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An Unlikely Fandom: The Impact of Thomas the Tank Engine is an American documentary film directed by Brannon Carty.
The film follows the impact on adults and teens alike who have become fans of the Thomas & Friends franchise and have stayed that way. It will also star several key people who have worked on Thomas such as Mike O'Donnell, Wilbert Awdry, Veronica Chambers, David Mitton, Rick Siggelkow and Britt Allcroft in both archival and new footage.
It was first released in 2023, under the taglines "You've Met the Bronies, Now Meet the Tankies (as a reference to Bronies: An Extremely Unexpected Fandom) and "You Call Him a Train, They Call Him a Friend".
Trivia
- The documentary was filmed with a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K.
- The documentary was originally set to be released in August 2020, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was pushed back several times to its finalised release date for Monday 27 November 2023 at a private premiere event in New York City.
- Filming Locations for the documentary included Huntingdon Pennsylvania, Edison New Jersey, the Strasburg Railroad and Wilmington North Carolina, in the United States with additional filming in the United Kingdom and Australia were done to further expanding the film.
- Nicholas Jones and Nick Horrell contributed to the documentary by filming several England locations including the Talyllyn Railway and Central London where fellow British Thomas fans were interviewed.
- A subtle reference to the 2011 film Drive will be included somewhere in the documentary as an Easter Egg.
- Sam Blewitt performed a cover of The Locomotion during the end credits.
- On 3 February 2020, a Kickstarter campaign for the documentary was created in order to help fund travel costs associated with visiting the UK for filming interviews in May 2020 (later postponed to a year because of the pandemic.). Those who donated a specified amount of money to the project would receive the following rewards. These rewards include:
- $10 - Your name in the film's end credits.
- $20 - An exclusive digital download copy of the documentary.
- $30 - An exclusive limited edition Blu-ray copy of the documentary, complete with bonus features and director's commentary.
- $35 - 11oz Coffee Mug
- $40 - Soundtrack featuring music by Will Wilkie.
- $50 - a signed 18" x 24" poster for the documentary.
- $100 - An Unlikely Fandom crew t-shirt and hat.
- $500 - Your name listed as an executive producer in the film's credits and poster art, exclusive access to cuts of the documentary before the release date and invitation to the film's theatrical premiere (location TBD), plus all previous rewards.
- By 7 February 2020, the fundraiser had already reached its funding goal of $2,500 and and successfully ended with $14.5k on 4 March.
- YoYoEvanYT won the 7.5K Giveaway and won several different items, one of which included the world's only existing copy of An Unlikely Fandom on VHS.
Trailer, Interview and Featured Clips
AN UNLIKELY FANDOM (2023) - FINAL TRAILER
🎥 🎬 🚂 Stay Unlikely! - SmurfyDan Interviews (ft Brannon Carty) - An Unlikely Fandom 🎥 🎬 🚂
An interview with director Brannon Carty by Daniel Coffey.
An Unlikely Fandom - Fox 8 News Segment
Broadcast on May 10th, 2024
An Unlikely Fandom (2023)- The Appeal of the Model Series - Clip
An Unlikely Fandom (2023)- The Genius of David Mitton - Clip
An Unlikely Fandom (2023)- Preserving the Props - Clip
An Unlikely Fandom (2023)- The Origins of the TV Series - Clip
An Unlikely Fandom (2023)- One Common Denominator - Clip
An Unlikely Fandom (2023)- A Simpler Time - Clip
An Unlikely Fandom (2023)- A Child's Imagination - Clip
External Links
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