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Thomas & Friends: The Great Race facts for kids
| The Great Race | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | David Stoten |
| Produced by | Ian McCue (HiT) Robert Anderson Lynda Craigmyle Jane Sobol (Arc) |
| Written by | Andrew Brenner |
| Narrated by | Mark Moraghan |
| Starring | Joseph May (US) John Hasler (Uncredited in the US) Kerry Shale Keith Wickham Tina Desai Rufus Jones Rasmus Hardiker John Schwab |
| Music by | Chris Renshaw Oliver Davis Andrew Brenner |
| Studio | Arc Productions HiT Entertainment |
| Distributed by | HiT Entertainment National Amusements (UK, theatrical release) Universal Pictures Home Entertainment (US) |
| Release date(s) | May 21, 2016 (UK; Theatrical) September 5, 2016 (UK; DVD) September 13, 2016 (US) |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Money made | $3.6 million |
The Great Race is an exciting animated musical movie from 2016. It's part of the popular Thomas & Friends series. This film uses CGI (computer-generated imagery) to bring the engines to life.
The movie features the voices of many talented actors. Joseph May and John Hasler both voice Thomas the Tank Engine. Other stars include Rasmus Hardiker, Kerry Shale, and Keith Wickham. The story is narrated by Mark Moraghan.
New characters join the cast, too. Tina Desai voices Ashima, a beautiful engine from India. Rufus Jones plays the famous Flying Scotsman. This was a big deal because Flying Scotsman had only appeared briefly before. The film also introduces new engines from around the world. Many of these new characters are female engines. This movie was the last one animated by Arc Productions before they changed their name.
Contents
The Story of The Great Race
The movie begins with Thomas the Tank Engine racing Gordon. Thomas wins and then meets Gordon's brother, The Flying Scotsman. Flying Scotsman is going to a big event called The Great Railway Show. This makes Thomas want to join the show too.
All the engines on Sodor want to go to the show. But Sir Topham Hatt hasn't decided who will represent Sodor. Thomas worries he won't be chosen. He gets an idea to make himself look more modern, or "streamlined." He tells Sir Topham Hatt his idea. However, Sir Topham Hatt decides to streamline Gordon instead.
New Friends and Big Worries
At Brendam Docks, Thomas meets many engines who are going to the show. Their ferry docks there by mistake. One engine, Ashima, is left behind. She is a colorful tank engine from India. Ashima accidentally bumps Thomas, almost pushing him into the water.
When Thomas sees her, he is surprised by her beauty. He feels a bit awkward and acts grumpy, then quickly leaves. Later, Thomas complains to Percy about Ashima. He tries to find something wrong with her, but he can't explain why he's upset. Philip suggests Thomas should just stay away from her.
Ashima is lost and needs help getting to the mainland. She sees Thomas again and hints that she needs assistance. Thomas's coaches, Annie and Clarabel, notice Thomas's feelings for Ashima. They tease him about going to the show with her. Thomas gets flustered and leaves quickly without helping her.
Thomas's Big Ideas
Annie and Clarabel keep teasing Thomas about Ashima's beautiful paintwork. This gives Thomas an idea: he could get a special paint job to enter the show. He leaves his coaches at Maron Station and heads to the Steamworks. There, Thomas suggests to Sir Topham Hatt that an engine should enter the "Best Decorated Engine" competition.
Meanwhile, Diesel has a sneaky plan. He disguises Den, Dart, and Paxton as trucks. He hopes to trick Sir Topham Hatt into picking him for the show instead of Henry. Diesel sings about how full of surprises he is.
Back at Maron, Thomas sees Emily and James. They tell him that Sir Topham Hatt has chosen them to get new paint. Thomas also learns that Ashima has been running his branch line with Annie and Clarabel. This makes Thomas upset, and he is rude to Ashima. Annie and Clarabel are also mad at him for leaving them.
Thomas finally tells Ashima his worries. He feels he isn't good enough for the competition. Ashima comforts him, saying he is perfect just the way he is. She tells him he should just be himself. She suggests he try the Shunting competition instead.
The Great Railway Show
At Knapford Junction, Diesel's trick goes wrong. Thomas tries to practice shunting with the disguised diesels. In the crash, Thomas's front buffer beam gets damaged. This means he can't go to the competition. Sir Topham Hatt reveals he planned to enter Thomas in the shunting challenge all along. Because Thomas is damaged, Percy will take his place.
However, Thomas learns that Gordon left for the show without his safety valve. This part is very important for Gordon's boiler. Even though Thomas isn't fully repaired, he rushes to the mainland to deliver it.
At The Great Railway Show, things don't go well for Sodor. Henry loses the strength competition. James and Emily don't win the Best Decorated Engine award. Gordon's boiler explodes during his race because he didn't wait for his safety valve.
Percy insists that Thomas take his place in the shunting competition. Thomas does well but then sees Ashima is about to crash. He sacrifices his win to save her. The judges are impressed by his good sportsmanship. They decide to give Thomas the win alongside Ashima! Sir Topham Hatt and all the Sodor engines are very proud of Thomas.
Saying Goodbye
After the show, everyone helps Thomas find Ashima so he can say goodbye. Sir Topham Hatt signals for his engines to return to Sodor. Thomas feels sad, thinking he missed his chance. Then he hears Ashima singing as she gets coal.
Happy, Thomas invites Ashima to come back to Sodor with him. They spend more time together before she catches her ferry back to India. During the credits, Diesel is seen stuck in a crate on a ship, calling for help.
Songs from the Movie
- "Will You Won't You" – Sung by all the characters
- "Streamlining" – Sung by Thomas, Annie, and Clarabel
- "I'm Full of Surprises" – Sung by Diesel
- "You Can Only Be You" – Sung by Thomas and Ashima
- "The Shooting Star Is Coming Through" – Sung by Gordon
- "Be Who You Are, And Go Far" – Sung by Thomas, Ashima, Philip, Emily, Gordon, Henry, James, and Percy
- "He's Full of Surprises" – Sung by Ian McCue, Oliver Davis, Andrew Brenner, and David Stoten
Meet the Voices Behind the Characters
| Actor/Actress | Region | Role(s) | Uncredited |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Moraghan | UK/US | The Narrator | No |
| John Hasler | Rheneas | US only | |
| UK | Thomas | No | |
| Joseph May | US | ||
| Nigel Pilkington | UK | Percy | |
| Christopher Ragland | US speaking voice
UK singing voice |
UK only | |
| Jules de Jongh | Emily | ||
| Teresa Gallagher | UK | No | |
| UK/US | Belle, Gina, Frieda, Daisy, Marion, Annie and Clarabel | ||
| Keith Wickham | UK | Edward, Henry, Gordon and James | |
| UK/US | Salty, Den, Norman, Stafford, Skarloey, Sir Handel, Arlesdale Bert, Sir Topham Hatt and some workmen | ||
| Rob Rackstraw | Axel, Raul, Étienne, Flynn and the Great Railway Show Announcer | ||
| US | James and Stanley | ||
| Kerry Shale | Henry, Gordon and Kevin | ||
| UK/US | Diesel and Scruff | ||
| David Bedella | Victor and Carlos | ||
| Matt Wilkinson | UK | Spencer, Stanley, Cranky, Kevin and the Dock Manager | |
| William Hope | US | Edward and the Dock Manager | |
| Glenn Wrage | Spencer and Cranky | ||
| David Menkin | Porter | ||
| Steven Kynman | UK | ||
| UK/US | Duck, Charlie, Dart, Paxton and Peter Sam | ||
| Jonathan Broadbent | Bill and Ben | Yes | |
| Bob Golding | Stephen, Sidney and Ivan | No | |
| Jonathan Forbes | Connor | ||
| Rebecca O'Mara | Caitlin | ||
| Joe Mills | Oliver, Donald and Douglas | ||
| Tim Whitnall | Timothy and Mike | ||
| Robert Wilfort | Samson and a Great Railway Show Judge | ||
| Tom Stourton | Rex | Yes | |
| Rasmus Hardiker | Philip | No | |
| Tina Desai | Ashima | ||
| Rufus Jones | The Flying Scotsman | ||
| John Schwab | Vinnie |
How Well Did the Movie Do?
The Great Race first came out in theaters in the United Kingdom on May 20, 2016. In its first weekend, it earned about $214,133. This means it was the tenth most popular movie that weekend.
The film was also released in other countries later. It came out in China on September 22, 2017. There, it did very well at first, earning $1.6 million in its opening weekend. This made it the fifth most popular movie. It was also released in South Korea on November 30, 2017. In South Korea, it earned about $68,820 in its first weekend.