Thomas and the Magic Railroad

Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)

Little Engines CAN Do Big Things...

Mr. Conductor's supply of magic gold dust, which allows him to travel between Shining Time and Thomas's island, is critically low. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to get more. Meanwhile, Thomas is fending off attacks by the nasty diesel engines. Getting more gold dust will require help from Mr. C's slacker cousin, his new friend Lily and her morose grandfather, plus the secret engine.

Date of release
2000-07-14
TMDB
5.4 / 10 (109)
Runtime
1h 26m
Genres
Family, Fantasy, Adventure, Comedy
Director
Britt Allcroft

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Based on: The Railway Series, Thomas & Friends, and Shining Time Station
  • Filmed in: Castletown railway station and Harrisburg Transportation Center

Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 fantasy adventure film written and directed by Britt Allcroft and produced by Allcroft and Phil Fehrle. The cast includes Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson, Didi Conn, Russell Means, Cody McMains, Michael E. Rodgers, and the voices of Eddie Glen and Neil Crone. The film is based on the British children's book series The Railway Series by Wilbert Awdry, its televised adaptation Thomas & Friends by Allcroft, and the American television series Shining Time Station by Allcroft and Rick Siggelkow.

Production

In the early 1990s, the character of Thomas the Tank Engine (adapted from the Wilbert Awdry's The Railway Series to the television series, Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, by Britt Allcroft) was at the height of his popularity following three successful series.

In 1995, Britt Allcroft was approached by Barry London, then vice-chairman of Paramount Pictures, with an idea for the Thomas film. On 20 February 1996, it was announced that production had begun, with the working title of Thomas and the Magic Railroad. London's interest is thought to have stemmed from his three-year-old daughter, who was enthralled by Thomas.

In the summer of 1998, during the fifth series of Thomas's production, Allcroft saw an advert for Isle of Man Film. They were offering tax incentives to companies wanting to film on the island. Allcroft visited and felt that the location was perfect. During that year, Barry London became chairman of the newly founded Destination Films (owned by Sony Pictures).

In addition to being a major studio and financial backer, Destination announced in February 1999 that they would distribute the film in the United States while handling a possible sales exchange in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Gullane Pictures would handle international sales rights in all other territories. In June 1999, Icon Film Distribution acquired the British distribution rights to the film from Destination.

In early August 1999, it was announced that Alec Baldwin, Mara Wilson, and Peter Fonda had joined the cast to play Mr. Conductor, Lily Stone, and Burnett Stone, respectively. David Jacobs, the former vice president of The Britt Allcroft Company, stated that Baldwin got involved in the project because his daughter Ireland was a fan of the series. Wilson would retire from acting shortly after the film's release.

Read on Wikipedia · Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Data from Wikidata.

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