Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins
The Adventure Begins is a 2015 CGI-animated 45 minute direct-to video special that serves as a prequel to the Thomas (the Tank Engine) & Friends television series. It is based on the first two books of The Railway Series: The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine. It commemorates the 70th anniversary of The Railway Series, making it the first installment to officially adapt a Railway Series story since Series 4.
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| Directed by | Don Spencer |
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| Screenplay by | Andrew Brenner |
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| Narrated by | Mark Moraghan |
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Running time | 45 minutes |
Joseph May and John Hasler take over the voice of Thomas the Tank Engine as new voice actor in the US and UK, respectively. Rob Rackstraw joins the US cast as James the Red Engine and Christopher Ragland takes the role of the Troublesome Trucks in the UK and US, respectively. It also co-stars the voices of Keith Wickham, Tim Whitnall, Teresa Gallagher, William Hope and Kerry Shale.[1]
Plot
Gordon is unhappy about having to pull goods trains and tells Edward that he won't have to pull them for much longer because Sir Topham Hatt, the railway's director/controller, is hiring a new engine. Later, Gordon becomes stuck at the foot of a steep hill with the Troublesome Trucks on the main line and Edward is sent to help him up the hill.Later, Edward is shunting at Knapford Station when he hears James talking to Thomas, Sir Topham Hatt's new tank engine. Gordon is rather skeptical of his size, which upsets him, until Sir Topham arrives and asks Edward to teach him how to work in the yard. Initially, Thomas manages to occasionally get in the way and sometimes causes minor accidents, which Gordon and James seem to sometimes find funny. He also cheekily whistles at Gordon one day while he is resting and wakes him up, much to Gordon's displeasure.
One stormy night at Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas meets Henry whom Edward tells the story about the time he hid in a tunnel to get out of the rain. The following day, Thomas is sent to the Sodor Steamworks where he is repainted blue and given the number 1. Gordon explains that the last No. 1 engine was a vertical-boilered engine called a coffee pot and orders Thomas to fetch his express coaches. Thomas accidentally tries to take two four-wheeled coaches called Annie and Clarabel, who belong to James. James later returns Annie and Clarabel to the yard, causing Thomas to notice a burning smell. Later, seeing Henry at the water tower, Thomas asks him about his fear of the rain.
The following day, Thomas takes longer to start than usual and arrives at Knapford with Gordon's coaches later than usual. Still cross with Thomas for waking him up, Gordon starts sooner than expected before Thomas can be uncoupled. By the time Gordon reaches Wellsworth, Thomas is worn out and is uncoupled. Back at Knapford the following day, Thomas meets Jerome and Judy, two cranes of the breakdown train while shunting in the yard. James arrives with a goods train and prepares to take Annie and Clarabel, while Thomas again notices the strange burning smell which is coming from James' wooden brake blocks.
The next morning, Henry isn't able to leave Tidmouth Sheds and Thomas, being the only engine left, is instead asked to pull his train. Unfortunately, Thomas starts too soon and leaves the coaches behind, much to Sir Topham Hatt's dismay. Thomas sadly returns and is coupled to the train, but the big engines tease him about it at Tidmouth Sheds later that night. Edward kindly offers to let Thomas take a goods train for him the next day. However, Thomas gets too excited to take Edward's advice about the Troublesome Trucks which leads him to almost have an accident. Sir Topham Hatt arrives and tells Thomas to learn about trucks and suggests that he should keep him in the shed if Thomas is not prepared to learn. He then orders Thomas and Edward to stay in the yard until Thomas knows enough about trucks as Edward does. During this time, Thomas manages to help Henry overcome his fear of rain.
Later, Thomas and Edward are working when a frightened James rushes by because the Troublesome Trucks are pushing him and causes his wooden brake blocks to catch fire. Thomas attempts to couple up behind James' train to slow him down, but the trucks' speed and weight cause James to derail on a bend before Thomas can couple up. Thomas returns to Knapford and fetches Jerome and Judy to rescue James who he takes to the Steamworks. Later that night, everyone congratulates Thomas and Sir Topham Hatt announces that after a couple repairs, James will have proper brakes and a new coat of paint and Thomas, due to his unselfish bravery and heroism, will have his own branch line. Everyone is happy for Thomas, except Gordon who asks who will fetch their coaches because tender engines don't shunt. Sir Topham says the other engines will have to fetch their own coaches until he finds another small engine who can.
A few days later, James returns to the yard with new brakes and a fresh coat of red paint and Thomas is given Annie and Clarabel to run his branch line. Arriving at Ffarquhar Station, he meets Glynn, the coffee pot engine who asks him to look after the branch line and wear the number 1 with pride. During the end credits, artwork from the "Railway Series" books are shown as the "Really Useful Engine" song plays.
Musical numbers
- He's a Really Useful Engine
- Troublesome Trucks
Cast
| Actor/Actress | Region | Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Moraghan | UK/US | Narrator |
| John Hasler | UK | Thomas |
| Joseph May | US | |
| Keith Wickham | UK | Edward, Henry, Gordon and James |
| UK/US | Glynn, Sir Topham Hatt/The Fat Controller (The Fat Director), Gordon's Driver, James' Guard, The Knapford Station Worker, Some Signalmen, Some Workmen, The Wellsworth Station Speaker, The Knapford Station Speaker, additional voices | |
| William Hope | US | Edward |
| Kerry Shale | Henry and Gordon | |
| Rob Rackstraw | James | |
| Teresa Gallagher | UK/US | Annie, Clarabel, Judy, A Station Speaker and some children |
| Christopher Ragland | Troublesome Trucks | |
| Tim Whitnall | Jerome | |
Critical reception
The special received generally positive reviews; Common Sense Media gave the film a 4/5, stating, "Expect infighting among some of the engines as personalities clash and a few fretful moments, but ultimately there are happy resolutions and increasingly strong friendships as a result."[2]
References
- "Thomas and Friends: The Adventure Begins (2015)". Walmart.com.
- "Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins - Movie Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
External links
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Wikiquote has quotations related to: The Adventure Begins |
- The Adventure Begins at Internet Movie Database