The Great Discovery



The Great Discovery is a direct-to-DVD special, it is the second special since "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" and the first to be shown in theaters since.

This special is expected to be released in autumn of 2008. It will be the first "Thomas and Friends" production to be narrated by Pierce Brosnan. It is set in 2007.

Plot


The railway is preparing for the celebration of the Sodor Day holiday, and Thomas and James are racing to the wharf to be given a special job by Mr. Percival. Thomas wins, and is sent into the hills to collect lumber with Duncan. Thomas teases the little engine, who decides to pay Thomas out by sending him on a fool's errand - telling him that an old, disused line will lead him back to the wharf faster. After avoiding an old, collapsing bridge, Thomas takes another route at the old junction, and as he journeys farther down the line, he comes across an old overgrown town.

The news of Thomas' discovery spreads, and eventually reaches The Fat Controller. He tells Thomas that the town is Great Waterton - the largest town on Sodor when steam engines first came to the island. The Fat Controller decides that the restoration of the legendary lost town would be perfect for the celebration of Sodor Day, and calls Miss Jenny Packard's construction crew to help with the process. Thomas is told to take charge of the engines working on the lines around the town. Meanwhile, a shiny new tank engine named Stanley is brought to the railway to perform Thomas' regular jobs.

All of the engines take to Stanley, who does a good job and has fun as well. When Thomas sees Stanley doing his jobs and fraternizing with his friends, he becomes jealous. Thomas is furious when Stanley takes his place at Tidmouth Sheds, and the final straw comes when Thomas has a bad accident and Stanley takes his place as the leader of the Great Waterton operation.

When Thomas is mended, he is shunting trucks of stone for Stanley to take away. He decides to make Stanley look foolish by shunting too many trucks, hoping that Stanley would not be able to climb the hill out of the town and look foolish in front of the other engines. The plan backfires, however - as Stanley ascends the hill, a coupling breaks, and the trucks race down the hill. They veer into a siding and crash into the newly-finished Stand Pipe Tower, which then collapses. The Fat Controller states that this will likely set back the restoration past Sodor Day. Thomas is blamed for giving Stanley too many trucks to pull, and the engines are angry when they realize Thomas does not like Stanley. Stanley, however, realizes that Thomas merely missed his friends, and wants to set things right.

At night, Thomas decides to clear the trucks of rubble out of the way at Great Waterton. He is almost finished when he accidentally bumps a truck into an old mine shaft. Racing in after it, Thomas races down the shaft, until he crashes onto a wooden platform and floats down an underground waterway. The engines soon realize that Thomas is missing, and The Fat Controller organizes a search effort. Meanwhile, Thomas continues floating until he reaches an opening to the mine, and is flung across a canyon and down a hill.

Stanley decides to make another search effort by himself before he has to return to work. Thomas, with the bit of steam he has left, sounds a loud, long whistle. Stanley hears it and hurries to where Thomas is stranded beside the track. The two make up for their quarrel and Stanley pulls Thomas back onto the rails. The strain is too much for Stanley, and a valve in his cab bursts. In an effort to return, Thomas is given some dry coal and his fire is started. Thomas pushes Stanley back to Great Waterton, and the word travels across the Island of Sodor that Thomas has been found.

Soon, the Stand Pipe Tower is rebuilt, meaning that Great Waterton is restored in time for Sodor Day. As a sign of friendship, Thomas offers Stanley his last job - to bring the mayor to the Sodor Day festivities at Great Waterton. The engines gather at the town for the celebration, and Thomas realizes just how important his friends are.

Theatrical Release
The Great Discovery: The Movie was shown in select theaters in the U.S. throughout July and showing on the weekends and in the U.K., throughout September. Australia also got it in November.

DVD Special Features
HiT Entertainment has announced that several new "Great Discovery" interactive features will be included on the DVD release as well as a Behind the Scenes Featurette starring Pierce Brosnan.

List of "The Great Discovery" Bonus Features:
 * Thomas You're The Leader (Music Video and Karaoke)
 * Behind the Scenes with Pierce Brosnan (Interview)
 * Spot the Difference (Learning Activity with Thomas & Friends #1)
 * Tough Trucks! (Learning Activity with Thomas & Friends #2)
 * Thomas' Puzzle Parts (Learning Activity with Thomas & Friends #3)
 * Trailers

Merchandising
An audio CD of "The Great Discovery" will be released in the U.K. this September: 

A Take Along Thomas model of Stanley and a Morgan's Mine Set will be introduced: 

Thomas Wooden Railway models of Stanley, Mud Covered Thomas and Sodor Day Thomas and Stanley will be introduced:  

Also, a Thomas Wooden Railway Great Discovery Set will be introduced into the Talking Railway Series range. 

Hornby is to release a "Great Discovery" set with a Weathered Tired Looking Thomas. There will also be some Great Waterton buildings.

Trackmaster is to release "Thomas at Action Canyon" that includes a steep mountain track, a tumbling bridge, and a bursting waterfall and Stanley in September 2008.

The Credits
THE GREAT DISCOVERY

Written by

SHARRON MILLER

Supervising Producer

SAM BARLOW

Educational Consultant

MARRY ANN DUDKO PhD

Director of Photography

TERRY PERMANE

Head of Production

MATT PORTER

1st Assistant Director

CONRAD AYLING

Camera Operator

NIGEL PERMANE

Stills Photographer

ANDREW MITCHELL

Gaffer

MICHAEL FLYNN

Electrician

PAUL WEAR

Made at

SHEPPERTON STUDIOS

Model Designer and Video Effects Supervisor

DAVID EVES

Scenic Artist

GRAHAME MENAGE

Production Co-ordinator

LARRY ALLEN

Editor

KATE BUCKLAND

Online and Video Effects

PLATFORM POST PRODUCTION

Graphics

ROB FELLOWS

Dubbing Mixer

PAUL HARRIS

Voice Director

JAMIE THOMASON

Music Composed By

ROBERT HARTSHORNE

Songs By

ED WELCH

Executive Producer

CHRISTOPHER SKALA

Produced by

SIMON SPENCER

HIT Entertainment

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Emily
 * Stanley (new character)
 * The Fat Controller
 * Lady Hatt
 * Mayor of Sodor (does not speak)
 * Mr. Percival
 * Skarloey
 * Rheneas
 * Sir Handel
 * Peter Sam
 * Rusty
 * Duncan
 * Fearless Freddie
 * Mighty Mac
 * Miss Jenny
 * Jack
 * Alfie
 * Oliver (The Pack)
 * Max and Monty
 * Kelly (music video cameo)
 * Ned
 * Buster
 * Diesel (cameo)
 * Bill and Ben (do not speak)
 * Mavis (does not speak)
 * 'Arry and Bert (cameos)
 * Salty (does not speak)
 * Harvey
 * Arthur
 * Diesel 10 (cameo)
 * Molly (does not speak)
 * Dennis (cameo)
 * Rosie (cameo)
 * Whiff (music video cameo)
 * Annie and Clarabel (do not speak)
 * Henrietta (music video cameo)
 * Troublesome Trucks (do not speak)
 * Rocky (does not speak)
 * Terence (does not speak)
 * Bertie (does not speak)
 * Trevor (does not speak)
 * Harold
 * George (cameo)
 * Cranky
 * Butch (cameo)
 * Jeremy (does not speak)
 * Madge
 * Elizabeth (music video cameos)
 * The Refreshment Lady (cameo)
 * Sodor Brass Band (cameo)
 * Sodor Mail Van (White only)

Songs

 * Thomas and James are Racing
 * There's a Job for Everyone
 * Where, O' Where is Thomas?
 * Engine Roll Call The Great Discovery
 * Thomas You're The Leader

Trivia

 * The Great Discovery features the returns of Jack, Alfie, Oliver, Max and Monty, Kelly, Ned and Buster (last seen in "On Site with Thomas"), Terence (last mentioned in season 7), George (last seen in Season 10), Diesel 10 (last seen in "Calling All Engines"), and Dennis (last seen in Season 9).
 * The only Pack Vehicles that didn't appear are Isobella, Byron, Patrick and Nelson.
 * The Great Discovery features a lot of stock footage from Season 11.
 * This is the last Thomas & Friends production to only use models for the series.
 * This is the second Thomas & Friends production with a movie rating, the first being "Thomas and the Magic Railroad".
 * This is also the only feature-length special not to feature Lady, since her debut.
 * The Great Discovery is the first, and only feature-length special to feature the Fat Controller's Engines (standard gauge), the Skarloey Railway Engines (narrow gauge), and the Sodor Construction Company all together.
 * The Great Discovery features the small-scale models and large-scale models of Thomas, Percy and James.
 * Thomas's derailment outside Great Waterton resembles Sixteen's accident in "Cab Over Wheels" in Wilbert the Forest Engine.
 * Stanley's trucks crashing into the tower at Great Waterton is similar to the incident in "Calling All Engines", the one when Thomas' trucks crash into the water tower at Sodor Airport.
 * The Great Discovery features the last appearance of Salty's sad face, to date.
 * The Great Discovery features the first, and only appearance of Mavis's sheepish-looking face, which is seen in the Thomas You're The Leader music video. NOTE: This scene is actually stock footage from Don't Be Silly, Billy, except that Mavis's mouth has been digilized from sad to happy.
 * Although Duncan speaks, the other narrow gauge engines do talk, they say "Thomas is found!" when Thomas has been found.
 * Although Jack speaks, the rest of the Pack (excluding Kelly) do speak, they say "Hurray and Hurrah!" when Thomas has been found.
 * This is the last time James' large scale model for the Narrow Gauge Engines is used and Thomas' large scale model is used for the Sodor Construction Crew.

Who Told Who
About Great Waterton:
 * Thomas
 * Madge
 * Mighty Mac
 * Sir Handel
 * Skarloey
 * Rheneas
 * Mr. Percival
 * Harold
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Steam Team
 * Miss Jenny
 * Jack and the Pack

About Thomas Being Found
 * Edward, Henry, Emily and Rocky
 * The Narrow Gauge Engines
 * Terence
 * Harvey
 * Trevor
 * Bill
 * Ben
 * Molly
 * Dennis, Mavis, Diesel, Diesel 10, 'Arry, Salty and Bert
 * Percy
 * Gordon, Toby and James
 * Arthur
 * Miss Jenny
 * Jack
 * Alfie, Oliver, Max, Monty, Ned and Buster
 * Harold
 * Bertie
 * Lady Hatt
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Cranky

(The message about Thomas being found from the Narrow Gauge Engines to the Fat Controller at the Docks is in a rhyme)

Goofs

 * When Thomas discovers Great Waterton, he already passes the remains of the Stand Pipe Tower when he comments on it.
 * Thomas goes back to Tidmouth Sheds, but he told James that he was going to stay at Great Waterton Shed because it will take him a long time to make the journey home.
 * Thomas is facing away from the steep hill when he shunts the trucks. But when Stanley's trucks crash into the Stand Pipe Tower, Thomas is facing towards the hill.
 * Stanley pulls the long line of trucks from the main track up the steep hill. But when the trucks break away and go down hill, they go into a siding - into the Stand Pipe Tower. As there is no mention of the points being changed, the trucks should've collided into Toby and Percy.
 * When Stanley returns to Great Waterton after the accident just as Thomas leaves to be by himself, he's on the track to Thomas's left. But in the next scene, when Thomas is alone in a siding, Stanley is seen on the track to Thomas's right.
 * Thomas blows his whistle after Stanley cracks a cylinder in his cab, but the narrator said that Thomas has no steam left in his boiler.
 * At the grand opening of Great Waterton, Gordon and Henry swap places twice by the Stand Pipe Tower.
 * The Pack was referred to as "Jack and his team", as if Jack were the leader.
 * Bertie has Caroline's horn sound at the end of the movie.
 * When Thomas sees the barrier in the dissused mine he clearly brakes. But before he is seen smashing through the barrier, his wheels are moving again. In addition to that, right when Thomas sees the barrier he wastes his time saying "Oh no!". He could and should of braked earlier so he wouldn't of crashed through the barrier.
 * On The Great Discovery UK/AUS DVD, the part where Thomas shunts the trucks then go's down into the mine, there is a script mistake. Thomas says freight cars instead of trucks.

Pierce Brosnan:"Jack and Alfie had already loaded their trucks of rubble."

Thomas: "If I shunt all the freight cars away to the sidings, the tracks will be clear in the morning, then everyone will like me again."