The Great Race

The Great Race is the 2016 special.

Description
Thomas wants to go to the Great Railway Show, but the big engines only laugh at him. They say he's not strong or big enough to compete from the best around the world, but Thomas is determined to find a way. First, he tries to get himself streamlined, but the Fat Controller decides that it would better be suited for Gordon. Then, he tries to get himself repainted like a brightly coloured engine named Ashima, from India. His plans go horribly wrong. Thomas learns how to be himself when he finally discovers a way to compete. Thomas nearly gets to the show when Diesel threatens his chance once again.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Duck
 * Donald and Douglas
 * Oliver
 * Emily
 * Stanley
 * Charlie
 * Scruff
 * Belle
 * Porter
 * Bill and Ben
 * Timothy
 * Marion
 * Flying Scotsman
 * Spencer
 * Stephen
 * Connor
 * Caitlin
 * Samson
 * Victor
 * Diesel
 * Daisy
 * Mavis
 * Salty
 * Dart
 * Den
 * Paxton
 * Norman
 * Sidney
 * Philip
 * Stafford
 * Skarloey
 * Rheneas
 * Sir Handel
 * Peter Sam
 * Rex
 * Bert
 * Mike
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Cranky
 * Kevin
 * Flynn
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Docks Manager
 * Hiro (does not speak)
 * Toby (cameo)
 * Rosie (cameo)
 * 'Arry and Bert (cameo)
 * Winston (cameo)
 * Henrietta (cameo)
 * Toad (cameo)
 * Bertie (cameo)
 * Mr. Percival (cameo)
 * The Thin Clergyman (cameo)
 * Harvey (fantasy)
 * Harold (fantasy)
 * Alfie (fantasy)
 * Oliver (fantasy)
 * Captain (fantasy)
 * Mrs. Kyndley (mentioned)

Characters Introduced

 * Ashima
 * Vinnie
 * Raul
 * Frieda
 * Axel
 * Gina
 * Étienne
 * Carlos (not named)
 * Ivan (not named)
 * Rajiv (cameo)
 * Yong Bao (cameo)
 * Shane (cameo)
 * The Five Diesel Shunters (cameo)

Locations

 * Island of Sodor
 * The Mainland
 * Brendam Docks
 * Knapford
 * Knapford Yards
 * Maron
 * Sodor Dieselworks
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Sodor Suspension Bridge
 * Shunting Yards
 * Blue Mountain Quarry
 * Arlesburgh Junction
 * Maithwaite
 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * The Watermill
 * Henry's Tunnel
 * The Fenland Track
 * Kellsthorpe
 * Sodor China Clay Company
 * Vicarstown
 * Vicarstown Bridge

UK and AUS

 * Mark Moraghan as the Narrator
 * John Hasler as Thomas and Rheneas
 * Keith Wickham as Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Salty, Den, Norman, Stafford, Skarloey, Sir Handel, Bert and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Nigel Pilkington as Percy
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Daisy, Frieda, Gina and Annie and Clarabel
 * Steven Kynman as Duck, Porter, Paxton, Dart and Peter Sam
 * Joe Mills as Oliver and Donald and Douglas
 * Matt Wilkinson as Stanley, Charlie, Scruff, Spencer, Cranky, Kevin and the Dock Manager
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Philip
 * Kerry Shale as Diesel
 * David Bedella as Victor and Carlos
 * Bob Golding as Stephen, Sidney and Ivan
 * Jonathan Broadbent as Bill and Ben
 * Tim Whitnall as Timothy and Mike
 * Olivia Colman as Marion
 * Tom Stourton as Rex
 * Jonathan Forbes as Connor
 * Rebecca O'Mara as Caitlin
 * Robert Wilfort as Samson and a judge
 * Rufus Jones as the Flying Scotsman
 * Tina Desai as Ashima
 * John Schwab as Vinnie
 * Rob Rackstraw as Raul, Axel, Étienne and the Race Announcer

US

 * Mark Moraghan as the Narrator
 * Joseph May as Thomas
 * William Hope as Edward and the Dock Manager
 * Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, Scruff, Diesel and Kevin
 * Rob Rackstraw as James, Stanley, Raul, Axel, Étienne and the Race Announcer
 * Christopher Ragland as Percy
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily
 * Steven Kynman as Duck, Paxton, Dart and Peter Sam
 * Joe Mills as Oliver and Donald and Douglas
 * Teresa Gallagher as Daisy, Frieda, Gina and Annie and Clarabel
 * Keith Wickham as Salty, Den, Norman, Stafford, Skarloey, Sir Handel, Bert and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Glenn Wrage as Spencer and Cranky
 * Rasmus Hardiker as Philip
 * John Hasler as Rheneas
 * David Menkin as Porter
 * David Bedella as Victor and Carlos
 * Bob Golding as Stephen, Sidney and Ivan
 * Jonathan Broadbent as Bill and Ben
 * Tim Whitnall as Timothy and Mike
 * Olivia Colman as Marion
 * Tom Stourton as Rex
 * Jonathan Forbes as Connor
 * Rebecca O'Mara as Caitlin
 * Robert Wilfort as Samson and a judge
 * Rufus Jones as the Flying Scotsman
 * Tina Desai as Ashima
 * John Schwab as Vinnie

Songs

 * Will You Won't You
 * Streamlining
 * I'm Full of Surprises
 * You Can Only Be You
 * The Shooting Star Is Coming Through
 * Be Who You Are, And Go Far
 * He's Full Of Surprises

US

 * Music Videos - Will You Won't You, Streamlining, I'm Full of Surprises, and You Can Only Be You
 * Guess Who? Puzzles
 * 20 Character Shorts

Trivia

 * This special will be shown in select UK cinemas beginning on May 21st.
 * This special will introduce the most new characters to date, at a total of twelve.
 * This special ties in with the 2016 Summer Olympics and Flying Scotsman's return to service in real-life.
 * In the promotional images, the Dutch flag can be spotted on the castle, but no Dutch engine competes in the Great Railway Show.
 * The Canadian flag also appears in promotional images, despite none of the contestants seemingly representing Canada for the event.
 * A few references to previous episodes are made throughout the special, such as the following:
 * Thomas' dream of going past Vicarstown and to the Mainland is similar to, or possibly inspired by, Gordon wanting to go past Barrow-in-Furness to London in Gordon Goes Foreign.
 * Thomas mentions the time he and the other famous engines of Sodor went to the Mainland to Flying Scotsman.
 * Philip makes several references to the time he won a race against Gordon.
 * John Hasler takes over the role of Rheneas starting with this special.
 * When Gordon breaks down during the race, the race announcer says "It could all be over now. It is now". This is a reference to the 1966 Football World Cup final, where the commentator says "There are people on the pitch, they think it's all over. It is now".
 * This is the first musical special to be produced. This, however, is not the first time a musical inspired by the Railway Series was planned to be made, as English composer Andrew Lloyd Webber wanted to make a musical based on the series until Awdry refused to give him the permission to so.
 * Tina Desai, Rufus Jones and John Schwab join the voice cast.
 * Starting from April 13th, the official YouTube channel will be uploading promotional videos of each of the Great Railway Show's contestants, each video being uploaded once a week on Wednesday.
 * This special marks the first of a few things:
 * The first full appearance of Flying Scotsman in the television series, and his first appearance since the third season.
 * The first appearance of Mrs. Kyndley since the seventh season, although she is only mentioned.
 * The first appearance of Vicarstown station in the television series.
 * The first appearance of the red express coaches in full CGI, and their first appearance since the twelfth season.
 * This is the first special to feature Nigel Pilkington as Percy in the UK and Kerry Shale as Diesel in the US.
 * The first and only appearances of the international engines, excluding the Flying Scotsman, who will appear in future seasons.
 * The first special to be composed by Chris Renshaw.
 * This special marks the last of a few things:
 * The last special to be animated by Arc Productions. Jam Filled Entertainment later acquired the company and will animate the series for future seasons.
 * The final time Teresa Gallagher voices Daisy. Tracy-Ann Oberman would later assume the role in the twentieth season.

Goofs

 * In one shot on the mainland, Ashima is not on the rails.
 * There are several inconsistencies during the scene of the international engines arriving at Brendam Docks, and many of them change places in multiple shots:
 * When the engines leave the ferry and make their way through the docks, Yong Bao is behind Raul. However, as the engines head back to the ship, he appears behind Gina, and Raul appears behind him.
 * As the engines pass through the docks, Étienne is between Yong Bao and Frieda. When he is back on the ferry, however, he appears behind Raul and Vinnie.
 * Ivan randomly appears between Gina and Yong Bao when the engines get back on the ship, despite not being there previously.
 * When the ferry leaves Brendam Docks, Axel has no wheels and his tender is missing.
 * As Thomas is shunting trucks in the yard, a row of narrow gauge slate trucks can be seen on standard gauge rails.
 * When Flying Scotsman first sees Gordon in his streamlined casing, his eyebrow phases through his forehead.
 * During You Can Only Be You, Annie and Clarabel briefly disappear from behind Ashima, then reappear in the next scene.
 * When Carlos is being refueled with coal, the chute for the coal hopper is over his cab roof instead of his tender.
 * In the UK dub, Emily says the term "box cars".
 * After Vinnie derails and runs into the pylon, Ashima appears to be hanging off the track behind Thomas.
 * When Thomas first arrives at the Mainland and makes his way to the show, Hiro is taking a goods train to Sodor. However, a few minutes later, he is competing in the strength competition at the Great Railway Show. It would be impossible for Hiro to take a train to Sodor and then return to the Great Railway Show before Thomas got there.
 * Tom Stourton, Olivia Coleman and Jonathan Broadbent are not listed in the film's credits despite voicing Rex, Marion and Bill and Ben respectively.

Merchandise
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Wooden Railway

 * Ashima
 * Racing Vinnie
 * Frieda
 * Vicarstown Station
 * Race Day Relay set with Gina
 * Diesels in Disguise Pack

Take-n-Play

 * Ashima
 * Racing Vinnie
 * Raul
 * Axel
 * Ivan
 * Shooting Star Gordon
 * Streamlined Thomas

TrackMaster

 * Thomas' Sky High Bridge Jump Playset
 * Thomas and Percy's Railway Race set
 * Flying Scotsman
 * Shooting Star Gordon
 * Trophy Thomas

Collectible Railway

 * Shooting Star Gordon
 * Ashima
 * Yong Bao}}