Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure | |
---|---|
Directed by | David Stoten |
Screenplay by | Andrew Brenner |
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Narrated by | Mark Moraghan |
Edited by | Matthew Ahrens |
Music by |
|
Production companies | |
Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
|
Running time |
|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | $3.4 million [2] |
Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure is a 2015 British animated fantasy adventure comedy film and the ninth feature-length special movie of the British television series, Thomas & Friends . [3] The film is produced by HIT Entertainment and animated by Arc Productions.
The film stars the voices of Joseph May and John Hasler as the voice of Thomas in the US and UK dubs respectively. It stars the voices of Eddie Redmayne, Sir John Hurt, Jamie Campbell Bower, Olivia Colman, Keith Wickham, Tim Whitnall, Rob Rackstraw, William Hope, Kerry Shale, Christopher Ragland, Glenn Wrage, Joe Mills, Teresa Gallagher, Jules de Jongh, Steven Kynman and Tom Stourton in supporting roles. In the film, Thomas the Tank Engine becomes unwillingly caught in a conspiracy to steal recently-discovered pirate treasure.
The film marks the screen debuts of Rex, Bert and Mike, the Arlesdale Railway engines, the central characters of the Reverend Wilbert Awdry’s book, Small Railway Engines. The three characters, based on real locomotives from the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, had previously only appeared in The Railway Series and had been omitted from the TV show. Several characters who had been absent from the television series for many years also make their return.
The film received a theatrical release in the UK during July 2015 [1] and in Australia during August, and was released on DVD on September 19. [4] It was met with mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised the direction and solid plot but one critical of the film's somewhat dark undertone.
Thomas the Tank Engine wins a race against Bertie the Bus, who reveals that a new branch line is being built. This concerns Annie and Clarabel. The next morning, Thomas loses his temper and causes a derailment. Sir Topham Hatt sends Thomas to assist him in the construction on the new branch line as punishment for his actions, while new engine Ryan is given Thomas' job.
At the building site, part of the land subsides underneath the new track. Thomas does not pay attention to the danger signs and falls into a cavern where he finds a pirate ship. He tries to tell Sir Topham Hatt about the ship, but Hatt does not listen, believing he's making excuses. Rocky the crane is thus credited with discovering the ship, which is put on display at Arlesburgh Harbour. Partly repaired, Thomas meets Sailor John and his boat Skiff, who has been fitted with wheels that allow him to move on the rails. John says he is looking for treasure but is hesitant to give Thomas details.
Ryan accidentally lights some dynamite after taking on bad coal. Thomas gets rid of the dynamite, but Hatt is furious, thinking that Thomas is chasing Ryan with the dynamite. Fed up with Thomas' excuses, Hatt confines him to his shed for the rest of the afternoon and orders everyone else to get back to work. Marion the steam shovel finds a treasure chest full of gold and jewellery, which Hatt keeps in his office overnight intending to donate it to a museum. Thomas meets a furious John, who reveals that it is the treasure he had been looking for, and demands it to be handed over. Thomas says that Hatt has the treasure and refuses to help John take it.
That night, John breaks into Hatt's office and steals the treasure, using Skiff and the pirate ship as his getaway. Thomas chases them through a junction where the miniature engines slow the ship by derailing their ballast trucks. A loose rope is caught on Ryan, who derails the flatbed carrying the ship, leaving John with only Skiff to take him away.
At Arlesburgh Harbour, Thomas tries to knock Skiff off of the rails, but to no avail. At the rail-boat launch ramp John rows Skiff out towards the sea, and Thomas ends up partially submerged. With the help of a large wave, Skiff knocks Sailor John and the treasure off of him. The treasure sinks to the bottom of the harbour, and Sailor John is soon arrested by the police. Thomas is rescued and attempts to explain to Hatt, fearing he'll be furious with him again. However, Hatt is proud of Thomas, as Ryan explained everything to him, and Hatt assures Thomas that he will always be his "number one engine" as his engines are more important to him than anything else.
When the branch line is finished, Sir Topham Hatt gives a fully repaired Thomas his old job back, and lets him cut the ribbon to the new line. Skiff gives rail-boat tours around Arlesburgh Harbour.
Actor/Actress | Region | Role(s) |
---|---|---|
Mark Moraghan | UK/US | Narrator |
John Hasler | UK | Thomas |
Joseph May | US | |
Keith Wickham | UK | Edward, Henry, Gordon, James and Percy |
UK/US | Salty, Bert, Bertie, Sir Topham Hatt, Sodor Brass Band leader, a policeman, a diver, some workmen | |
Rob Rackstraw | UK | Toby |
US | James | |
Christopher Ragland | Percy | |
William Hope | Edward and Toby | |
Kerry Shale | Henry, Gordon and Kevin | |
Teresa Gallagher | UK/US | Daisy, Annie, Clarabel and some children |
UK | Emily | |
Jules de Jongh | US | |
Glenn Wrage | Cranky | |
Matt Wilkinson | UK | Cranky and Kevin |
David Bedella | UK/US | Victor |
Steven Kynman | Duck | |
UK | Jack | |
David Menkin | US | |
Jonathan Broadbent | UK/US | Bill and Ben |
Joe Mills | Donald, Douglas, Oliver and Toad | |
Tim Whitnall | Mike and Oliver the Excavator | |
Tom Stourton | Rex | |
Nathan Clarke | Alfie | |
Olivia Colman | Marion | |
Eddie Redmayne | Ryan | |
John Hurt | Sailor John | |
Jamie Campbell Bower | Skiff |
The film grossed £889,927 in the UK, US$72,928 in Hong Kong and US$2,510,062 in China for a total of $3,472,917 worldwide. [2]
Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure currently holds an 80% "fresh" approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 5 reviews. [5]
Andrew Pulver of The Guardian gave the film a 3/5 stating, "Like Tale of the Brave, Lost Treasure jams locomotive action together with a pop motif supposedly beloved of kids: Brave had dinosaurs, Treasure has pirates." [6]
Wilbert Vere Awdry, often credited as Rev. W. Awdry, was an English Anglican minister, railway enthusiast, and children's author. He is best remembered as the creator of Thomas the Tank Engine and several other characters who appeared in his Railway Series.
The Fat Controller is a fictional character in The Railway Series books written by Reverend W. Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry. In the first two books in the series he is known as The Fat Director, and as of the third book he becomes The Fat Controller, as the railway has been nationalised. In the foreword to the 1951 book Henry the Green Engine, his real name is revealed to be Sir Topham Hatt.
The Railway Series is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry. Twenty-six books were written by Awdry, the final one being written in October 1972. Sixteen more were written by his son, Christopher Awdry, between September 1983 and July 2011. The series features many anthropomorphic vehicles, including Thomas the Tank Engine. Thomas became the most popular and famous character in the series and the titular character of the television series Thomas & Friends from 1984 to 2021. The children's television series originated as adaptations of these stories.
Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends is a children's television series about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series books written by the Reverend W. Awdry.
Thomas & Friends is a children's television series about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series books written by the Reverend W. Awdry.
Thomas & Friends is a children's television series about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series books written by the Reverend W. Awdry. The 10th Series of this show was first broadcast in 2006. This series was narrated by Michael Angelis for the UK audiences, and Michael Brandon in the US. Most episodes in this series had different titles in UK and the US.
Takayuki Miyauchi, better known by the stage name Kōhei Miyauchi, was a Japanese actor and voice actor born in Kagoshima Prefecture. On June 2, 1995, Miyauchi died on his hospital bed at the Nihon University Itabashi Hospital from abdominal varices. At the time of Miyauchi's death, he was represented by Aoni Production.
Thomas & Friends is a children's television series about the engines and other characters working on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series books written by the Reverend W. Awdry.
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. It introduces full CGI animation replacing live-action models, and the addition of a voice cast for the characters alongside the narration to the TV series.
Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue is a 2010 animated fantasy adventure film and feature-length special of the British television series, Thomas & Friends. The film is produced by HIT Entertainment and animated by Nitrogen Studios.
Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesels is a 2011 animated adventure film and feature-length special of the British television series Thomas & Friends. It is the first special to be a spin-off around a character from the series; so the star is Thomas' best friend Percy. The film is produced by HIT Entertainment and animated by Nitrogen Studios.
Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway is a 2013 British animated fantasy comedy adventure film and feature-length special of the British television series, Thomas & Friends. The film is produced by HIT Entertainment and animated by Arc Productions, replacing Nitrogen Studios. It is the series’ first production to have CGI animation provided by Arc Productions.
Thomas & Friends is a media franchise created by Rev. W. Awdry and Britt Allcroft. The franchise revolves around a railway, called the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Island of Sodor. The current title character of the franchise is Thomas the Tank Engine, an anthropomorphised steam locomotive, who works with other engines, including Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby and many others. The franchise began with stories told from Wilbert Awdry to his son. In 1984, it was turned into a television series, which spawned a reboot series, titled Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go.
Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins is a 2015 British animated adventure comedy film produced by HIT Entertainment and animated by Arc Productions. It serves as a prequel to the British television series, Thomas & Friends. It is based on the first two books of The Railway Series: The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine, which were previously adapted into the first seven episodes of the show's first season in 1984. It commemorates the 70th anniversary of The Railway Series, making it the first installment to officially adapt a Railway Series story since Series 4.
Thomas & Friends: The Great Race is a 2016 British animated musical comedy adventure film and feature-length special of the British television series, Thomas & Friends. The film was produced by HIT Entertainment and animated by Arc Productions.
Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor is a 2017 animated musical adventure film and feature-length special based on the British television series Thomas & Friends, based on The Railway Series by Wilbert Awdry. This is the first Thomas film to be produced by Mattel Creations and animated by Jam Filled Toronto. It was released on 22 August 2017 in the US and on 16 October 2017 in the UK.
Thomas & Friends is a children's television series about the engines and other characters on the railways of the Island of Sodor, and is based on The Railway Series books written by the Reverend W. Awdry.