The Thomas & Friends Movie That ALMOST Happened

[@Smyth_Films]

IMPORTANT FOOTNOTES AND MISC FACTS: - Josh Klausner did not write Shrek the Third; he just wrote additional material for the movie. - The only characters from the original series that would’ve appeared are the Steam Team. All of the other characters, including the diesels, are all new characters created for the movie. - Fun fact: The movie’s original title from the first draft was “Thomas the Tank Engine” before being changed to “The Adventures of Thomas” during pre-production. - I don’t have a copy of the first draft script; every bit of new info came from Josh himself. Even if I did, I couldn’t release it legally. - Please be respectful when talking about the crew members involved with the movie’s production! They were paid to do a job and while the movie didn’t go anywhere, they’re still people at the end of the day.

[@Colt3n29]

ok

[@kikihirosan]

yeah

[@prestonproductions7730]

It will be cool if you had the actual footage to it

[@Smyth_Films]

@@prestonproductions7730 There was no footage - the movie never made it to the filming stages.

[@tshilidzisharonmbedzi9366]

This was an awesome story

[@Calebtrain]

“Rejection can be God’s protection”

[@StationFilms12345]

"Truth words have never been spoken" Yeah not to sound like a grump but I think that the movie would probably ruin Thomas even more no wonders motel decided to cancel it

[@ms.intriga350]

I dont know what to say but i agree

[@TobyOliverHenryFan]

I cold heartedly agree with that. This movie definitely was going be a big splitting point for the fandom. So clearly the people making it had no idea what they were planning. But at least we now know what this movie was going to be about and that it was better it didn't come out. The community is split as it is. You always see some type of conflict, which is just sad.

[@ShiningTimeStudios475]

Indeed, and that's coming from a Christian 😊

[@IsleofPigsStudios]

100% agreed. This makes Magic Railroad look faithful to the source by comparison.

[@TheRealTrampy]

okay you know what maybe we dodged a missile actually

[@PannierLaw]

Missile? Feels more like we dodged a nuke

[@Thomasscoopbobsonic]

Nah, nah we dodged a BILLON nukes( even tho I rly like the ideas, this could’ve destroyed the franchise.)

[@Cashtron-d8b]

ye man we dodged a missile, this movie sounds like shit

[@blue_object]

Exactly this film would’ve made Magic Railroad look good if it was Canon

[@PannierLaw]

@@Thomasscoopbobsonic Honestly yeah the concepts here seem really fun Fantasy steampunk steam train world? Sign me up But it just ain’t Thomas

[@rhodrage]

"A world of just trains without people," Immediately not understanding the source material.

[@juliana.lymond2622]

*Source

[@rhodrage]

@@juliana.lymond2622 You think I spelt it like that on purpose?

[@juliana.lymond2622]

@@rhodrage I Was Trying To Fix The Error.

[@rhodrage]

@@juliana.lymond2622 oh no a slight spelling mistake in a youtube comment

[@friendlybear1118]

Thank you, i was thinking the exact same thing. No people, no point in being useful. And being a useful engine i literally all these trains care about.

[@TheUnluckyTug_official]

Fascinating! As cool as some of the ideas present here sound, seems like this movie would have fallen into some of the same trappings as Magic Railroad did. Doesn't seem like proper "Thomas" in any regard, but still an intriguing take on its world. It's definitely different! Thanks for sharing this info!

[@dylanlyles9453]

At least Magic Railroad didn't go that far on it to be all edgy. And another thing, P.T. Boomer is NOT all that useless! He should have been Diesel 10's owner/driver because engines CANNOT drive by themselves, especially NOT Diesel 10! Think about it

[@steamxd9654]

Maybe I think the movie with the word better if it was a sequel to Thomas and the Magic Railroad

[@dylanlyles9453]

@@steamxd9654 or maybe a realistic version of TATMR, without any magic or anything to do with Shining Time

[@steamxd9654]

@@dylanlyles9453 or maybe a the adventure begins style movie

[@dylanlyles9453]

@@steamxd9654 eh

[@Enterprisingengine93]

There is so much potential in a story where a human being looking for their place in the world has a life-changing experience on the island of sodor. These movies need people in them! Workers, passengers, leaders, relatable protagonists, everybody.

[@JoseFernandez-cd7ew]

Well, it's actually weird to think it's a fantasy world with only trains, and though something like that would've been cool, I still think it's weird because... why di they exist? Who built them? Why were they built?

[@dylanlyles9453]

You had me at "relatable protagonists".

[@nmuniz2]

French minecarts organizing a resistance against the diesels... You can't make this shit up

[@elijahstewart7937]

LMAO and military boats

[@CrazyFilms2024]

and a mountain girl/female trucker rotary snowplow

[@edm240b9]

And they are somehow equipped with Sten guns

[@llewelynshingler2173]

And yet somebody did... Thank you Mattel

[@llewelynshingler2173]

@AshishSaxena01 The Resistance in the real world was a figurativly underground movement, after all.

[@usualblokeluke]

This movie script is by no means a bad concept But it is not a good Thomas concept They almost made the same mistake Magic Railroad did, having Sodor be in its own universe separate from the real world

[@TrainsCatsOtherStories]

Too bad Mattel basically ended up making a similar mistake anyway with BWBA and AEG

[@MatthewMiranda-l2t]

Well, Aeg is a separate universe (ALSO, I'm Pretty The great race established Sodor as an independent country , with Bwba building off that)

[@BriceInkling138]

To me, the script for that movie feels like it was written for a different movie than a Thomas movie.

[@thatonecaledonian812]

I do think how this is a war but the war is solved by… A relay race

[@jmredguppy2799]

Yeah, again, the appeal of Thomas that it was treated like it was an ACTUAL place and not just a made up one.

[@ceciasa3376]

This was definitely NOT what I expected the plot to be about. I mean, when you hear the words "Thomas and Friends", "World War 2" and "Movie" in the same sentence, you would think "Oh cool! We're gonna get to see what Sodor was like during the world wars!" BUT NOPE!!! Instead we get the most bizarre plotline that makes TATMR look like a treat compared to this fever dream.

[@harizzafran7973]

This movie feels like it would be on the same level as Magic Roundabout or Doogle

[@LukeOfSodor22]

It makes magic railroad look like the railway series

[@FortheloveofThomas84]

To my surprise I think most of the script rehashes Thomas and the Magic Railroad

[@automan224]

What is it with Hollywood always placing these kids franchises in a separate world from our world Like what’s so wrong with putting the island off the coast of the UK instead of some far away fantasy land

[@stepneydr_n.5561]

Agree

[@toyotaprius79]

They don't GAF for lore

[@joshuahill6994]

Yeah doing something like what victor tanzig does where sodor was always kinds just... their, woulda been cool to see

[@kwayneboy1524]

It makes it more magical

[@trustno173]

Gee, I don't know, maybe because Sodor isn't real and there needs to be some explanation for kids as to why they can't just go there?

[@beno2002]

2 things I like are how Edward is the first engine the audience meets since he was the first engine created, and how the faces would have had the smokebox doors which I think is a cool idea. Other than that, this script just isn't Thomas, it's just a weird Train fantasy film that uses characters and goes against what the grounded elements that made the Railway Series appealing. Even the Hit Era was more grounded than this.

[@marcusthetenderengine699]

Yep, this sounds something that would fit something like Chuggington or something idk.

[@harizzafran7973]

And that’s saying a lot since the Hit Era includes Thomas getting stalked by a Giant Snowman

[@akintolashekoni4600]

​@@marcusthetenderengine699even chuggington isn't this over the top and unrealistic this is literally it's own thing at this point

[@gabes3dworldofficial]

Tbf the movie and shows are separate canons just like the magic railroad, that is it's own canon

[@Crafty-Cam1992]

I mean tatmr exists

[@isaiahtheclassichistorian]

I’m glad that we didn’t get this movie. Because despite having the characters in it, it doesn’t even feel like a Thomas film in the slightest

[@Thomasfan2025]

And those smokebox door faces would be creepy as hell not being the gray faces

[@kwayneboy1524]

​@@Thomasfan2025I think it could work but it would need tweaking and more of a cartoony look to it so it could be less uncanny. Maybe like have their eyes be lamps or something i dunno

[@Ezekiel.T]

It feels like a bootleg movie that's trying to be dark and ride of Thomas' success

[@Jediah-s6p]

@@Thomasfan2025the bob the builder style faces would look better

[@TH3_INFID3L]

Dude, that literally sounds like an amazing movie

[@Alzaar_The_Gunzel]

The fact *Puffing Bully* out of all trains was going to be in this is kinda funny

[@joshslater2426]

Sounds like he would’ve been an interesting character. As far as I know, Stephen is the only super old locomotive ever seen in the show, so seeing another would’ve admittedly been a cool sight.

[@parker-boy98]

​@@joshslater2426Stephenson's Rocket?

[@dylanlyles9453]

@@parker-boy98 Yes, have you not seen King of the Railway?

[@courtney3728]

He also was in Thomas and the great railway show: Book 38 of the railway series

[@littleferrhis]

Wait a minute. A child fleeing the blitz traveling to a small town and finding a character who leads them to a fantasy world that is at war with an evil army that the child can travel to and from throughout the movie...isn’t this just Narnia with trains?

[@Milesprowerboy5]

The Chronicles Of Sodor: The Child, The Steam And The Diesels

[@ildaargueta9]

The Adventures Of Thomas would basically have been Thomas and The Magic Railroad, but more realistic and have the diesels being portrayed as a certain squared mustached leader trying to take over sodor

[@gothnerd887]

I was thinking TAOT would be the dark yin to TATMRs light yang.

[@BriceInkling138]

This is pretty much what happens when you want Thomas to be this realistic...

[@SammySesame]

And a lot worse.

[@dylanlyles9453]

It's a rip-off of Magic Railroad

[@BriceInkling138]

@@dylanlyles9453 I can't say I blame you since the whole plot is Magic Railroad 2.0, but a worse version of the former.

[@magicrailstudios]

When Shrek the Third was mentioned I was bracing for the massive derailment of the plot.

[@rando_videos]

real...

[@thatoneguy609]

badum tssss

[@Nic_2751]

Ha

[@Wildcatt1999]

Fr fr

[@dylanlyles9453]

@@Wildcatt1999 Hey, you're the person who made that Thomas video about Disney Channel! I love how you included Milo Murphy's Law, Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja, and Wander Over Yonder, the three underrated gems of Disney TVA!

[@dmman33]

The core drama/lesson of the whole series: Machines don’t change. People do. THAT is the core of the story! Start there.

[@dominicvanderlin3522]

The minute Shane mentioned that it was a world without people made me roll my eyes in my head.

[@harizzafran7973]

I found it weird how Cars (which had no humans at all) when ever it’s parodied always featured some for of Human character while Thomas (which only had 1 movie where the Humans weren’t prominent) and yet THEY are seen as the weird show that has no Humans

[@AmirPrinceling]

Thank god it didn't come to fruition, cause man the Director just had little-to-no understand of the series in actuality, clearly.

[@fabionoronhazampieri7639]

Magic railroad haters: oh shit! Here we go again

[@automan224]

@@harizzafran7973that’s because in cars the characters are shown to not need humans to operate, plus they tend to do things themselves such as feeding themselves or putting in their own gas Meanwhile Thomas (at least before the AEG reboot) are machines that while alive still need humans to operate, they can’t move or feed themselves without human interactions

[@harizzafran7973]

@@automan224 no I get that I just don’t get why despite this, Cars is parodied to have humans while Thomas (most of the time) is not and humans are barely mentioned

[@_crankster]

I love both the realism and fantasy of Thomas and this film would've basically been some weird hybrid with it looking realistic, but also being the most... imaginative shall we say.

[@drdewott9154]

Yeah. Like with Thomas there is a very clear way that they pick what to make whimsical and what to make realistic. Like the vehicles can talk, have grey faces and move on their own and have their own mind and the general atmosphere is joyful, but everything else is pretty realistic in the original series all things considerd. This however kinda flips the whole thing on its head, where the trains themselves appear more realistic and the story much darker and grittier but the world around it being weirdly whimsical and crazy in design. Like its almost a complete 180 in philosophy.

[@LePenguin]

@@drdewott9154 It would've been a very weird clashing of tones, like Rock and Rule or Small Soldiers

[@ShockwaveFPSStudios]

Even as someone who likes the fantasy aspect the Original TV Series had, this first draft sounds like if Zack Snyder directed a Narnia Movie pretending to be a Transformers ripoff. Like when I think of the Fantasy aspect of Thomas, I think of it more like Winnie the Pooh or Wizard of Oz, not Narnia or Lord of the Rings level of fantasy.

[@gothnerd887]

8:06 I can picture it now; It's the finale if the film, all seems lost then a whistle is heard and Gordon comes thundering to the finish line while triumphantly shouting "EXPRESS COMING THROUGH!" And an orchestral version of his theme blares.

[@Redjintyman]

This would’ve been epic af

[@scarfypines]

I think child me would’ve lost my shit seeing this scene

[@StanBlankPlushelodeon]

As cool as that would be, there’s no way this movie would’ve featured the Mike and Junior themes in the score. I can picture this movie having a John Debney or Harry Gregson-Williams score.

[@becdoesyoutube]

@@StanBlankPlushelodeon or Hans Zimmer.

[@pikachuthebananasplit9061]

I would have been bawling my eyes out if that happened

[@TankEngine97]

After hearing the overall plot of the movie... it sounds more like a Thomas fanfic you would find on KZbin. Heck it sounds like a more steam punk esk version of Magic Railroad with Sodor being a seprate world but minus humans. However, I will say that it's great to know all this new information on the overall plot of the film, from someone who actually worked on the movie. And the visual interpretations look really good. Kudos to the people behind those. All that's left to find is the concept art and the script. All of which was said to be completed. An overall well done video. 👍

[@dylanlyles9453]

It wasn't the human plotline that was the problem, it was Sodor being a separate world

[@Sudriantank743]

​@@dylanlyles9453 and the dumb face redesigns, etc

[@dylanlyles9453]

@@Sudriantank743 are you talking about Magic Railroad or this?

[@ABellEngine]

​@@dylanlyles9453 Most likely the cancelled movie.

[@dylanlyles9453]

@@ABellEngine oh okay

[@TheMrtraintrack]

Somehow what Thomas & the Magic Railroad did still felts like a major compliment to Thomas since it was created by Britt Alcroft. This just feels like it was trying to hook onto Transformer's Movie feel. Thank God for this not becoming a thing. And i just hope to God that Marc Foster movie will be good

[@thomasnwrengine4936]

At least Magic Railroad felt like Thomas if you ignored all the human scenes

[@joshuaW5621]

On one hand I feel bad that a lot of Shane Acker’s projects were cancelled, but on the other hand I find it interesting that his most well known film 9 was done by the same studio that would go on to animate Thomas around the time his Thomas film was cancelled.

[@edd17sp74]

When the first character to appear was Edward, I thought “Oh, cool. That’s kind neat. Giving the original character a little time in the spotlight. Before Thomas inevitably shows up.” And then boy oh boy did it go downhill quickly from there! Thank goodness that movie didn’t get made.

[@LaBellesGrace]

Honestly sounds like someone watched TATMR and was like “what if WWII, edge and realism??” Even some of the scenes are a near direct copy with the chase scene, reveal of a missing engine, the parental figure not believing in magic until a child close to them shows them, and going into the sunset with Thomas at the end. Interesting…

[@exveefan]

I kind of figured the Steam vs Diesel would be an allegory for WW2 conflict somehow in the movie's plot. Steam being the British invention. Diesel of course a Germany invention.

[@vaclavmacgregor2464]

Brilliant

[@loganmcpherson6873]

Does this look like an entirely unfaithful interpretation of the original story and characters? Yes. Do I still wish I could’ve seen it, yeah

[@ashleygayming]

Insane how they wanted to make new characters instead of. going back and looking at the large collection of characters.

[@apersonnamedjune]

To be fair this IS HiT Entertainment

[@gumballguy34]

they had toys to sell

[@BringMayFlowers]

Imagine Bear as an analogue to a German resistance fighter.

[@Signerdragon123]

The face aesthetic description (and the mention of everyone at one point in toys to movie department wanting to hop on the 2007 Transformers movie trend) amongst other aspects gives me the vibe that this would've been a juniorized version of a Bayverse take on Thomas.

[@Trainsandanimationstv]

To think that Mattel (the company we all hate now), stopped this film from happening is actually kind of a blessing. As you said, this film most likely would have failed miserably and could have killed the franchise, but it seems like Mattel saved it before it was too late so, big win for you Mattel! Lol

[@Keaness]

All Engines Go exists, has any franchise when it’s already just a cash cow really been killed by a bad movie ?

[@MatthewMiranda-l2t]

Aeg is a completely separate canon so that's fine

[@SalmanMentos]

Early mattel was goated Such a shame to what they did now

[@WaywardRailroad]

It’s like they were trying to adapt Thomas in the same way Transformers was adapted. Kinda mind blowing.

[@vaclavmacgregor2464]

Except it fit with Transformers whereas this would be very unfitting for the show and series as a whole

[@jayo1212]

With a bit of Cars and the original Super Mario Bros. movie mixed in...

[@Lt_Gonzo]

You know what? Considering the travesty that is Shrek the Third, I'm not surprised at how off the wall the script was. Some writers are just not suited to adapting existing material.

[@LukeOfSodor22]

Josh clausner didn't write Shrek the third he just added extra material

[@TankEngineMedia]

As much as I like to see a realistic take on Thomas, I think I’m fine that this Thomas movie was never made. The more and more this script goes on, the more ridiculous and insane it becomes. It had a ton of potential to be so good but it would’ve been an absolute box-office failure, as a separate movie it does sound interesting but as a Thomas movie it just wouldn’t work

[@blue_object]

I think we all owe Tatmr a BIG Apology

[@SpamcamStudios199]

Yea

[@IsleofPigsStudios]

I think I owe TATMR, MIR, AEG, and Marvelous Machinery a HUGE apology.

[@courtney3728]

@@IsleofPigsStudios and DOTD and BWBA.

[@IsleofPigsStudios]

@@courtney3728 DOtD yes, but I don’t hate the BWBA era as much as most fans. It’s no Brenner Era or Classic Era, but I did find enjoyment from it. Same with the BWBA film.

[@YessiEspantasADios]

​@@courtney3728you're being too geneous there

[@andrewwillis7165]

We dodged a bullet. This movie has the same major problem as Magic Railroad. In the original books and early seasons, the Island of Sodor was a real place we could go and visit. Real life events inspired the stories. Engines getting stuck in ditches, mines, and even going through a wall a station isn’t that far fetched because they actually happened. The only thing that was unrealistic was the engines being able to talk. For some reason, Magic Railroad and this movie felt that Sodor had to be this magical place that existed in some other dimension.

[@survivingworldsteam]

I agree. As the Unlucky Tug said, that was what made TTTE so enjoyable not just for kids, but for adults as well. Like you said, the engines had faces, but otherwise the stories and props were very believable. After TATMR, they stopped trying to appeal to teenagers and adults and turned it into something that only existed in fantasy and appealed to kids. But I think taking away that element of believably was bad for appealing to kids as well; it became just another kid's story like Chuggington and Bob the Builder and lost the appeal that made it special. This movie sounds like it was the worst of both worlds. It would not have been very believable, but it would not have been appealing to kids either. I am not sure what the audience would have been, other than those who watched the Transformers and Avengers movies.

[@johnthechoochooaddict796]

Now, the Marc Forster movie could either end up like this movie, redeem the franchise, or be a complete failure that could kill the Thomas franchise altogether.

[@Keaness]

It’s dead, it’s taken on a new identity. If it’s bad it’ll just be like dancing on the franchises grave

[@gameoholic1994]

It's been, what, 4 years since the Marc Forster announcement? And I still see no progress. I gave up on it a long time ago.

[@whytheheckarewedoinginhere1886]

Gives some time, you never know what Marc has in store, as they say "better be safe then sorry, or let it cook" beside, I'm very glad to hear the New Thomas Movie coming soon, so I'm very excited about it.

[@merlinandmurdoch7837]

@@gameoholic1994 @keanes8608 It is not cancelled, Mattel Films was making the Barbie movie, and now they are working on the Bob the Builder movie.

[@zacharykim436]

@VikingTrainTop Gun Maverick was announced in 2010, but it took 12 years to actually release it. Same goes with Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water. It took years in the making

[@ThomasTheorist]

Thank you for showing us this!

[@DIDYOUDO5778]

hi

[@trevortyrrell175]

I can't help but feel like had this been released this would have killed the franchise.

[@Playeraazul]

Me too

[@CrazyGWR57XXmanufacturer]

Yea, yea. But the guy himself stated that it was a "First Draft concept", meaning it could of changed along the way.

[@BronyumHexofloride]

what? kill it more that All Engines Go has already? that would be quite the challenge

[@BringMayFlowers]

I have no room to comment as a RWS purist boomer, but I dunno, I feel like it was already losing steam fast.

[@JonathanAsiamah]

On paper, The Adventures of Thomas has a fascinating plot, buuuuut I'm secretly glad it wasn't made from the draft alone.

[@lukespillman1313]

I gotta say, this Thomas movie being cancelled was bittersweet.

[@JAdg75oo00]

I mean yeah on the one hand, this is only a rough draft and I'm sure with some pushback and some creative criticism we could have changed it into something more thomas-like and it would be kind of cool seeing new characters in the Thomas style as long as the old ones are portrayed correctly. But on the other my first response after reading this script. What........ the.... hell this isn't Thomas. It was never going to be Thomas. They need humans there Trains that just so happen to speak they still need to be maintained and " fed" by people. That's the point. But just like Derrick said, I would actually love to see this in another train movie. A whole world dedicated to trains. Perhaps a huge gigantic spider web like network of short lines and main lines could be quite promising. And perhaps we could try something new other than the steam versus diesel conflict because I do know guys that actually like diesel and are sorry that they replace steam and if we were ever to find a way to bring steam back we have their full support. Perhaps get all the steam locomotives in preservation in the world right now and have them come together to do this movie. It would be incredible and be a love letter to locomotives altogether, for their years of service The abilities they still have, would be great. So you're right, this really is bittersweet at least we'll always look it back on it and think what might have been.😊🙂🚂

[@survivingworldsteam]

@@JAdg75oo00 that sounds sort of like what @SilverBand7 does with his "Thomas and the Railtours" videos, and does quite well I must add.

[@ilovetrains323]

Wow Derek, A really well put together video! Very reminiscent of something by big documentary channels like Defunct-land. I'm glad to finally hear what the movie was going to be about, even If it would've been a bit controversial with in the fandom. The steampunk-y style though reminds me a lot of your old drawings of Thomas and Percy, which probably would have been better designs anyway. Once again, great work on the video and the amount of research you would've had to do for it. Take care!

[@visionarylocomotiveworks9703]

I'm really happy to see you got to make something so impressive. I can tell a lot of hard work went into making this and congrats on getting Josh to agree to share his resources. Your video work here is not only so well done, it's extremely entertaining. Also a big pat on the back to Fabian and Andrew for bringing their artistic touches to the project. Truth be told, there IS a good story buried somewhere under all the nonsense. Like a man who learns to rekindle the best parts of his youth through the trains? That's absolutely great! But then the stupid diesels vs. steam trope rears its ugly head and the Nazi symbolism...boy we really dodged a bullet not getting this greenlit. Actually makes me happy Mattel snapped up Thomas because Hit...dear lord, what were they smoking? P.S. Thanks for NOT using any crappy gen-AI for this and instead getting real artists to help.

[@Turbo711]

I’m still so shocked that we got this close to getting something like this. Thanks for sharing BTS snippets with me as you worked;) I really want to see more Thomas content from you!

[@trainboy7]

Wow. For once, Mattel made a smart move on canceling this film. I only hope that the one being directed by Marc Forster would be better.

[@kimberlyolaluv]

have we even heard anything recent about the marc forster one? last time i heard something about it was in 2020

[@trainboy7]

@@kimberlyolaluv As of the half of 2024, it’s still in production.

[@kimberlyolaluv]

@@trainboy7 damn its taking forever 😭

[@merlinandmurdoch7837]

@@kimberlyolaluvThey are making the Bob the Builder movie, and Barbie’s movie took fourteen years.

[@lightningstudios3630]

On one hand, this sounds like it would’ve been an absolute mess and I’m glad we never got it On the other hand, this sounds like it would’ve been an absolute mess and I’m sad we never got it because it would’ve been really really funny

[@oryan210]

The Thomas Cinematic Universe was stolen from us....

[@matese1912]

More like we were saved from it

[@MatheusCHP]

Back in the day, i thought this movie is something that the entire fandom would love to see and cherish with the unique story. Now seeing the "First Draft" of the movie... I'm kinda thankful that this was doomed.

[@IAmEvilTree]

I agree with you, a few good ideas but I'm glad it was scrapped. The WWII evacuation setting and angle intrigues me and I wonder what a rethink of that might be. Following a child or group of children as they're evacuated to Sodor (which is in the real world), maybe even taken in by the Sir Topham Hatt of that era, could be both an interesting angle to view the island and a good way to frame exposition. Maybe take inspiration from the Railway Children but look at the evacuations with a modern understanding. I wouldn't have any antagonists, just the trains, children, and how they adjust to their new normal. Maybe have talk of the war in the background as something going on, maybe have a season finale episode featuring an air raid by the Nazis and how the characters respond to that, but no "antagonists" like what's pitched here. You could have some genuine emotional moments here. The children worried for their families back home, the engines doing their best in such trying times, the war economy hitting Sodor, maybe even Hatt opening up about his own son on the frontlines. There's some good storytelling potential there.

[@LittleRedToyota]

OF COURSE the plot must be "steamies good, diesels bad".....

[@Kaidhicksii]

Steamies embody the romance of rail. Diesels not so much. XD

[@LittleRedToyota]

@@Kaidhicksii I work at a heritage railway. We have both diesels and steamers. We see the charm in both. The place would be a lot harder to run without the diesels, so nobody would deem them as less useful or less valuable here. If the only plot you're able to come up with is rivalry based on fuel, you're not a very good writer IMO.

[@Thomasfan2025]

@@LittleRedToyotathem writers don’t know the good diesels like salty Mavis BoCo daisy Derek or Dennis

[@LittleRedToyota]

@@Thomasfan2025 They are not good writers if they're not able to come up with a different plot than the typical, overused steamies VS diesels plot, for a movie set during WW2... WW2, there should be a lot to write about there.

[@MatecaCorp]

The race conflict parallel is particularly ironic considering the mustache man thing

[@eslm-studios2996]

Suddenly, the Magic Railway film doesn't seem as bad as it did. If this turned out to be the final film, I reckon it would have divided the fanbase more so than the HIT and CGI Eras did. I'm honestly hoping that the rumoured film Marc Forster's developing is a little more lighthearted and a little more, you know, Thomas.

[@dylanlyles9453]

Exactly!

[@Keaness]

At least it would have been more teen/adult focused.

[@Keaness]

Oh and probably less American.

[@dylanlyles9453]

@@Keaness I think it should've been a realistic adaptation of TATMR, but without any magic or anything else that has to do with Shining Time Station

[@Wildcatt1999]

Let's just hope the Forster Movie, whenever that comes out, doesn't repeat the same mistake TATMR made and what New Adventures ALMOST did

[@Its_PacFan]

As much as I like the idea of a Thomas movie containing much more realistic designs for the engines,, Yeah I think we actually dodged multiple nuclear bombs with this one (like did they learn NOTHING from TATMR??????)

[@BlueOJLeader17]

Man, I wish The Adventures of Thomas could have been a reality. Not because I think the movie would have been good, but because it's so weird and fascinating. And it makes me wonder what an alternate timeline where this movie came out would have looked like. Would the later drafts have fixed many of the problems? How would have the movie been received? How much of the TV show would been affected? Oh well. Maybe it have been bad, maybe it would have been alright, or maybe it would have been an ironic enjoyment. There's no way to know I guess. Great video man!

[@LePenguin]

The faces would've been morphed onto the smokebox doors? That just sounds horrific. Coupled with the very Magic Railroad sounding plot, I'm honestly glad this didn't make it very far.

[@MrNoUsername]

(LONG COMMENT!) Okay that was… Interesting. I want to talk about the good parts first I think the setting of WW2 is a great start as we barely if not ever really got any stories of what happened on Sodor during WW2. The two characters moving to the father’s childhood home and Johnny finding the father’s drawings is such a nice reference to Awdry’s childhood (house near a railway) and his drawings. Edward being the first engine introduced is nice too being the first character created by Awdry I think the realistic portrayals of the engines is one big fat check in our books. We’ve all wanted to see the engines in real life and with these digital models being based on the actual designs of their respective basis, I think we all would’ve loved to see that. The character of Squeak is uh, interesting. Not much to say on that. I will admit. Seeing Gordon save the day would be absolutely AWESOME. I do like the end shot where the father and son drive off on Thomas into the distance. A beautiful ending Now for the bad parts. The story begins to derail and fall apart when Edward takes Johnny to Sodor. Just like how the magic railroad is a magical dimension, Sodor is a seperate dimension to real life in this movie too (kind of reminiscent of The Island Song stating something similar, “a land of make believe”). Heck, they may have taken inspiration from that. Using Puffing Billy is such a HUUUUGE missed opportunity to use Skarloey or Neil! What the heck is with HiT and the steamy vs diesel conflict? Why do they like to do it so often? Like, come on! There’s obviously more downsides. But ultimately, what I think lets this movie down (the first draft of it at least) is the big factor of what lead to Magic Railroad’s poor reception in the first place. The lack of realism. As Unlucky Tug states, Thomas was held in such a high regard because of how slower and realistic it was compared to all the other fast flashy kids shows of the 80s. And even in the original RWS books, the artists don’t illustrate the engines doing impossible feats and instead operate just like how normal trains would. “A world of trains without people” literally makes no sense. Trains exist FOR people. People to transport their goods and themselves to other places. Trains by themselves are useless if there’s nothing to transport. Even Chuggington knows that! If you take all that away, engines still need workmen to manufacture and repair them and a crew to drive them. So either way, you can’t have one without the other. There surely has to be SOME sort of real life connection to Sodor than just “otherworldly caves and waterfalls” such as the already established rolling bridge over the Walney channel. SO MUCH WASTED POTENTIAL. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against Magic Railroad-esque headcannons for Sodor. Like what you like, do whatever. It’s just not for me. I prefer to stick to the universe already established by the Awdrys. Even though this is just the first draft, flawed as it is, it still stings me to say, I think they made the right call cancelling it. “This had the potential to either be the greatest thing ever, or another repeat of Magic Railroad” - Unlucky Tug And, in my opinion, I sadly think the latter is more likely the case here.

[@pikachuthebananasplit9061]

I would have payed good money for Neil to be in this They could have finally given Neil a chance on the big screen since the show never gave Neil that opportunity much like Bear and Wilbert and the Culdefel engines

[@Enginefan020]

Thank you for making this video and shedding some light on this never-to-be film from years past. I remember I was so excited when the announcements for this came out back in the early 2010s and super-intrigued by a WWII Thomas film. Looking back now after watching this video, I think we really dodged a bullet with this one. Some of the concepts of this movie reflects that of Thomas and the Magic Railroad with the inclusion of "A world of trains without people" and having a more human-centered storyline rather than a focus on the engines.

[@theislandofsodorfilmstudio4975]

It's really cool that we finally know what the story was. Truthfully, I feel this version of the story wouldn't be received well especially the way they were going to design the engines. Not only that I also feel It's a little similar to magic railroad's story, but hey it's an early version of the story. However, I actually think this story was wonderful and something I would like to see more of in Thomas. You did a really good job with this video. Now we finally know the full story of this cancelled movie thanks to you.

[@SodorCentral_]

I think it is safe to say that we should all apologise to All Engines Go. Because we certainly have dodged a pretty huge bullet. Great video, by the way!

[@thatspideyfan8273]

you have become a legend, you found out what the movie was about!!! i can sleep well knowing what was gonna be "the adventures of thomas"

[@Jadand247]

This video was so entertaining, great job on it Derek! We definitely dodged a bullet, haha.

[@MeneerEnMevrouwTrein]

What a rollercoaster of a video! Before watching this, I was like "Yeah yeah.. The old story of the sadly cancelled realistic Thomas movie we barely know anything about for the 10th time. But it is perfect for some background noise." And then you revealed that you have the outline for the entire story. "Wait WHAT?! This is going to be epic!!" But it turned out to be basically The Magic Railroad 2 and now I am very mixed if I should be happy or sad that this movie was cancelled.

[@dakotahsmith5480]

Why would they make the tv show for preschoolers but then turn around and try to make this? That would have been the most infuriating part of the whole thing to me

[@venomousbunny9875]

Because teenagers are a more profitable market

[@becdoesyoutube]

I think the movie was trying to cash in on the success of Michael Bay's Transformers.

[@eduardolima-t9o]

Thomas is for all ages

[@leogio8093]

this sounds like magic railroad in some aspects. The whole dimensional aspect, no people in the Thomas realm, the over-use of actual people in the plot, and new bombastic villain. etc. I’m glad we weren’t graced with those admittedly awful design ideas. Save those for the KZbin content where it would make more sense

[@dylanlyles9453]

It's a rip-off

[@ryangriffin5362]

it's so interesting how the adaptations (and I use that term loosely) of thomas where they insists sodor is a magical people-free world also tend to make a random person we don't care about the center of the entire story.

[@ryangriffin5362]

So this movie had an insane, borderline incoherent plot, totally deviated from the source material to the point of being unrecognizable , and all the engines would have looked genuinely terrifying.... We dodged a bullet (missile? Nuclear weapon?) there lol. Everyone say thank you to Mattel.

[@JTrailroadinboi12]

We really dodged a bullet with this one Not a bullet, a fricken nuke! We dodged nuke

[@skandto]

are you serious? the Thomas fandom wants this so badly. maybe a different plot but we want a live action SERIOUS ADULT thomas film so badly

[@JTrailroadinboi12]

@@skandto I’m sorry but live-action Thomas movie just doesn’t sound like a good idea for the franchise given how this one might have turned out

[@JTrailroadinboi12]

Maybe something else could work, but this film just sounds terrible

[@dylanlyles9453]

@@JTrailroadinboi12 Agreed. Live action is so overused these days. An animated theatrical Thomas movie would've been better if it was REALLY Thomas

[@Trainboy452]

A live action Thomas movie could work (since the stories are based on realistic events), but maybe not like what this canned movie planned.

[@vengefuljester2090]

Is it just me, or did that plot description just sound like the first Narnia book/movie? Escaping a war, travel to a magic place, the whole resistance/war plot. Smoke is just the White Witch. Gordon presumed missing for years, and showing up at the climax is just Aslan. They literally just tried doing Narnia with Thomas characters.

[@AnimalsVehiclesAndMore]

The Unlucky Tug once said, in his video about pieces of lost Thomas media, "Of all the entries on this list, this one probably stings the most, because, man, we were robbed here." However, after you described the plot, I'm not sure how Tug would've reacted if this movie actually did come out (one of us will probably have to make the movie ourselves in Trainz or something). However, I am still very curious about the status of the live-action Thomas movie directed by Marc Forster. It was announced way back in late 2020, and we've hardly heard anything about it since then.

[@joshuaW5621]

Tbf, I could see this working if it wasn’t a Thomas movie.

[@animatetrioj1507]

@@joshuaW5621like if it was fan work not connected to the canon or the franchise indefinite

[@joshuaW5621]

@@animatetrioj1507 that could potentially work too.

[@kimberlyolaluv]

praying someone makes it in trainz

[@thesudriana016]

It's neat to uncover some lost media including this - but by its plot, this is really a poorly cash-grab of Magic Railroad. And the engines' faces being like this? Just no! The gray faces are what I prefer being so warm, comforting and assuring in a world of escapism (even if in childhood, those shocked faces can be scary on first viewing until getting much older and learning of the expressions). Also, no humans on Sodor, not even STH existing in this - yeah, they didn't appear in MRR, but they STILL acknowledged the authority figure's presence as he and his wife are on holiday. I can understand why the Sodor humans didn't appear going by the fact they were going for live-action actors so seeing them next to an inanimate human/animal figure wouldn't be settling to the viewer's perspective. In short, I'm glad the film didn't go to fruition cause that'll just cause even more disturbing aspects for a lot of fans and people. Nonetheless, you really did a great analysis on the film's backstory!

[@dylanlyles9453]

I agree! The plot of The Adventures of Thomas is just a stupid edgy take on Thomas and a rip-off of Magic Railroad! It reminds me of the 1993 Super Mario Bros. Movie. At least Magic Railroad didn't go that far on it.

[@elsarules2870]

I'm not going to lie, this sounds like a fun movie that I would love to see! Though I do agree that it is not really a Thomas movie as it is. Obviously, they could make it a train movie, and that would be cool! But they could also make it more Thomas themed by adding people. Maybe it's a takeover by a foreign military or corporation, or maybe it's a strategic plan to cause problems to the country that owns Sodor (maybe it's their main coal supplier). Either way, this definitely seems to have the most potential, and I hope someday it either gets a second look, or a fan gets permission to make it as a fan film!

[@mikeyhasfuntoo9164]

Expectation: Thomas fighting in WW2 with a child Reality: Fantasy steampunk film with M A G I C *again*

[@oscarguerrero178]

There’s some interesting ideas, and I love that we meet Edward first and the idea of how the story would reunite a child with their father but… Yeah it was definitely for the best that this ended up scrapped. I would like to see the futuristic steampunk setting be used for another non-Thomas movie though. Or it could still work for Thomas if it was dialed back a bit.

[@Fnaffan777]

I think this film is very similar to The Magic Railroad where, as its own thing, it’s not half bad and has interesting concepts. But as a Thomas Movie, it would’ve not been perceived well by fans and audiences. I don’t even hate the redesigns for the characters’ faces, it’s a pretty clever way at making them more “realistic” looking while also feeling similar to the Transformers redesigns for those movies. Great video!

[@NewKnightmare]

Absolute fire! Great editing, pace and really interesting stuff, knocked it out of the park dude! 🔥🤘

[@MasterSanders]

Part of the problem of Magic Railroad is that it had a bizarre tone and took itself way too seriously. I feel like this movie would have the same problem, albeit to a greater degree. Seems like it would have felt like Transformers, causing even more confusion for the audience.

[@nzardoin]

This is literally amazing. Thanks so much for doing the hard work and finding out what the plot of the movie would’ve been. I appreciate you.

[@drivr3joe]

Good god this would’ve speed ran the end of the franchise. But seeing the way things are now, it might have been a great idea.

[@nukemanthe501ststormtroope5]

Hey divr3joe! whats up?

[@bendevos2261]

When I first heard of this movie in the early 2010s, I thought this would be a Railway Series accurate movie and the father and son would be Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher and I was disappointed this movie was canceled but after hearing more about the plot of this movie and knowing it was gonna have some outlandish concepts including ones I find very objectionable, I'm now glad this movie never got off the ground. I mean, Sodor being a far away distant land in another realm? A fantasy world entirely inhabited by trains and no human whatsoever? Not even Sir Topham Hatt. A train city inhabited by diesels? And characters completely made up for the movie? Not even the actual diesels from the actual series? I'm not even OK with having Emily in the movie. If there is gonna be a new theatrical Thomas movie, I expect a Thomas/RWS version of the Winnie the Pooh movie Christopher Robin, not Lord of the Rings with trains. Mattel appointed Marc Forster, the guy who directed Christopher Robin to be the director and producer of a new Thomas movie in the works and maybe this will be the Christopher Robin of Thomas.

[@Keaness]

I honestly hope they hold back until movies can be made without constant identity politics.

[@railfandepotproductions]

​@@Keanessyou do know that most of the TTTE fanbase is left leaning and most good media has left leaning messaging

[@AmirPrinceling]

​@keanes8608 God yes, the last straw for me would be if they shoved identity politics into Thomas, now that would be unforgivable.

[@AmirPrinceling]

​@@railfandepotproductionsI'm not sure about that. I guess there are more left leaning fans these days, but the franchise has primarily conservative messaging/politics. It being as grounded as it is played a factor in it getting as big as it did.

[@railfandepotproductions]

@@AmirPrinceling really?

[@gabinatorproductions8979]

Thank you So So So much for sharing this 🙏🤩 I can now see why the project was abandoned. knowing Shane Ackner’s work with his movie 9; a movie about living Ragdolls set in a post-apocalyptic world after a war with machines, Thomas and the others’ design and Sodor’s could have been a bit “scary” for children and an disturbing to those older people who grew up with Thomas. Even TATMR stayed close enough true to the original!

[@FictionalADDON]

If we’re going through the character design I realize that the faces shared the same style as Shane Acker’s 9 stitchpunk characters

[@joshuaW5621]

Now I’m imagining how this realistic E2 Thomas would look with goggle eyes.

[@supermariof0521]

So basically its "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" meets "Sonic Foces". Now I know why Mattel stepped in.

[@SparklingJam]

Nah more like sonic satam + tatmr

[@supermariof0521]

@@SparklingJam Which now reminds me of that really old parody video called "Sonic and the Magic Forest Road". Its basically just footage of Sonic cartoons spliced with TATMR audio. It's just as lazy as as it sounds.

[@DaveTheRetroGuy]

More like cars 2 meets Thomas

[@JimmyProductions]

This makes Thomas and the Magic Railroad look like it came straight from God. Man am I glad that this NEVER happened. I feel bad for Reverend Awdry as his work has completely disintegrated in modern Thomas. This, oh, this would have completely RUINED the franchise though. It removes key characters, it completely re-writes sodor, and its plot has been done before. Only thing that I actually enjoy about this is how it would have used the real-life basis for the engines, as seen with how they made Thomas into an actual E2.

[@jacksontheexperimentalk2728]

The fact that we dodged a whole missle is insanity

[@PathwateFilms]

ALMOST happened! But never did . . . This was a great video to watch! In fact, I was actually surprised to see that there are now more info out there about this movie that was supposed to happen. Fantastic video, Derek! I can imagine what this movie would've been like if it actually happened!

[@Dat_1_Guy_Ethan]

Agreed that this would’ve been a fun film if Thomas ever becomes public domain

[@JerpyTH]

We may dodged another American Godzilla situation, but I still would've loved to see this movie.

[@harrisonallen651]

At long last, we finally got an official idea of what The Adventures Of Thomas was going to be like. The whole World War Two story and the father and son separation is something we knew far too long. The island of Sodor being portrayed as a dystopian fantasy world sounds something completely unlike the series we all know and love, not to mention the iconic grey faces being replaced with physically attached smoke box doors is quite unsettling to most of us Thomas fans. Such a shame too that The Fat Controller wasn’t going to appear in the movie like Magic Railroad, and I’m honestly glad we never got the movie because it would’ve ruined the franchise’s reputation even more before Mattel came along and purchased the brand. Speaking of Mattel, back in October 2020, it was announced that World War Z director Marc Forster would be directing a new live action film based on the Thomas for Mattel’s new film division - simply called “Mattel Films”. Thanks to the success of the Barbie movie last year, without doubt we’ll see this new Thomas film get off the ground. Most people believe that the film will release next year in 2025 to coincide with the franchises 80th anniversary, but we still haven’t received any official announcement regarding further details other than the film being set in a “modern and unexpected way”, so hopefully we’ll get more information about the project very soon. Also aren’t you going to put out a link to the draft of the film on a google drive that Josh Klausner sent you for all the Thomas fans and movie buffs to see?

[@WaksWorld05]

I hope it’s full of surprises, as Diesel would say!

[@JustDougi]

Lol

[@edwardcarlisle5580]

This scene would have been so cool to watch: Thonas and Johnny have their "backs against the wall". Smoke the evil diesel has chased them to the edge of the Aresdale Cliffs... Johnny: Well, I guess this is it then... Thomas: (Puffs) We gave it all we had to the very end at least... Smoke: Muhahaha! I have you now! Sodor is mine! Heil Diesel! Gordon: NOT YET...! Gordon charges in from behind and slams into Smoke's rear end, suddenly biffing him forward. Johnny jumps down from Thomas' cab and switches the points just in time for Smoke to go over the sude of the cliff (instead of Thomas) diwn into the sea and the sharp rocks below... Smoke: NOOOO...! *CRASH! SMASH!* Thomas: Gordon! You came back for us! Gordon: Of course I did, little Thomas! You do remember we agreeded to that alliance...? You help me and I'll help you! Thomas: Right you are!

[@thatonecaledonian812]

I like how Gordon is just kinda Jesus

[@gothnerd887]

I feel like this movie could've been really cool and experimental if the creators researched the subcultures of steampunk and dieselpunk. Then again it could become its own thing, remove all the references to Thomas and make it about an alternate world of steam and diesel powered robots. Liam Vickers could probably do something with the script.

[@BNSW1000]

Thank you so much for sharing this with the public. It’s super fascinating that the movie would have taken a bigger nosedive than Magic Railroad. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious how the concept art for the characters would have turned out, particularly the Steam team but hopefully that will come to light one day in the future. Once again, thanks for sharing this with us!

[@Robin_The_Red_Rabbit]

6:17 I can't believe that they made an obscure reference to what is basically an illegal model of Thomas

[@thomaswalsh8726]

Pehapes I’m glad we didn’t get the movie. I think would had been weird to see the engines without their iconic grey faces and Sodor without humans, not even The Fat Controller himself.

[@JosephRailwayStudios2000]

Same here.

[@TonsOfTrackmasters]

Thumbnail looks fantastic, vid will be epic I'm sure

[@biscuitagent_1987]

It would've been.. interesting, to say the least. On one hand, like you said, it's a great stand-alone concept, and the fact it got so far into pre-production is insane. On the other hand, I totally agree with what you said about it pissing fans off, especially with what they've been doing in recent times Overall, great video!!

[@EngineerRiff]

Much as I like the baseline idea, I don’t think it would really capture what Thomas the tank engine is, so it might fail

[@SaddleTank_Studios0014]

Okay why the FUCK you everywhere

[@ob2kenobi388]

8:06 Just the phrase "Gordon, who disappeared during The Takeover(TM)" is enough to crack me up lol

[@gothnerd887]

Maybe he had to hide somewhere to mourn his fallen brothers

[@UntitledGenericAccount]

Oddly enough, those designs remind me of a earlier movie, Robots by Blue Sky. I think it's kinda pretty cool aesthetic.

[@Justabird-rv6fy]

This video is amazing! It’s sad that u only have 641 subscribers, you deserve at least more than 1k!

[@Justabird-rv6fy]

Also, it doesn’t rlly matter if the movie would stink if it came out in the modern day and age because the series is pretty much already ruined with all engines go.

[@Smyth_Films]

Thank you - that really means a lot!

[@dmancluster2631]

I’m frankly surprised how close we got to a version of Sodor without even Sir Topham Hatt in it. No drivers? I can see that, the show practically abandoned them in those years. But you’d think kids would still be thrown off at an utter lack of humans on Sodor. Even in the HiT era, they were still pretty prominent - farmers, railway inspectors, VIP’s, managers, etc. all were very present. Like you said, it’s a very imaginative world they thought of. It just shouldn’t have been for Thomas. If they can bring this script out as an original piece, I’d be interested. A random steampunk train world sounds fun

[@williampulfer-melville8536]

7:02 that Train was designed by Rodney Mathews a British artist who mainly did artwork for CD covers