Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins

Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins is a 2015 British animated adventure comedy film and the eighth feature-length special based on the British television series Thomas & Friends. The film was produced and distributed by HIT Entertainment with animation production by Canadian-based Arc Productions. The film functions as a prequel to the show,^[1] and a retelling of the first two books of The Railway Series; The Three Railway Engines and Thomas the Tank Engine, as well as the first seven episodes of the first series. It was made to commemorate the 70th anniversary of The Railway Series, and was the first installment to officially adapt a story from The Railway Series since series 4. The film also saw John Hasler and Joseph May take over the voice role of Thomas the Tank Engine in the United Kingdom and the United States respectively.

The film was first released direct-to-video on DVD in the United States on 3 March 2015^[2] and in the United Kingdom on 27 July.

On the North Western, a railway on the Island of Sodor, a mixed-traffic locomotive named Edward works in the shunting yard beside Knapford Station. Gordon informs Edward that Sir Topham Hatt, the controller of the railway, has bought a new engine to arrange rolling stock in the shunting yard at Knapford. Express passenger engine Gordon informs Edward that Sir Topham Hatt, the director of the North Western Railway, has bought a new engine to arrange rolling stock in the yard. After helping Gordon up a steep hill, Edward meets the new engine, a tank locomotive named Thomas. Under Edward's mentorship, Thomas grapples with a slow brake response and crossing into the others' train lines. He also cheekily whistles at Gordon whenever the latter naps, thus waking Gordon up much to his annoyance. That night at Tidmouth Sheds, Thomas meets Henry, whom Edward tells the story about when he hid in a tunnel to avoid the rain, fearing it would ruin his green paintwork.

The following day, Thomas is sent to the Sodor Steamworks where he is repainted blue and assigned the number one. When Gordon orders Thomas to fetch his express coaches, Thomas nearly takes two branch line coaches named Annie and Clarabel. They belong to James, but take a swift liking to Thomas.

The following day, Thomas takes longer to start than usual and arrives late at Knapford with Gordon's coaches. Still cross with Thomas for waking him up, Gordon starts sooner than expected, disallowing Thomas from being uncoupled. A worn out Thomas is uncoupled from the train at the next station. The next day, Thomas accidentally disturbs two breakdown cranes named Judy and Jerome, who are used for emergencies only.

The next morning, Henry falls ill. Being the only engine available, Thomas is asked to pull his train instead. He starts too soon and leaves the coaches behind, much to Sir Topham Hatt and the passengers' dismay. Thomas solemnly returns to station and retries successfully, but the other engines tease him about it at Tidmouth Sheds that night. Edward offers to let Thomas take his freight train the next morning. He brushes off his advice about the trucks' mischief, and ends up going too fast and almost crashing because of them. Not approving of the swap, Hatt orders Thomas and Edward to stay in the yard until Thomas is educated on trucks. During this time, Thomas helps Henry overcome his fear of rain.

Sometime later, Thomas witness a runaway James speeding through the yard with a freight train; his brake blocks are on fire and he cannot stop. Thomas pursues James and attempts to stop him, but James crashes into a field. Thomas hurryingly brings Judy and Jerome to the crash site and helps to rescue James. As Thomas is congratulated that night, Hatt rewards him with his own branch line. Later on, James returns to the yard, painted red with new brakes, before Thomas departs with Annie and Clarabel. On his travels, Thomas meets Glynn the "coffee pot", who tells him to look after the branch line and wear his number with pride.

• Teresa Gallagher as Annie, Clarabel, and Judy
• Tim Whitnall as Jerome
• Keith Wickham as Glynn and Sir Topham Hatt
• Christopher Ragland as the Troublesome Trucks

• John Hasler as Thomas
• Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, and James

• Joseph May as Thomas
• William Hope as Edward
• Kerry Shale as Henry and Gordon
• Rob Rackstraw as James

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."^[3]

• Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins at IMDb
• Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins on YouTube (UK dub)
• Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins on YouTube (US dub)