Thomas and Friends

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.darkhorizons.com/marc-forster-to-helm-thomas-and-friends/

Cinema is saved! Marc Foster, director of Quantum of Solace and World War Z, is to helm a second attempt at making a big screen adaptation of the 24 series long Thomas the Tank Engine franchise.

Given the direction of the recent series expect a more global, slightly more actionful adaptation this time with less Alec Baldwin and still little exploration of the dark central premise of the shows conception.

[JazzFunk]

You know what? If this works out well, this could be the tonic we all need in 2020!!!

I'm hoping Ringo Starr's still extant (???)

I'm not sure because I don't buy his terrible, old-white-bloke-with-a-guitar-and-lots-of-time-on-his-hands kinda music.

But he did great as the voice of the train. THAT train...

(coughs)

THAT train!!!

His train...was a LEGEND!!!!

His Mancunian vocals are indispensable to the series and if he's not voicing that chuff-chuff, then I'm really not in!!!

[JazzFunk]

If he's not alive, they need a man in a skin to portray him.

[Pulstar]

The world could do without Hollywood at this point.

[QualityChimp]

If he's not alive, they need a man in a skin to portray him.

Can't help but think a man in a suit made of Ringo Starr's skin is going to terrify the target audience.

[JazzFunk]

^maybe them but deffo not me!!!!

[importaku]

first scenes pop up, choo choo

[Golgo]

You boys don't know your Thomas. Ringo Starr was a flash in the pan in the Thomas universe, a brief and forgettable side-show. The real titan of the Island of Sodor was Michael 'Boys from the Blackstuff' Angelis, who sadly is browners. And without him this film is a fool's endeavour.

[QualityChimp]

first scenes pop up, choo choo

[importaku]

Still can’t believe they went from wonderfully built sets and real trains of the original show to crap cgi, kids today got robbed.

[QualityChimp]

Still can’t believe they went from wonderfully built sets and real trains of the original show to crap cgi, kids today got robbed.

Totally agree with this. I try and show the old shows to the kids if I can, but only the newer ones seem to be streaming.
Showed Star Fleet to my son and he couldn't get his head around how they did it. "Are they real people?!"

At Drayton Manor Park & Zoo, they have a lovely Thomas Land section for kids where all the minor character get a ride like Cranky Crane, Bertie Bus, Bulstrode Tugboat, Harold Helicopter and (my fave) Terence the Tractor.

There's also a lovely automated model railway that's really lovingly made and the kids love watching the trains go round.

[Dogg Thang]

Look guys, I'm in the kids media business. I know all about why and how they made the switch from models to CG. I know people involved and the thing you need to understand about that switch is that, yeah, you're completely 100% right and the CG version lost all the soul. Every little bit of it. It's a zombie show.

[Neon Ignition]

It's nowhere near where it used to be but I do like that 30 years on it will still reference plots from the past that no modern kid has anyway of knowing about and also the new theme is kind of awesome. Format needs tightening up though

[Dogg Thang]

I don't know who is on it now but I know a couple of people who wrote on it for about a decade or so and those people are like Thomas encyclopedias.

[QualityChimp]

I definitely feel I have affinity with models and miniatures because of my love of TV shows like Star Fleet and Gerry Anderson's portfolio.

Yes, you can do so much more with CGI, but there's something that really appeals in these tiny worlds that clever people create.