Journey Beyond Sodor

"Ask yourself, what can you do?" "You mean, anything?" "No, no, we can't do anything." "But we can try!"

- Thomas, Lexi, Theo and Merlin

Journey Beyond Sodor  is the 2017 Thomas &amp; Friends special.

Plot
One day, Henry is pulling a goods train to the mainland, but because of a faulty signal at Vicarstown, he runs right into the back of Hiro's train and derails, dangling dangerously over the edge of the viaduct.

Meanwhile, on his branch line, Thomas is feeling bright and sunny, whistling hello to everyone he meets. As he pulls into Knapford Station, he is complementing how wonderful the day is, and feels like bursting into song. However, he is interrupted by James, who is boastfully singing about how he believes he is the best engine on Sodor. As James pulls up to the platform, Thomas rolls up, telling him that he isn't the favourite engine, and that he was going to sing a song. James calls out to everyone at the station that Thomas is going to sing, and everyone listens. Hesitant at first, Thomas is just about to sing, but James interrupts him and starts singing again about how he's the favourite engine.

Thomas meets up with James at the Shunting Yards and tells him again that he's not Sir Topham Hatt's favourite engine. James boasts how he always gets the best jobs, and that his next one is to transport musicians, while Thomas collects pigs from Farmer Trotter's farm. Thomas doesn't believe James until later at the farm, when he sees him pulling carriages filled with musicians. Hearing James singing boastfully makes Thomas even more upset.

That evening, Edward arrives at Vicarstown with the breakdown train to help lift Henry back to safety, and Harvey arrives to handle the derailed trucks. At his office, Sir Topham Hatt is talking on his telephone and using a map and wooden trains to monitor the situation. Thomas overhears Sir Topham Hatt making plans for James to take the trucks to a goods yard in Bridlington, where the trucks are meant to go.. Thomas plans to tease James about the fact that he is pulling a goods train, but James is okay with this job because he will be on the mainland. Later that night, Thomas is upset and tells Percy that James thinks he's the most important engine. Percy, however, isn't listening and busily leaves to collect the mail train. Thomas then has an idea.

James arrives at Vicarstown and asks Rosie for his trucks, but she tells him that Thomas took them. James is shocked, while Thomas boastfully departs for the mainland.

At the Steamworks, Henry is still being repaired with The Fat Controller supervising. James arrives and tells him about Thomas taking the trucks to the mainland. Sir Topham Hatt is not upset, however, and decides to put James on Thomas' branch line.

On the mainland, Thomas is observing the scenery on the mainland, but the trucks begin annoying him as he is passing through a busy junction. Thomas enters a tunnel, with the trucks' laughter still ringing in his ears. Meanwhile, James is on Thomas' branch line, but he overshoots the platform at Maithwaite and rides roughly, annoying Annie and Clarabel, who hope Thomas returns soon.

Thomas has gotten lost, however, and arrives at a canal, but his track is blocked by a gantry crane named Beresford, who refuses to let Thomas pass through until he tells him something he has never heard. Thomas tricks Beresford by telling the crane his name; as Beresford has never heard of Thomas, he has thus heard something new and Thomas is able to pass through. However, as he continues along the line, he runs out of coal and water in an old rail yard. He is greeted by a cab-forward tender engine named Lexi and a geared railway traction engine named Theo. Theo shunts Thomas to the coal hopper while he and Lexi explain to Thomas that they are experimental engines. As Thomas is shunted to the water tower, they also tell him that another engine named Merlin lives in the yard with them. Merlin is a "stealth engine" who can supposedly turn invisible, but Thomas does not see him. He asks them for directions to Bridlington, but they cannot help him.

Thomas sets off once again and sees a factory in the distance. He makes his way over to the factory and finds that it is a large steelworks. Two engines emerge from the building: a large tank engine named Hurricane and a diesel shunter named Frankie. They know where Bridlington is, but they have Thomas leave his trucks on a siding and give him a tour of the Steelworks. Thomas instantly feels welcome and the two engines give him a shed to sleep in for the night. Meanwhile, on Sodor, the engines are all wondering where Thomas is. Percy suggests that James goes to look for him, but James is unsure.

The next morning, Hurricane and Frankie wake Thomas up early. Hurricane tells Thomas that he has already delivered the trucks, so Thomas says that he needs to head back to Sodor. However, Frankie blackmails Thomas into staying and helping her and Hurricane in return. Thomas reluctantly joins Hurricane and Frankie and spends the morning taking ladle trucks up to the slag heap. As he is taking empty slag wagons back into the building, he bumps into Hurricane's full wagons, derailing them. The molten slag spills and Hurricane warns Thomas about the extreme danger that it poses.

Meanwhile, Sir Topham Hatt and Percy are worried about Thomas, as Sir Topham Hatt has received a notice that the trucks have been delivered but Thomas is still missing. James asks if he can go to the mainland to look for Thomas, but Sir Topham Hatt refuses, telling James that he still needs to work on Thomas' branch line.

At the Steelworks, Thomas is out of breath from all of the hard work. To make matters worse, Hurricane and Frankie leave to make a delivery, leaving Thomas to manage the heavy workload on his own. The gates are locked, leaving Thomas trapped at the Steelworks and feeling homesick.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Emily
 * Rosie
 * Philip
 * Ulli
 * A Bridlington Diesel
 * Victor
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Kevin
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Some Workmen
 * Farmer Trotter (does not speak)
 * Hiro (not named; does not speak)
 * Judy and Jerome (not named; do not speak)
 * Farmer McColl (not named; does not speak)
 * Duck (cameo)
 * Donald and Douglas (cameo)
 * Oliver (cameo)
 * Bill and Ben (cameo)
 * Flying Scotsman (cameo)
 * Harvey (cameo)
 * Spencer (cameo)
 * Whiff (cameo)
 * Stanley (cameo)
 * Charlie (cameo)
 * Scruff (cameo)
 * Belle (cameo)
 * Porter (cameo)
 * Stephen (cameo)
 * Connor (cameo)
 * Caitlin (cameo)
 * Timothy (cameo)
 * Samson (cameo)
 * Ryan (cameo)
 * Glynn (cameo)
 * Diesel (cameo)
 * Daisy (cameo)
 * Mavis (cameo)
 * 'Arry and Bert (cameo)
 * Salty (cameo)
 * Den (cameo)
 * Dart (cameo)
 * Sidney (cameo)
 * Paxton (cameo)
 * Norman (cameo)
 * Hugo (cameo)
 * Flynn (cameo)
 * Marion (cameo)
 * Skiff (cameo)
 * Stafford (cameo)
 * Rheneas (cameo)
 * Peter Sam (cameo)
 * Luke (cameo)
 * Millie (cameo)
 * Rusty (cameo)
 * Bert (cameo)
 * Rex (cameo)
 * Mike (cameo)
 * Henrietta (cameo)
 * Slip Coaches (cameo)
 * Toad (cameo)
 * Rocky (cameo)
 * Bradford (cameo)
 * Trevor (cameo)
 * Cranky (cameo)
 * Jem Cole (cameo)
 * Sir Robert Norramby (cameo)
 * The Thin Clergyman (cameo)
 * Sodor Brass Band (cameo)
 * The Teacher (cameo)
 * The Bird Watcher (cameo)
 * The Ginger-haired Boy (cameo)
 * The Blond-haired Boy (cameo)
 * Dowager Hatt's Friends
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher (cameo)
 * The Lady with the Big Hat (cameo)
 * The Great Railway Show Judge (cameo)
 * Ferdinand (portrait cameo)

Characters Introduced

 * Lexi
 * Theo
 * Hurricane
 * Merlin
 * Frankie
 * Beresford
 * Lexi's Friend (not named; does not speak)

Locations

 * Arlesburgh
 * Arlesburgh Harbour
 * Bluff's Cove
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Blue Mountain Quarry
 * The Fenland Track
 * Anopha Quarry
 * Ulfstead Castle
 * Harwick Branch Line
 * The Little Western
 * Thomas' Branch Line
 * The Windmill
 * McColl Farm
 * Farmer Trotter's Pig Farm
 * Maithwaite
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Yards
 * Knapford Station Yard
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Vicarstown
 * Vicarstown Goods Yard
 * Vicarstown Bridge
 * The Mainland
 * The Steelworks
 * Bridlington Goods Yard

UK, AUS & NZ

 * Mark Moraghan as the Narrator
 * John Hasler as Thomas
 * Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Rob Rackstraw as James, Toby and the Troublesome Trucks
 * Nigel Pilkington as Percy
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Annie and Clarabel
 * Nicola Stapleton as Rosie
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Philip
 * David Bedella as Victor
 * Matt Wilkinson as Kevin
 * Steven Kynman as a Workman
 * Jim Howick as Hurricane
 * Hugh Bonneville as Merlin
 * Darren Boyd as Theo
 * Lucy Montgomery as Lexi and the Troublesome Trucks
 * Sophie Colquhoun as Frankie
 * Colin McFarlane as Beresford
 * Christopher Ragland as the Troublesome Trucks
 * Kerry Shale as the Troublesome Trucks

US and CAN

 * Mark Moraghan as the Narrator
 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * William Hope as Edward and Toby
 * Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, the Troublesome Trucks and Kevin
 * Rob Rackstraw as James and the Troublesome Trucks
 * Christopher Ragland as Percy and the Troublesome Trucks
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily
 * Nicola Stapleton as Rosie
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Philip
 * John Schwab as Ulli and the other Mainland Diesel
 * Teresa Gallagher as Annie and Clarabel
 * Keith Wickham as Sir Topham Hatt
 * Steven Kynman as a Knapford Station Workman
 * Jim Howick as Hurricane
 * Hugh Bonneville as Merlin
 * Darren Boyd as Theo
 * Lucy Montgomery as Lexi and the Troublesome Trucks
 * Sophie Colquhoun as Frankie
 * Colin McFarlane as Beresford
 * David Bedella as Victor (uncredited)

Songs

 * Somebody Has to Be the Favourite
 * Who's Thomas?
 * The Hottest Place in Town
 * I Want to Go Home
 * We Can't Do Anything
 * The Most Important Thing is Being Friends

UK/US/AUS

 * Music Videos: Who's Thomas?, The Hottest Place in Town, We Can't Do Anything, The Most Important Thing is Being Friends
 * Landmarks of Sodor: Travelling to the Mainland
 * Top 5 Funniest Moments!

Trivia

 * This special takes place between the twenty-first season and the 2018 special.
 * Hugh Bonneville, Colin McFarlane, Darren Boyd, Jim Howick, Sophie Colquhoun, Lucy Montgomery and Nicola Stapleton join the voice cast. At seven voice actors, this special currently holds the record for the greatest number of actors to join the voice cast at once.
 * The movie will be shown for screening at Edaville Railroad on August 19th.
 * The puddle of slag seen in I Want to Go Home is in the shape of The Island of Sodor.
 * This special holds the record for the most cameo appearances in a Thomas & Friends production, with more than 50 cameos.
 * References to the first season episode, Down the Mine, the second season episode, Thomas Comes to Breakfast and The Adventure Begins were made.
 * When Thomas is about to drop next to the slag wagon, his lines recorded, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" from Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure is re-used.
 * This special marks the first of a few things:
 * The first special animated by Jam Filled Toronto.
 * The first special produced by Mattel Creations.
 * The first special longer than 63 minutes, making this the longest special to date.
 * The first special since Tale of the Brave to have a stylized opening sequence.
 * The first special where James is voiced by Rob Rackstraw in the UK, and the first time he is shown working on Thomas' branch line.
 * The first appearance of the salt vans in full CGI.
 * The first time that tankers have had faces since the fourth season.
 * The first time British Railways Diesels have spoken since their debut, however, only two of them spoke in this special. In addition, one of them is named Ulli.
 * From this special onward, the characters now have exaggerated movement when they speak or sing.
 * This is the first time since the second season episode, The Diseasel where an engine's basis is said in the TV series.
 * The first special in which the main antagonist is female, and whose intentions are not intended to be cruel.
 * The first time an engine cries since Blue Mountain Mystery, and the first time the engine verbally sobs, with that being Frankie.
 * The first special since Hero of the Rails where Cranky does not have a speaking role.
 * This special also marks several minor milestones for Rosie:
 * The first time she is voiced by Nicola Stapleton in the UK and US, taking over from Teresa Gallagher and Jules de Jongh, respectively.
 * Her first appearance in her new livery.
 * Her first speaking role since the sixteenth season episode, Sodor Surprise Day, and her first speaking role in a special.
 * There are two references to The Wizard of Oz:
 * As Thomas enters the Steelworks, the first van in his train mutters the line "Thomas, I don't think we're in Sodor anymore." Whereas in The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy said "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
 * Hurricane said the line "I'm melting, I'm melting." He is referencing the scene with the Witch saying said line in said movie.
 * This is the second musical movie with the other being The Great Race.
 * While trying to capture James, Hurricane sends flatbeds onto the three sets of rails in front of James. This could be a possible reference to Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark where arrows shoot out of the walls to kill the main protagonist.
 * When Theo says "I think I can't, I think I can't" sounds similar to The Little Engine That Could, when the little engine says "I think I can, I think I can."

Goofs

 * When Henry passes Connor in the beginning, he is near a grassy area, right after that, when the camera changes, both engines are at Vicarstown.
 * At Vicarstown, the trees on the streets aren't animated properly as they look like undetailed bushes.
 * Connor has Caitlin's whistle at the beginning.
 * The trucks that Hiro is pulling at the beginning change between the crash scene and the recovery scene.
 * Rusty appears on standard gauge track during I Want to Go Home.
 * Throughout most of the special, James's rear tender axle box is clipping through his rear bufferbeam.
 * The Troublesome Trucks' voices continually change.
 * Despite being moved to work on the Harwick Branch Line, Judy and Jerome are seen back in their old siding at Knapford. Despite being assigned to the western side of the island, they are seen helping Henry after his accident at Vicarstown, on the east when it should have been Rocky.
 * During The Hottest Place in Town, Hurricane's valve gear can be seen floating when he's dancing. Merlin suffers the same issue.
 * When Thomas goes to Bridlington, the van that usually said, "Are we there yet?" has a face at either end.
 * When Beresford picks Thomas up so he could hide from Hurricane and Frankie, Beresford appears higher and further away from his rails.
 * When Thomas travels along the canal, he passes the area where Beresford usually is, but Beresford is absent. In the next scene, Thomas has been moved back, as Beresford is back in his original position and Thomas passes the same building twice.
 * At the beginning, Henry's trailing wheels spark when he's trying to avoid crashing into Hiro's train, even though they're not fitted with brakes.
 * When Thomas gets lost in a junction with his trucks, he goes under a curved trestle and part of the trestle is blocking three lines next to him.
 * David Bedella is not credited in the US credits despite voicing Victor.

Merchandise
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Books

 * Journey Beyond Sodor (Golden Book)
 * Friends to the Rescue!/Thomas at the Steelworks
 * Journey Beyond Sodor: The Movie Storybook
 * Journey Beyond Sodor: Sticker Activity Book

TrackMaster

 * Lexi
 * Helping Harvey
 * Merlin the Invisible
 * Steelworks Thomas
 * Steelworks Hurricane
 * Cable Bridge Set

Adventures
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 * Hurricane
 * Frankie
 * Merlin
 * Theo