Michael Angelis
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Sep 13, 2009 · See Thomas & Friends™ like never before in this action-packed movie. Follow Thomas as he discovers Hiro, an abandoned engine from a faraway land. Fearing that Hiro will be scrapped, Thomas enlists the help of many friends, but mishaps, mistakes and one boastful engine could foil their rescue plans.
- 60 min
- 1202
- Nicky Team
- Overview
- Plot
- Characters
- Locations
- Cast
- Bonus Features
- Production
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- Trivia
― Thomas and Hiro
is a 2009 feature-length Thomas & Friends special. It is the fourth Thomas & Friends film overall and the first production in the franchise to be animated in full CGI.
Thomas is taking on water when an engine rushes past. The rest of the Steam Team soon have similar experiences and gather at Knapford to figure out what is going on. Halfway through their conversation, Spencer arrives. It turns out that he is staying for the summer to help the Duke and Duchess build their summer house. Needless to say, nobody is pleased with the news, and are extremely shocked to hear it, especially when Spencer rushes around with his work, teasing and insulting the other engines. That night, all of the engines are tired and cross because they have all been bullied by Spencer.
The next morning, at Brendam Docks, Spencer insults Thomas about his size and strength. Thomas is fed up and the other engines agree with him. Spencer then challenges Thomas to a race to take place at dawn the next day. All of the engines gather in the yard to wish Thomas good luck. Thomas and Spencer are coupled to their heavy loads and Edward whistles to announce the start of the race.
Spencer and Thomas race across the Island with the former draws ahead and the latter struggles up a hill with his load. Then the inevitable happens - Thomas' brakes malfunction and give out with a bang and he races out of control down the hill and along the main line. He races past Spencer who is waiting at a signal. And he bumps into some potato trucks, sending potatoes in the air. Then he speeds on into some flatbeds of jam barrels, and gets covered in jam. Until he races onto a rickety, old track. He gets covered in tree branches as well, until, finally, he comes to a stop. After stopping, Thomas finds an old, abandoned engine named Hiro. Thomas is amazed and asks Hiro what he is doing there. Hiro tells how he once worked on another island far away, (most likely, the country of Japan) and how he was known as the "Master of the Railway." He sailed to Sodor on a big ship. Sodor was nothing like his old home, but he was quite content. However, as the years went on, he began to break down and Sodor did not have the necessary parts to repair him. He was hidden to avoid scrap, but the parts never came from his island home, and he was quietly forgotten. Thomas' immediate reaction is to tell the Fat Controller, but Hiro believes that the Fat Controller will scrap him if he finds out about Hiro. So instead, Thomas promises to not tell the Fat Controller until Hiro can be a Really Useful Engine once again.
Thomas later goes to the Sodor Steamworks to have his brakes repaired. The Steamworks is a recently newly-built, busy, bustling place, with all sorts of work being done. One particular engine who lives and works there is Victor, a kind and enthusiastic engine. Thomas is soon repaired and then Spencer puffs into the Steamworks. Spencer starts to boast, but Thomas simply retorts by congratulating him on his win. Gobsmacked, Spencer is then shunned by Victor for taking up space and sitting around chattering and leaves, while very cross about having been spoken to in such a manner.
Victor's assistant Kevin then drives clumsily over to Thomas and Victor. Victor politely reprimands him for rushing around, while Thomas notices some engine parts, including an old piston cylinder, on a flatbed. Thomas finishes his day's work and then comes by later to see if the parts are still there. Victor says it is only taking up space anyway, so Thomas offers to take it away for him, and leaves with it.
As he heads to Hiro, Thomas hears Spencer behind him and quickly hides in a siding covered with trees. Spencer rumbles past and does not see Thomas. Thomas drops off the cylinder at Hiro's hideout and sets for home when he notices that the Duke and Duchess' new summer house is dangerously close to where Hiro is hidden. Thomas knows he promised Hiro that he would look after him, but now he is worried.
•Island of Sodor
•Tidmouth Sheds
•The Works
•Sodor Steamworks
•Victor's Shed
•Whistling Woods
UK
•Ben Small as Thomas and Toby •Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy and the Fat Controller •Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Mavis and the Duchess of Boxford •Matt Wilkinson as Spencer, Victor, Rocky, Kevin and the Duke of Boxford •Togo Igawa as Hiro •Kerry Shale as Thomas and Spencer (original cut only)
US
•Martin Sherman as Thomas and Percy •William Hope as Edward, Toby, Rocky and the Duke of Boxford •Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, James, Kevin and Sir Topham Hatt •Jules de Jongh as Emily, Mavis and the Duchess of Boxford •Glenn Wrage as Spencer •Togo Igawa as Hiro •David Bedella as Victor
US
•"Thomas and Spencer" Racing Game •"Who's Pulling into the Station" Game •"Thomas and Friends Bedroom Makeover" •Go, Go Thomas Karaoke Music Video (Hero of the Rails version)
UK/IRL
•Down at the Station - Passengers •Engines Quiz •Go, Go Thomas Karaoke Music Video (Hero of the Rails version)
Japan
•Go, Go Thomas Karaoke Music Video •Hero of the Rails Theatrical Trailer •Birth of The Railway Series
Development
To cut costs and maximise profits (because of government tax breaks for UK animation in 2007), HiT Entertainment decided to retire the models and have the show be turned into a CGI product. They enlisted Nitrogen Studios to provide the visuals. Nitrogen had already created CGI elements for the twelfth series. Christopher Skala added that it was to also include more emotion and flexibility through the stories. Previously Skala claimed that, of his focus group, even those who felt that Thomas, as an institution, should not be changed in this way but ultimately responded positively to the demonstration of the new animation techniques. Hero of the Rails also sees the installation of a permanent voice cast, which would continue throughout the franchise.
The DVD sales of Hero of the Rails outstripped The Great Discovery which was the highest selling DVD produced by HiT Entertainment at the time.
•According to an interview with Sam Barlow, Hero of the Rails was initially being developed as a model/CGI production for the last time, just like the twelfth series, even written before the CGI transition. However, this was changed into a full CGI production after the script was underway, due to budget cuts making it not possible to build models anymore. In spite of this, early promotional art on packaging shows the twelfth series model-CGI hybrid Thomas. Though no models were ever fully created, casts of faces for Hiro, Victor and Kevin were created for merchandising reference.
•Nitrogen Studios released the "Patchwork Hiro" chase sequence to the public in their Studio Animation Pipeline collection illustrating the three various stages of animation the film went through before the final cut.
•This film features a drastically reduced cast of characters due to the crew not having enough time to create models for every character from scratch.
•There was a small chance of getting tickets to the special's premiere in the UK by buying a copy of the Heave Ho! DVD.
•This special marked the first of many things:
•The first Thomas & Friends production to be fully animated in CGI.
Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails is a 2009 British animated adventure film and feature-length special of the British television series, Thomas & Friends. The film is produced by HIT Entertainment with animation from Nitrogen Studios.
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Watch Thomas and his friends in a thrilling adventure to save a new engine in Hero of the Rails, the full movie.
- 59 min
- 349.1K
- DVD Museum
Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails: Directed by Greg Tiernan, Jeff Bailey. With Michael Angelis, Michael Brandon, David Bedella, Jules de Jongh. Thomas finds an old engine and tries to restore him without The Fat Controller finding out.
- (404)
- Animation, Action, Adventure
- Greg Tiernan, Jeff Bailey
- 2009-09-08
Rent Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rails on Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video. Thomas and pals must save a broken-down engine from the scrap heap.
- Kids & Family, Adventure, Animation
Watch and find out if they can work together to help their new friend in the most heroic movie of the year! See Thomas & Friends™ like never before in this new action-packed movie. Follow...
