The Little Engine That Could (2011 film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Little Engine That Could |
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DVD cover
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| Directed by | Elliot M. Bour |
| Produced by | Richard Rich |
| Screenplay by | David Koepp John Kamps Cliff Ruby Elana Lesser |
| Story by | Watty Piper |
| Starring | Alyson Stoner Whoopi Goldberg Patrick Warburton Jim Cummings Rodney Saulsberry Dominic Scott Kay Brenda Song Jamie Lee Curtis Charlie Schlatter Jodi Benson Corbin Bleu Jeff Bennett Khamani Griffin |
| Music by | Heitor Pereira |
| Editing by | Joe Campana |
| Studio | Crest Animation Productions Universal Animation Studios |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios Home Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | March 22, 2011 |
| Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Little Engine That Could is a fun computer-animated movie from 2011. It went straight to DVD. The film is based on the classic 1930 story by Watty Piper. It tells a brave tale of a small engine.
Contents
The Story of the Little Engine
A Dream in DreamLand
In a magical place called DreamLand, a small engine dreams of being a "dream hauler." These big engines carry dreams to the real world. One day, she tries to follow a birthday train. But the control tower reminds her she is too small. She learns to pull only one boxcar at a time. An old, wise engine named Rusty often helps her.
Richard's Unexpected Journey
In the real world, a boy named Richard loses his grandfather's watch to bullies. Upset, he finds a train track he has never seen before. He climbs into a train car for shelter. This train is pulled by Rusty, who accidentally takes Richard to DreamLand.
Trapped in DreamLand
The tunnel to DreamLand collapses, trapping Richard and the trains. Richard is scared by the talking trains. The Tower explains that Richard's presence has caused a problem. He must return to the real world to fix it. Rusty is blamed and loses his job, which makes Little Engine sad.
Little Engine offers to take Richard back. The Tower agrees, sending them on their way. She promises Rusty will get his job back.
Facing Dangers on the Tracks
Little Engine and Richard search for a way back. They are chased by the fast Evening Express. Richard falls but gets back on Little Engine. They are pushed off the track but manage to get back on. They then find the birthday train, which had derailed. Little Engine decides to take it to the real world herself.
The Mountain Challenge
Little Engine finds an old track leading up a mountain. They cross a shaky bridge that partly collapses. Richard almost falls but is saved by Little Engine and Ace, a toy plane. They use a cargo hook to fix the bridge.
Later, Little Engine's water tank leaks, and the train rolls backward. Richard stops it by using the brakes. A black engine appears, offering to help. But he is the Nightmare Train, who wants to send nightmares to the real world using Richard. He derails Little Engine and the birthday train.
Overcoming Nightmares
Inside the Nightmare Train, Richard sees illusions of the bullies. His toy friends encourage him to be brave. Ace escapes to help Little Engine. After refilling her tank, Little Engine and the Caboose are stuck. Little Engine bravely drops down a cliff to another track.
Richard escapes the Nightmare Train. Little Engine finds him, and they chase the Nightmare Train. They trick him into speeding down a side-track. Major, a toy soldier, uses his badge to plug Little Engine's leak. They continue up the mountain.
Return to the Real World
They reach the top and go through a portal. It takes them back to the real world, where no time has passed. Richard now feels brave enough to face the bullies. He gets his watch back, and the bullies are caught.
Back in DreamLand, Little Engine tells her story. She is promoted to a dream hauler for her bravery. Rusty gets his job back. The movie ends with photos of the toys with new owners and Little Engine taking more trains over the mountain.
Meet the Voices and Characters
Here are some of the main characters and the actors who voiced them:
- Alyson Stoner as Little Engine - A small steam engine who dreams big. She becomes good friends with Richard. She learns to be brave and carry the birthday train over the mountain.
- Whoopi Goldberg as The Tower - The boss in the train yard. She makes sure everything runs smoothly in DreamLand.
- Patrick Warburton as The Caboose - A red caboose who is part of the birthday train.
- Jeff Bennett as Red Engine #35 - A dream hauler who sometimes has accidents.
- Jeff Bennett also voices Hudson - A green and white sock monkey toy with a British accent.
- Mocean Melvin as Big Locomotive - A large, silver dream hauler.
- Jim Cummings as Rusty - An old and wise dream hauler. He gives Little Engine good advice. He accidentally brings Richard to DreamLand.
- Jim Cummings also voices The Evening Express - A very fast white train.
- Rodney Saulsberry as Freight Train - A strong green and orange dream hauler.
- Brenda Song as Shiny Passenger Train - A yellow passenger train who thinks highly of herself.
- Chelsea Erinne Evered as Girl Train - A pink and white engine.
- Ray Porter as The Nightmare Train - A scary black engine who wants to spread nightmares. He is the main villain.
- Dominic Scott Kay as Richard - The boy from the real world who gets lost in DreamLand.
- Khamani Griffin as Marcus - Richard's friend at school.
- Michael Rodrigo and Luke Williams as Scott and Stretch - The bullies who bother Richard.
- Jamie Lee Curtis as Bev - A clown toy and the leader of the toys.
- Charlie Schlatter as Major - A toy soldier who is very proper. He helps fix Little Engine's leak.
- Jodi Benson as Jillian - A ballerina doll who loves to dance.
- Corbin Bleu and Rodney Saulsberry as Lou and Bud - Twin stuffed giraffe toys. Lou talks more than Bud.
- Dee Bradley Baker as Ace - A small toy plane who doesn't speak. He helps warn Little Engine.
- Glenn Shadix as Arkana - A lavender dream hauler in DreamLand. This was the last movie he worked on before he passed away.
