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- "I'm gonna get my revenge, Burnett Stone, on you and that engine. You know what revenge sounds like?"
- ― P.T. Boomer before setting the explosives on Muffle Mountain
Passing Through Boomer, commonly referred to as P.T. Boomer or just Boomer, was a character who was originally going to be the main antagonist of Thomas and the Magic Railroad, but was cut to the film due to the test audiences complaining that he would be too scary for the film's target audience being younger children. His role was replaced by Diesel 10 (who was originally the secondary antagonist) and Boomer himself was demoted to a minor cameo in one scene.
Biography
Very little is known about P.T. Boomer's life prior to the film, but he was jealous of the relationship that Burnett Stone had with Tasha Stone and bullied Burnett into allowing him to take Lady for a run. After he crashed her, he left Shining Time while Burnett spent years trying to restore her, to no avail. Boomer is described in the script as being "A drifter through choice, not circumstance". He returns forty years later now a bitter and dark character bent on getting rid of Lady.
Boomer is the reason behind Mutt's unease and the reason for bringing Lily to Shining Time rather than letting her go on to Muffle Mountain. Boomer spends much of his time throughout the film arguing with Burnett Stone and Billy Twofeathers and digging into the mountain looking for Lady.
He has no (said) ownership or connections with Diesel 10, not even meeting him until the film's climactic chase scene, other than their shared desire to destroy Lady and Sodor. He does not believe in magic and when he finds Thomas on Muffle Mountain, he believes that he is just a huge toy. Thomas is the reason why Boomer ends up on Sodor: he discovers the entrance to the Magic Railroad after Thomas rolls down the mountain (due to Boomer using explosives to destroy the ledge where Thomas is stuck on) and falls through it. When Thomas and Lady arrive back on Sodor, Diesel 10 arrives, just as Boomer flies through the magic buffers. Landing on Diesel 10's roof, he declares that he is after Lady as well, to which the former declares "that makes two of us!" Boomer spends the chase throwing taunts at Burnett, to which Burnett declares that "the magic [he] refuse[s] to believe in will get the better of [him]".
He and Diesel 10 meet their fates during the chase scene when they plunge off the viaduct into a barge filled with sludge. Boomer spits water out of his mouth and angrily glares into the camera. It is unknown what happened to him after the chase, but it could be assumed that he may have been rescued and arrested by police. Much like in the final film, they are towed away on the barge, but in the original script, they are transformed into sludge by way of Junior's magic bandana.
Personality
Boomer is an opportunist, who has drifted from situation to situation, making money wherever he can - usually out of others' misfortunes. He is an emotionally muddy man who is obsessed with cleanliness and order, and does not believe in magic to any extent. Now he is out of opportunities, except one - to return to Shining Time with only himself, his motorcycle, a lifelong grudge and a thirst for revenge.
Despite Boomer's cruel nature, he did however kindly attempt to bribe Patch with a bunch of cash if he helped him locate Lady.
Behind the Scenes
P.T. Boomer was created by Britt Allcroft to be the main antagonist of the film Thomas and the Magic Railroad, with Diesel 10 as the secondary antagonist. However, during a screening of one of the film's drafts, a test audience complained about the character being too frightening for a younger audience, so he was demoted into making a cameo appearance at the last minute, leaving Diesel 10 re-written as the primary antagonist of the film. As a result, many elements in the film's plot that were driven by him were left unexplained, thus leaving a plot that was viewed by audiences as contrived, leading to poor critical and financial reception.
Despite being cut from the final film, P.T Boomer can be easily seen in the original trailer for the film where he falls down the Big Dipper with Diesel 10.[1] He also appeared in another trailer carrying his dynamite.
He also managed to appear in the final film in some ways, such as the chase scene, in which he can be seen riding on top of Diesel 10's rear cab roof in some shots, this is probably because there was no time to redo these shots without his figurine placed on Diesel 10's model. In the scene where Stacy Jones drops Lily off to her grandpa Stone, Boomer is seen confronting Stone. However, as Boomer was already cut from the film, the scene was altered through additional dialogue recording (ADR) such that he is now simply a biker asking for directions.
Many scenes pointing towards his role are seen as well, such as Billy Twofeathers holding flowers while speaking with Stacy. In said scene, Billy and Mutt encounter P.T. Boomer waiting for them on the Shining Time Station platform. After a confrontational exchange about Burnett Stone's whereabouts and being stonewalled by Billy, an enraged Boomer leaves, but not before taking a swing at the hanging flower basket that Mr. Conductor had watered earlier. The script describes Billy picking up the flowers that have dropped onto the ground.
Also, while driving Lily to see Burnett, Stacy is seen holding a photograph. Even though in the film it is not clear as to what it is, according to the original script, it was a picture of a younger Burnett and Tasha during a school dance with P.T. Boomer angrily eyeing the couple.
Also, after Billy Twofeathers waves to the children, in the original cut, from Billy's point of view, he would see a motorcyclist (Boomer) racing across the hillside. He purposely cuts in front of the train at the crossing, startling Billy to apply the brakes and blow the locomotive's whistle. The tense atmosphere of this shot was enhanced by Britt Allcroft including a flock of panicked birds suddenly taking flight upon hearing the whistle's shriek.
He also appeared in the books; Diesels and Engines, the Thomas and the Magic Railroad activity book and the Thomas and the Magic Railroad book, all of which were published before he was officially cut. He was originally planned to have an ERTL model released, but was shelved after he was cut from the film.
Appearances
Thomas & Friends
Specials
- 2000 - Thomas and the Magic Railroad (cameo; full role cut)
Music Videos
- 2000 - Some Things Never Leave You (role cut)
Books
- 2000 - Thomas and the Magic Railroad (indirectly mentioned), Diesels and Engines and Thomas and the Magic Railroad (activity book)
Trivia
- As revealed by Britt Allcroft in 2019, the "P.T." in P.T. Boomer's name stands for "Passing Through".[2]
- In the original script, he is around 55–60 years of age.
- Three Gauge 1 figures of P.T. Boomer were made for the film where he had to interact with the Gauge 1 models of the engines.
- The first figure was of him sitting, placed on top of Diesel 10 in some shots of the chase scene. The second was of him crouching, placed on top of Diesel 10 in the shot where they go through Henry's Tunnel. And the third was of him lying, placed on the sludge in the first shot of Diesel 10 on the barge full of sludge.
- Until the 2020 Shout! Factory Blu-ray release of the film, most of P.T. Boomer's scenes were never officially available, although leaked clips had surfaced online over the years. The first clip that surfaced was the chase scene of him sometime in the late 2000's.[3][4]
- P.T Boomer had stunt double actors for the scenes of him riding his motorcycle; Production manager Noella Nesdoly for the Isle of Man and Mike Jones for Pennsylvania because of Doug Lennox having a bad knee as a result of a motorcycle incident during his days in the army.
Merchandise
- Ertl Company (named "Pete Boom", spring 2000 release; cancelled)
External links
See also
- P.T. Boomer on the Shining Time Station wiki.
References
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iywA9dhRxrM
- ↑ "Hello everyone, I hope you like this pic!". Facebook. Britt Allcroft. 16 February 2019. Archived from the original on 15 July 2024. "By the way, PT stands for "Passing Through"".
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=uGOzKZe0yEU&t=35s
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1prLIpRaUC4&list=PLgibAOSoBTPm0G1YjG24szPtipj_25UzT
| People | Mr. Conductor | C. Junior | Stacy Jones | Billy Twofeathers | Burnett Stone | P.T. Boomer | Lily | Patch | Tasha Stone |
|---|---|
| Animals | Mutt | Moby Dick |
| Locomotives | Rainbow Sun | Lady |
| Locations | Shining Time | Muffle Mountain | Burnett Stone's Workshop | The Magic Railroad |