Thunderbirds Are Go (TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thunderbirds Are Go
Genre	Action Adventure Science fiction
Created by	Richard Taylor
Voices of	Rosamund Pike Thomas Sangster Rasmus Hardiker David Menkin Kayvan Novak David Graham Angel Coulby Teresa Gallagher Andres Williams
Composer(s)	Ben Foster Nick Foster
Country of origin	United Kingdom New Zealand Australia
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	78 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Estelle Hughes Giles Ridge Richard Taylor Andrew Smith
Cinematography	Simon Godsiff
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	ITV Studios Pukeko Pictures Weta Workshop
Distributor	ITV Studios Global Entertainment
Release
Original network	ITV CITV
Original release	4 April 2015 (2015-04-04) – 22 February 2020 (2020-02-22)

Thunderbirds Are Go is an animated TV show from the UK and New Zealand. It's a new version of the classic Thunderbirds series. The show is about a secret rescue team called International Rescue (IR). This team is run by the Tracy family from their hidden island base in the Pacific Ocean.

The Tracy family uses amazing, high-tech vehicles to save people. These vehicles can work on land, in the sea, in the air, and even in space! The most important vehicles are called the Thunderbirds. The five Tracy brothers fly these powerful machines. The show first aired on April 4, 2015, and finished on February 22, 2020, with 78 episodes. Many people, including fans of the old show, really liked it.

About the Show's Creation

A new Thunderbirds show was planned after Richard Taylor from Weta Workshop met with Gerry Anderson, who helped create the original series. On February 4, 2013, the new show, called Thunderbirds Are Go!, was officially announced. Work on the show began in June 2013. The main actors who would voice the characters were announced in September 2014.

Each series of the show had 26 episodes. Series 1 was shown from April to June 2015 and again from October 2015 to January 2016. A second series was approved in December 2014. It aired from October 2016 to January 2017 and then from September to December 2017. The third and final series was confirmed in May 2016. It was broadcast from March to May 2018, May to July 2019, and January to February 2020.

Meet International Rescue

The story of Thunderbirds Are Go takes place in the year 2060. It follows the adventures of the Tracy brothers: Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon, and John. They are the core of International Rescue (IR). This group saves people from disasters and dangerous situations. Their secret base is hidden in the Southern Pacific Ocean.

They use very advanced vehicles for rescues on land, at sea, in the air, and in space. The most famous of these are the five "Thunderbirds" vehicles, each flown by one of the brothers.

Who Helps International Rescue?

Besides the Tracy brothers, other important members help IR:

• Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano: She is the Chief of Security. Kayo handles secret missions and security using a special Thunderbird that can become invisible.
• Brains: He is the engineer. Brains creates and fixes all the amazing technology and machines.
• Grandma Tracy: She takes care of the Tracy family's home needs on the island.
• Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and Aloysius "Nosey" Parker: They work in London. Lady Penelope is a fancy English lady, and Parker is her driver and a former thief. They help with investigations and spy work when needed.

Who Are the Villains?

Most rescues are due to accidents or criminals. But some are caused by IR's main enemy, "The Hood." He is a clever criminal who hates International Rescue. He often tries to steal their technology to get rich. Before the show started, The Hood was known to IR. He was responsible for the disappearance of Jeff Tracy, the brothers' father and the founder of IR.

In the second series, a new villain called "The Mechanic" appears. He causes trouble and later helps The Hood escape from jail. However, The Mechanic eventually turns against The Hood. He then gives himself up to the Global Defence Force (GDF), but only if Brains helps him get his freedom.

In the third series, a new villain team called the "Chaos Crew" shows up. This team is made up of siblings named Havoc and Fuse. They join forces with The Hood to create chaos around the world. They become a big problem for both the GDF and International Rescue.

What Happens in the Episodes?

Many episodes focus on rescue missions. Some of these are new versions of stories from the original Thunderbirds show. While most episodes have new characters, some characters created for Thunderbirds Are Go appear more than once. They often need rescuing again!

Each series also has a main storyline about the villains and their plans. A key part of many stories is the loss of Jeff Tracy, the brothers' father. They find things that belonged to him, remember lessons he taught them, and meet people who knew him well.

The third and final series has a big story arc about Jeff. International Rescue discovers that he is still alive, not dead as they thought. He is trapped far away in deep space. The Tracy family works hard to find a way to reach and rescue him. The series ends with the brothers finally bringing their father home.

Characters and Voice Actors

• Kayvan Novak, Rosamund Pike, and Teresa Gallagher also voice many other characters in the show.
• The show uses old recordings of Peter Dyneley (who voiced Jeff Tracy in the original Thunderbirds) for the countdown in the opening and when the Thunderbirds launch.
• David Graham, who voices Parker in Thunderbirds Are Go, also voiced Parker in the original Thunderbirds series.

How the Show Was Made

All the small models and computer-generated images (CGI) for the show were made at Weta Workshop in New Zealand. The show was produced by Estelle Hughes, Giles Ridge, Richard Taylor, and Andrew Smith. David Scott was the series director.

Making each episode started with building physical sets. These sets were made using methods similar to the original series. They even used everyday household objects as parts of the sets. A film crew would then set up cameras to match how the CGI characters and vehicles would move later. They also added special effects like smoke on the set.

All the CGI parts were planned out before being added to the live-action video of the models. Each set was scanned to create a 3D model. This helped make sure the CGI elements fit perfectly into the environments. Then, details like textures, vehicle setups, and flying debris were added. A company in the UK called Milk VFX put all these parts together.

The music for the show was created by brothers Ben and Nick Foster. The opening theme and some other music in the new series sound very much like Barry Gray's music from the original show, but with a modern orchestra style.

Episodes

List of Thunderbirds Are Go episodes

Awards and Recognition

The show received some nominations for awards:

Where the Show Was Broadcast

Thunderbirds Are Go was shown in many countries around the world.

• Australia: The show was sold to Nine Network (9Go!) in June 2014. They showed the first two series. The third series was bought by ABC and premiered on ABC Me in June 2018.
• Japan: Tohokushinsha Film Corporation got the rights in April 2015. The first series premiered on NHK (NHK General TV) in August 2016. All three series later aired on Super! drama TV.
• France: The show premiered in September 2015 on Canal J, and later on Gulli.
• United States: In February 2016, 13 episodes of the first series premiered on Amazon Video on April 22, 2016. The second series also came to Prime Video.
• Canada: Broadcasts started on CHRGD and Family Channel in April 2016.
• Taiwan: Premiered on PTS Taiwan in September 2016.
• Brazil: The show has been broadcast on Gloob since July 2016.
• Latin America: The show broadcasts on Disney XD.
• Nordic Countries: Premiered in SVT (SVT Barnkanalen) in Sweden, NRK Super in Norway, DR (Ramasjang and Ultra) in Denmark, and MTV Juniori in Finland.
• Other Countries: The series also premiered in TVNZ (TVNZ 2) in New Zealand, Noga in Israel, MBC (MBC3) in the Middle East, NPO Zapp in the Netherlands, Télé-Québec in Canada, ABC in Australia, Ketnet in Flemish Belgium, and Minika TV in Turkey.
• China: Premiered on CCTV-14 in May 2017.

Merchandise and Products

Since 2016, many products related to Thunderbirds Are Go have been released.

• Bernard Matthews released turkey products shaped like Thunderbird vehicles.
• In October 2016, special "ThunderCabs" taxis were available in London. These taxis were designed like Thunderbirds vehicles (Thunderbirds 1-4, FAB 1). Rides cost £1, and the money went to The Children's Trust charity.

Toys

In May 2015, Vivid was chosen as the main toy partner for Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Many toys were made, including villains, heroes, and the Thunderbirds vehicles themselves. Planet Fun became the local distributor in New Zealand. The toys were launched in Australia in June 2015. Takara Tomy was the distributor in Japan.

Apps and Games

An official Thunderbirds app was launched in October 2015. Another free app was released in May 2015, available on Google Play and Apple's App Store. ITV Studios Global Entertainment and Miniclip also planned a mobile game called Thunderbirds Are Go: Team Rush.

Magazine

An official magazine was published by D. C. Thomson & Co. in October 2015. It included comics, facts, puzzles, and free gifts. The first six issues came with small plastic models of Thunderbirds 1–5 and Thunderbird S. Later issues had other branded gifts.

Home Video Releases

You can buy all episodes digitally in HD on Amazon Video and iTunes.

DVD Releases (Region 2)

DVD Releases (Region 4)

Blu-ray Releases (Region A)

Soundtrack Releases

See also

In Spanish: Thunderbirds Are Go (serie de televisión) para niños