Tale of the Brave

"Being brave isn't the same as not feeling scared. Being brave is about what you do, even when you do feel scared."

- Gator

Tale of the Brave is a special released on September 16th, 2014 in the US on DVD and Blu-ray and September 1st in the UK.

Plot
A bridge on Thomas' Branch Line is closed, so Thomas has to go and work at the Clay Pits. When he first arrives, he can see no one, but after catching sight of one of the twins, he chases them to the other side of the quarry. However, Bill and Ben are in the mood for pranks. They trick Thomas into being coupled to a line of trucks, which are already coupled to a new oil-burning engine named Timothy from the other direction. Thomas pulls the trucks forward, jerking Timothy backwards suddenly. As the twins run off laughing, Timothy warns Thomas to be careful as a storm closes in and the rain makes the clay cliffs unstable.

As Thomas is going along, a flash of lightning reveals what looks like giant footprints on the slope above, but a landslide has begun and Thomas cannot stay to investigate. Bill and Ben push Thomas to safety just in time.

The next morning, the Fat Controller gathers a few of his engines at the shunting yard for a very important meeting. They pay tribute to Bill and Ben, who rescued Thomas from the landslide at the clay pits; while he is praising them, Gordon and James mumble with disapproval. As the rest of the engines leave, Thomas and Percy are the only two left in the yard. Thomas explains the footprints to a curious Percy. The Fat Controller tells Thomas to go to the docks, but he is worried about the footprints.

Before Thomas goes to the docks, he returns to the Clay Pits to investigate the footprints, but is interrupted by a new steam shovel named Marion. She tells him not to go past the danger sign indicating the fallen clay walls, and he cannot investigate.

Thomas goes to the docks, where he meets Percy. Percy is still curious about the footprints, but Thomas still doesn't know what made them. Percy begins to worry that there may be a monster on Sodor. He leaves with a goods train as a fog rolls in, but while he is rolling along he sees a mysterious sloping object, which he believes to be a monster, approaching him. Percy is so scared that he reverses all the way back to the docks. He yells that there is a monster, startling Cranky, who drops a load of sandbags onto Thomas. The "monster" appears out of the fog, revealing himself to be a steam engine named Gerald, who has earned the nickname "Gator" due to his sloping water tank.

Percy is still paranoid that night when he is taking the mail, and he mistakes almost everything around him for a monster. He ends up staying all night keeping a lookout for monsters. The next morning, at the Clay Pits, Thomas is scared by Bill and Ben.

At the docks, Percy is extremely drowsy as he backs down onto a train of trucks. As they are coupled to him, he mistakes the impact of his buffers against those of the trucks for a monster trying to grab him and runs off without his train, dragging the shunter's pole behind him. Gator stops Percy, who almost lets the secret about the footprints slip.

Thomas is at the Clay Pits and begins to wonder if the footprints were a prank by Bill and Ben. He asks them if this is the case and, offended that he is apparently ungrateful that they risked their lives for him, they puff away.

Percy tells Thomas about his paranoia, prompting James to make fun of Percy. Percy is still afraid of the dark, and asks Thomas to take the mail for him that night.

The next morning, the bridge on Thomas' Branch Line is repaired, and he goes to collect a very excited Annie and Clarabel. James rolls in at the same time, complaining that he has been sent for scrap, quickly correcting himself as having to collect trucks from the Scrapyard on Edward's Branch Line.

On the way to the Scrapyard, Percy rolls up beside James, who continues to tease him. Percy explains about the footprints, leaving James with his doubts. Not paying attention to where he is going, he suddenly swerves into the Scrapyard, where he sees what he believes to be a monster, which he quickly finds out is a pile of scrap loaded onto a truck by Reg, the new scrapyard crane. James, embarrassed, puffs away with the truck.

At the docks, Percy finds Gator, who has missed his ship, and has to help out while he waits for another one. To pass the time, he is to collect some trucks from Duck's Branch Line. Percy thinks Gator will be afraid of monsters, but Gator explains the story of how he became so brave:

He was working in the mountains delivering supplies to a village. This required him to cross a bridge, but he was (and still is) afraid of heights, and realizing that the villagers needed those supplies, crossed the bridge. Percy is in awe. Inspired by Gator, he decides to take the mail that night.

Meanwhile, James has to take the "Flying Kipper" to fill in for Henry, who is staying overnight on the mainland after taking a heavy goods train. He is annoyed to be working in the dark, and gets more annoyed when teased by Emily and Porter.

As James is making his way across the line, he sees a strange shape. It says hello to him, causing him to run off as fast as he can. Just then, Gator's driver walks up to him and turns on his lamp; the "monster" is Gator, who is taking Oliver's train to the docks. James continues speeding across the island, missing a red signal, which leads to him hitting a set of points which are set against him, coming off the rails, and crashing into the pond on the Fenland Track. Percy and Gator then pull up, and cannot help but laugh.

The next morning, Percy is glad to realise that Gator must now be a member of the North Western Railway. James, on the other hand, is still miserable from the night before. At the station, Henry thanks him for taking the "Kipper" for him, but cannot help but remark that James is supposed to deliver the fish, not throw them back into the water, something everyone finds hilarious. Seeking revenge on Percy, James makes a plan.

As Percy is making his mail run, he is unaware that James is pushing the Scrap Monster toward him from the opposite direction. He sees the pile of scrap as it leans towards him, and knowing it is not Gator, runs away in fear. He returns to the sheds, still pulling his mail trucks, as he yells that he saw a monster, and is teased by all of the big engines except for Emily, who tries to tell them to stop. Percy begs Thomas to tell them about the footprints, but Thomas, still unaware of what made them, stays silent, leaving Percy extremely hurt.

The next morning, the Fat Controller asks James to investigate a truck of scrap left on the main line; he is unaware that this is the "monster" that had scared Percy. Meanwhile, Percy is delivering the previous night's mail due to bringing it back to the sheds with him, when he sees Gator. The two engines pull their trains side by side. When they reach the Suspension Bridge, Gator is too scared to cross, but is able to pluck up courage when Percy crosses the bridge. Just then, Thomas passes, but Percy is still mad at him; Annie and Clarabel tell Thomas to give Percy time to feel better. Percy expresses his happiness for Gator not going away, but Gator tells him that he is, in fact, leaving by ship that night. Meanwhile, Thomas sees James pushing the Scrap Monster and realises that James had used Reg's "monster" to scare Percy. Thomas urges James to apologise, leaving the big red engine feeling guilty.

At Knapford Station, the Fat Controller speaks severely to Percy for abandoning his mail duties the night before. Suddenly, he is wanted on the telephone and walks off to take the call, telling Percy to stay where he is. Just then, Thomas pulls up on the other platform. Percy is still furious at Thomas for not believing him about the monster, promising that he will soon be as brave as Gator and working in a faraway land, and puffs away just as the Fat Controller returns.

As Percy is finishing with the mail train, James tries to apologise to him, but the little saddletank does not forgive him, vowing to prove his bravery. That evening, Percy is missing and his mail trucks are still waiting on a siding, and James explains to Thomas that he had attempted to apologise. The Fat Controller tells Thomas to look for Percy and take his train. Thomas is worrying about his closest friend when he sees Gator, who explains that he had wanted to say goodbye to Percy, as he is leaving Sodor.

At the docks, Percy is being loaded onto Gator's ship as well by a very doubtful Cranky. Percy explains that he wants to run away from his fears and work in a faraway land with Gator, who does not think this would be brave, leaving Percy to ponder his decision.

Thomas returns to the sheds to find that Percy is still missing. James jokes that Percy is probably hunting for monsters, prompting Thomas to trick James to go to the clay pits with him to find Percy. Just then, Gator's ship's horn honks, and Thomas remembers what Percy had said about being as brave as Gator and going away with him, and decides to go to the docks. As he rushes into the docks, the ship is already leaving, so Thomas urges Cranky to stop the ship with his hook. He manages to do so, but several of his bolts come loose and he is leaning over. Salty warns Cranky that he will be pulled overboard. Cranky, holding on for dear life, hears the ship's alarm as it turns around to free him. Hearing that stopping the ship was because of Percy, he and Gator explain that Cranky had unloaded Percy a half hour ago, leaving Thomas to wonder where he is now.

Percy has gone to the clay pits. His puffing wakes up Bill, who accuses Ben of making puffing noises in his sleep. Just then, Thomas comes in yelling for Percy. The twins both believe that they can even hear what Timothy is dreaming now.

James, who had left Thomas behind as the latter had gone to the docks, puffs up next to Percy, who is about to pass the danger sign at the site of the landslide where the footprints had been found, wanting to face the monster himself. James tries once again to apologise, and realising that Percy is not going to forgive him, decides to prove how much more brave than Percy he is. He slowly moves into the danger zone, blowing his whistle loudly in an attempt to provoke the monster, only to cause a footprint to fall near Percy, making the little green engine realise that what Thomas said about the mysterious footprints was true. However, worst was to come when the vibration of James' whistle also causes another landslide. As Thomas tries to get the two engines' attention, several rocks fall, forming a barrier between him and the two engines. Suddenly, James sees a dinosaur skull, which he believes to be the head of a monster. Frightened, he tries to reverse, but gets stuck. Percy urges James to go forward, and after James is hesitant to do so, Percy decides that he must be brave as he buffers up to James to get him to safety. The landslide is out of control by this point, destroying most of the quarry. As James escapes, Percy is swept up by the landslide. The dinosaur skull from earlier begins to fall towards him, but it is caught by Marion, saving the little tank engine's life. Marion explains that the skull is a fossilized skull of a Megalosaurus. She explains the concept of fossils to a very intrigued Bill and Ben before digging Percy out.

Percy has to go to the Steamworks to be fixed and is done being repaired when Thomas and James roll up and apologise. Percy is happy to see his two best friends as they go to the Town Hall for the unveiling of the dinosaur. Emily then rushes in and tells the three engines that Gator is leaving. Percy is confused as Gator was supposed to have already left. Thomas tells him that there was a "holdup" as the engines rush to the docks. Percy is just in time to say farewell to Gator as his ship leaves, remarking that it takes courage to say goodbye to a friend. Gator's ship disappears on the horizon and the three friends puff away into the distance as the credits roll.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Bill and Ben
 * Emily
 * Porter
 * Gator
 * Timothy
 * Salty
 * Marion
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Cranky
 * Kevin
 * Reg
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Dock Manager
 * Sir Robert Norramby
 * Some Workmen
 * A Shunter
 * Wellsworth Station Speaker
 * Duck (does not speak)
 * Oliver (cameo)
 * Rosie (cameo)
 * Stanley (cameo)
 * Stafford (cameo)
 * Rocky (cameo)
 * The Teacher (cameo)
 * The Bird Watcher (cameo)
 * Dowager Hatt's Friends (cameo)

A Knapford station worker, possibly the stationmaster, also speaks.

Locations

 * Shunting Yards
 * Sodor China Clay Company
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Crocks Scrap Yard
 * Tidmouth Tunnel
 * Knapford
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Fenland Fields
 * The Fenland Track
 * Gordon's Hill
 * Wellsworth
 * Town Hall
 * Duck's Branch Line
 * Sodor Suspension Bridge
 * Gator's Railway
 * Animal Park (mentioned)
 * Great Waterton (mentioned)
 * Vicarstown (mentioned)
 * Thomas' Branch Line (mentioned)

UK/AUS

 * Mark Moraghan as the narrator
 * Ben Small as Thomas and the Troublesome Trucks
 * Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Salty and the Fat Controller
 * Matt Wilkinson as Kevin and Cranky
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Annie, and Clarabel
 * Steven Kynman as Porter and the Dock Manager
 * Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby
 * Jonathan Broadbent as Bill and Ben
 * Clive Mantle as Gator
 * Tim Whitnall as Timothy and Reg
 * Olivia Colman as Marion
 * Bob Golding as Some Workmen

US

 * Mark Moraghan as the narrator
 * Martin Sherman as Thomas and Percy
 * Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, James, Kevin, and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Glenn Wrage as Cranky
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily
 * David Menkin as Porter
 * Ben Small as the Troublesome Trucks
 * Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby
 * Clive Mantle as Gator
 * Tim Whitnall as Timothy and Reg
 * Olivia Colman as Marion
 * Jonathan Broadbent as Bill and Ben
 * Keith Wickham as Salty
 * Teresa Gallagher as Annie and Clarabel
 * William Hope as Edward and the Dock Manager
 * Bob Golding as Some Workmen

UK/AUS

 * Let's Be Brave sing-along
 * Monsters Everywhere sing-along
 * Guess Who! puzzles
 * Mr Perkins' Postcard: The Steamworks
 * Mr Perkins' Storytime: Thomas and the Breakdown Train

US

 * Let's Be Brave sing-along
 * Monsters Everywhere sing-along
 * Guess Who! puzzles

Trivia

 * This special went through several title changes until it is settled with the final title. The working titles of the special were called "Tracks to Bravery" and "The Monster of Sodor".
 * This special marks the first of several things:
 * The first time Duck's Branch Line has been mentioned since the third season.
 * The first appearance of the Sodor China Clay Company since the fifth, and of the Tidmouth Tunnel since the ninth.
 * The first special to mention Great Waterton since the twelfth season.
 * The first Australian DVD to feature Mr. Perkins.
 * The first special in which the credits show who voiced each character.
 * The first special in which Toby does not appear (excluding his appearance in a music video), and the first in which Victor does not appear since his introduction in Hero of the Rails.
 * The first special to have Clive Mantle and Olivia Colman as part of the voice cast. Tim Whitnall also officially joins the voice cast having been in the eighteenth season beforehand.
 * This is also the last special to have Ben Small and Martin Sherman as part of the voice cast and the last special in which Small voices Thomas and the Troublesome Trucks for the UK, and the last special in which Sherman voices Thomas and Percy for the US.
 * It was shown in Hoyts theatres in Australia and New Zealand during July 2014, and in Vue cinemas in late August 2014.
 * This special was shown on PBS in the US on November 3rd, 2014 and on ABC4Kids in Australia on November 16th. In the PBS version, several scenes were edited or cut out to fit the timeslot.
 * This special aired on the Mexican TV channel "Canal 5" on November 23rd 2014, and December 21st, 2014, and on the channel "Discovery Kids" on November 30th, 2014.
 * This special was broadcast in UK televisions on Channel 5's Milkshake! on New Years Day, 2015.
 * Several references are made in this special:
 * The scene of the Fat Controller's silhouette walking on-screen in the intro is similar to that of the intro from classic anthology television series, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents".
 * The opening premise of the film, where Thomas' Branch Line is closed due to bridgework and Thomas is sent to work with Bill and Ben is very similar to the Railway Series book, Thomas and the Twins.
 * When Sir Topham Hatt talks to Percy, he is called away with the exact same line ("Excuse me, sir, you are wanted on the telephone.") as his butler says in Thomas in Trouble, and his response ("Bother that telephone!") is also the same.
 * When James has his accident with The Flying Kipper it is similar to Henry's accident in Something in the Air. Henry even remarks that James was "supposed to deliver the fish, not throw them back in the water" which is similar to what Sir Topham Hatt told Henry in said episode.
 * When Percy tells Thomas "Guess what!" he says, "Umm... let's see... have you been asked to deliver a giant balloon on a flatbed?". This is a reference to Up, Up and Away!.
 * When Percy stops at the sign warning engines about landslides, the narrator says that Percy had trouble with going past danger signs before. This is a reference to Percy Takes the Plunge.
 * Marion makes a reference to William Shakespare's tragedy "Hamlet" when she catches the fossil of the dinosaur skull in her bucket and exclaims "Alas, poor dinosaur", similar to what Hamlet said as he held a human skull in his hand and said, "Alas poor Yorick, I knew thy well".
 * The Troublesome Trucks have English voices in the film whereas they had American voices in King of the Railway and the seventeenth season.
 * The US release is slowed down to 24 frames a second and adds an extra two minutes to the special's length. As a result, the audio is distorted. Only the iTunes version is presented with pitch adjustment.
 * The eighteenth season episode, Toad's Bright Idea, takes place during the events of this special.
 * Reused voice clips from The Afternoon Tea Express are used, as Stephen's voice can be heard saying "Careful!" at one point.
 * In the Dutch version of the film, the "The End" text at the end is white instead of yellow.
 * Like King of the Railway, the first trailer had some different footage from the final film, such as:
 * In the movie, it is foggy when Gator is first introduced, however in the trailer, no fog effects are used. Likewise, the scene where Percy mistakes Gator for a monster has reduced fog effects.
 * In the movie, it is storming when Thomas finds the footprints at the Clay Pits, but in the trailer, it is nighttime and no rain effects are used.
 * When Timothy is first introduced in the movie, the sky is dark and cloudy, but in the trailer, it is sunny and little to no clouds are seen. Also in the first trailer, there are no trees on the cliff behind Timothy, and his trucks are red.
 * In the movie, Thomas and Percy had their lamps on when the second landslide at the Clay Pits happens, but in the trailer, their lamps are off.
 * Alternative angles are used for when Marion and Reg are shown in the trailers, and for one of the scenes where Cranky swings his hook out to the ship.
 * In the first trailer, Marion lacks her protective corners, which were later added in the final movie. Because of this, her lamp was slightly moved.
 * In the first trailer, Gator has thin, white lining on his front end and has coloured rivets on his first funnel, but in the final movie, the lining becomes gold and thicker and the rivets are painted black.
 * The scenes where Percy says "Wow, you're brave Gator" and when Gator says "You might be braver then you think" are different in the final film.
 * In the second trailer, Timothy's scene is mirrored.
 * During the special announcements at Knapford station, it says "Would the parents of a small boy named Christopher, please come to the stationmaster's office and collect him." This may be a reference to Christopher Awdry.

Goofs

 * Edward is not shown in the UK end credits with the characters voiced by Keith Wickham. Likewise, Gordon is not shown in the US credits with the characters voiced by Kerry Shale, and the Troublesome Trucks are not shown in the UK credits with the characters voiced by Ben Small.
 * During the prologue, the bridge that James crosses over is actually a road bridge.
 * In the scene of Thomas arriving at the Clay Pits, Timothy can be seen in the background with his trucks. However in the next scene, the trucks have disappeared. They later reappear when Thomas comes to pull them.
 * In the Norwegian dub, Timothy is incorrectly described as a diesel engine, despite the fact that he is a steam engine.
 * When Thomas puffs away from Marion, his trucks are red, but in the next shot they are green.
 * Gator uses the US term "cars" when he discusses his new job with Percy in the UK dub.
 * In Gator's flashback:
 * The bottom half of Gator's bufferbeam is black instead of red.
 * Gator's middle lamp-iron and brakepipe are missing.
 * During the beginning of the flashback, Gator has three trucks, but when he crosses the bridge, he gains a fourth truck.
 * When James falls into the lake, Gator is shown to have turned around.
 * When Percy leaves Tidmouth Sheds with the mail train his brakevan is grey, but when he is out on the tracks his brakevan is orange.
 * When the Fat Controller arrives at Tidmouth Sheds, the image reflecting in the bumper of his car does not match up with its surroundings.
 * On the UK DVD, the subtitles for Tale of the Brave read "On Tale of the Brave", when it should say "Our Tale of the Brave".
 * When James screeches to a stop at the clay pits, his leading wheels spark, but these are not fitted with brakes.
 * At one point of James and Percy running away from the landslide, James has his US voice in the UK dub.
 * The way in which Gator is lifted at the end is impossible, as there is no way the winch could be positioned between his wheels.
 * When Timothy says to Thomas "See you met Marion then", he is shunting flatbeds, but in the next scene he is shunting normal trucks.
 * When Duck and Oliver whistle in the shot where they pass each other, no steam is emitted.

Wooden Railway

 * Gator
 * Timothy
 * Marion
 * Scrap Monster
 * Thomas' Fossil Run
 * James' Roaring Delivery
 * Oliver's Fossil Freight
 * Reg and Percy at the Scrapyard
 * Fossil Discovery

TrackMaster

 * Gator
 * Timothy
 * Scared James
 * Rail Repair
 * Troublesome Traps Set
 * Avalanche Escape Set

Take-n-Play

 * Timothy
 * Gator
 * Marion
 * Scrap Heap Monster
 * Gator's Mysterious Cargo
 * Percy's Dino Dig
 * Scrapyard Cleanup Team
 * Ben's Cement Mix-up
 * Toby's Spooky Surprise
 * Thomas and Cranky's Cargo Drop
 * Roaring Dino Run

Books

 * Tale of the Brave
 * The Monster of Sodor
 * The Fearsome Footprints/Thomas the Brave
 * Thomas and the Monster
 * Brave Little Engines
 * Tale of the Brave: The Movie Storybook
 * Tale of the Brave: Sticker Activity Book