rush to her aid. James and Percy distract Splodge and lure them out to an old shed where Diesel traps them underneath. I wanted to include Diesel so the audience knows that diesels aren't always malicious.
As Thomas drags Lady out, D10 is furious and gives chase. As they're approaching the old viaduct, PT Boomer lights some dynamite which causes the structure to crumble. Using every puff of steam, Thomas pushes Lady across just as the last bit of track falls under. D10 and Boomer fall and get covered in sludge.
The engines celebrate victory at Knapford Station as Sir Topham Hatt congratulates them. Lady is returned to her homeland to be in a museum and is given a celebratory goodbye. Coincidentally, the new line has just finished so in a final montage, "He's a Really Useful Engine" plays as Thomas speeds past the camera. End.
Man that took a while, but that's how I'd fix the movie. No gold dust, no major focus on the human characters, and no magic. If this had been worked into the original, who knows how successful it could've been. Let me know what you think.
I’m so glad that that you were able to get this video back
I remember that, after watching this movie at a young age, I was so hypnotized by the giant movie poster in the cinema (presumably while my mother was in the bathroom), that the clerk eventually took it off and gave it to me... I had it hanging proudly above my bed for way too long, probably until I was 17 or so.
Say what you will, the posters for this film were beautiful. And although the movie itself never left a big impression on me, the fact that I had seen this beautiful model train on the big screen did. It's almost like the thought of a Thomas movie was worth more to me than the actual movie.
Well, regarding the engines being able to drive themselves, it makes more sense for the fat controller to scold them for mistakes if they can drive themselves than if they needed a person driving them because if the drivers are responsible for controlling the engines, they should be the ones getting scolded and not the machines
Well this whole thing is pretty confusing. But I guess it's necessary for stories
Im soo glad that this video is back and perfect timing bc its my 16th birthday
This move is such a fever dream for me, i probably watched it countless times around 4 or 5 but completely forgot it existed, now im 26 and watched this movie again, i remember every detail and line of dialogue vividly.
I think the reception to this movie is a lot like that for Transformers: The Movie. It's a movie that made dumb decisions, but people appreciate it for nostalgic reasons, even though they realize that it wasn't as good as they remember. The difference though is that there are a handful of people that do actually enjoy Transformers: The Movie despite the issues it has
Yeah, both films may not be perfect as far as their lore goes, but they still give you that childhood feeling
Are you talking about the 80s movie or the bay one?
@@umairashraf5167 80s
Oh it's good to be back!!!!
I basically loved watching this movie on DVD when I was younger. But now as an adult and now knowing the production history, it seems contempt for the part. Yes I'm nostalgic, but now reflecting back on the impact of the series really shows how the changes didn't make it better than what we wanted.
SPARKLE SPARKLE SPARKLE!!!!!
Hey there Nick, nice job with today's video and keep up the good work man.
So happy this video is back!💕
I never knew Britt Alcroft voiced Lady
Unlucky Tug should do a video compilation of how many times he says "But We'll talk about it... Later.."
Glad that this videos back. This one was great!
One of my childhood core memories was my mom chasing me with her hand in a claw shape yelling "i'm gonna get you thomas".
I wish that were my mom...
The way they’re narrating to the kids directly is kinda like they ARE talking down to kids. The one rule they didn’t want to break.
Britt also said she saw no reason to change the movie when kids pointed out how little screen time Thomas had.
@@joshuaW5621 That kind of doesn't make sense
Very glad that this is now back, I have been really wanting to see this video come back. My own opinion on this movie is that, I really like this movie still to this day. If you're able to see this movie from a different perspective rather than seeing it as a Thomas Movie, then it isn't so bad. Though I did rewatch the movie recently and I didn't really like it. I personally prefer the original plot over the final version.
Join the club, we got jackets.
12:29 another voice role I know Eddie Glen for was the voice of Flicker in the British Canadian 2D animated series Blazing Dragons in which uses the same voice he would use for Thomas
Isnt ironic that the Tug video on a movie that had to get redone several times, had to get redone several times?
That’s an unfortunate coincidence.
I doubt you'll see this but with Mattel going forward with movies based on all their properties due to the success of Barbie, I got to ask.. what would you do for a Thomas big budget movie?
I for one think it should take a lot of the meshing of the real and fantasy worlds like the Barbie movie did. Imagine it's based on the relationship between Wilbert and Christopher Awdry, having them going to Sodor figuratively and literally. Would be beautiful.
Probably it should see the reverend awdry and his son christopher going to Sodor, where they meet the various engines, non rail vehicles and Sir Topham Hatt, which gives him the inspiration for his books, which made them more popular than they already were.
But, overtime, with all engines go coming along, the engines feel like kings (and queens) that lost their crowns.
Alec Baldwin getting “high” in the work print at the 40:00 mark is hilarious. The team must have walked into work high something to let that slide and Alec Baldwin must have been as well.
Glad to see this video back!
I never even knew about this movie until I started watching your videos, and I was an avid Thomas fan...
I watched it as a kid, and loved it
Are you also living outside of the US & UK?
I am living in Sweden🇸🇪
@@antonberglund117 Born in Australia mate.
I found out about the movie by way of the short teaser on the Stuart Little VHS and I was probably just as excited as you as I was only 7 and obsessed with trains as a kid.
I loved it that one time you called it, "Thomas and the Tragic Failroad"
And its back! So glad it was able to be uploaded again.
I did enjoy listening to the video and I am glad the video is back.
13:06 not to mention Keith Scott is best known buy many Australians for starring in a lot of Australian cartoons such as Blinky Bill as all the male characters in which uses his Mayor Pelican voice for Diesel 10
Seeing this as a kid and thinking Thomas was real. This bursted my bubble and I was so sad 😂
How old are you now?
@@armorpro573I’m 15 now
@@cencedtick801 Cool
*Burst
This movie began my weird obsession with Diesel 10.
Tugs: Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a bad movie.
Me: It’s better than Big Bullshit Adventures!
And Misty Island Rescue
I think Tug would be inclined to agree I think he once said that while watching Big World Big Adventures he was constantly yelling at the screen the whole way through
@@fanofeverything30465that was for the misty island
Fantastic video. I rewatched the Magic Railroad last night after seeing a UA-cam clip and remembering it existed. I loved it as a kid. One thing I found out is that Lady does indeed return in a later movie episode in a dream 'Calling All Engines' so I guess we can consider this movie canon?
Not really. As Tug stated, nothing in the movie is ever mentioned again. There's no such thing as gold dust or Mr. Conductor at all in any other season. The movie itself is non-canon to the actual TV show
@@armorpro573 But my point is that "nothing in the movie is ever mentioned again" isn't true. Both Lily and Diesel 10 appear in Thomas at a later stage. Now you could suggest they've been rebooted which is fair enough. But my point simply was that there are some things from the movie that have stayed canon.
@@dcsmall1 Like I said, the movie is not canon to the actual show. Sure, Lady and D10 do reappear, but I consider that the model series' interpretation of them two.
D10 no longer is that evil, sarcastic diesel that wants to get rid of all steam engines. He's now a maintenance diesel that despite having a grudge, is willing to help out the steamies.
Lady is no longer that magical engine from a separate dimension, but rather works at the quarry in Thomas' dream. Now whether she is real or just part of his imagination is up for debate, but my point is that the movie's version is a lot different and should stay that way.
@@armorpro573magic is shown to exist in Percy and the Magic Carpet, Smoke and Mirrors and Henry’s Magic Box and everyone who worked in the show seemingly treats it like it’s canon (including Britt Allcroft) so I don’t know what to say with that.
@@joshuaW5621 Nah, tbh I don’t really consider series 8 onward canon to the classic series.
A curious fact is that before the engines had voices for each one, in Japan it was the first to implement it in the original series, and in the movie its voice actors repeated their roles, including if it was minor, the curious fact is that the The narrator of the series narrates the film as if it were part of the series and not as a voice of Mr. Conductor (who has another voice, although like the original cut it is rare for Mr. Conductor to break the fourth wall) and even narrates some parts that were not as an example explain that Thomas did not realize that one of the trucks went into one of the bumpers.
I never seen this movie before and I only seen very little of the show but I love how you talk about Thomas, it’s really good. Keep it up!
It's a decent watch if you're into it. People might hate it but I certainly don't
I recommend checking out the 1st 5 seasons of the TV series & this movie.
I think Eddie Glen as Thomas is a good voice for Thomas.
"You just can't have characters announce how they feel. That makes me feel ANGRY!"