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“We found him! We found our sleeping beauty!"
"Excuse me, are you a vandal? Driver told me vandals break in and smash things.”
― Duke and the visitors

Sleeping Beauty is the second episode of the fourth series. It is based on the story of the same name from the Railway Series book Duke the Lost Engine.

Plot

After a hard day's work, the engines return to the shed and ask Thomas to continue the rest of the story about Duke. Thomas recaps the story on where he left off and continues with Duke sleeping in the lonely shed for many years but he was certainly barely forgotten.

One day, not too long ago, a group of adventurers approached the Fat Controller with a plan to find and rescue Duke. The team was prepared with maps and knew where to look and the Fat Controller agreed. Everyone set off to the mountains in a train with Skarloey and began the long search. As the days passed, the search grew harder and there was no sign of Duke but the rescuers were just as determined to find him without throwing in the towel.

The search soon finally ended when one member accidentally fell through the roof of Duke's shed, having not realised he was standing on it and age had weakened the roof to the point where it could collapse. Duke woke up and asked the rescuer if he was a vandal, only assured him that he and the others were there to rescue him and reunite him with Stuart and Falcon. While he was delighted that they did remember, Duke was dug out of the shed and taken to his new home on the Skarloey Railway.

Stuart and Falcon (who are now renamed "Peter Sam" and "Sir Handel") were ready to greet their old friend but they saw that he was asleep in the shed. They hushed each other but they had already disturbed him, so he complained that they woke him up and started to tell them about the older days. The two engines laughed at this and told Duke that they were all due to go back to work the next day and they could keep Duke in order. Duke pretended to be cross but he could not have been happier to be reunited with his friends as they puffed away.

As Thomas concludes the story with a smiling Duke dozing the sunlight for the first time in years, all the engines agree on what a good story it was and how glad they are that it had a happy ending before going happily to sleep.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • Stock footage from the previous episode is used.
  • At the end of the episode, Falcon and Stuart are still referred to as such despite clearly having their new nameplates. Additionally, Stuart still has his old funnel in the scene, consistent with Duke's first cameo happening in the fourth series episode, Trucks.
  • Thomas is wearing his original smiling face in some images of this episode. It did make an appearance onscreen when Thomas tells the story about Duke but only in the promotional images. The same thing applies with James' original smiling face too. It also made an appearance onscreen but only in promotional images.
  • Duck is the only engine from the previous episode to not reappear at Tidmouth when Thomas is telling the story; James takes his place.
  • Many whistle sounds are missing in the US and early UK dubs of this episode, such as Thomas' whistle at the beginning.
  • The map of the Mid Sodor Railway is actually based on a map of the Isle of Wight's railway network, flipped upside-down.
  • On Storytime with Thomas, this episode aired back-to-back with the fifth series episode Duncan Gets Spooked.
  • This episode marks the first of a few things:
    • The first episode to use a scale model for a Skarloey Railway engine.
    • The first appearance of Henry's unused drowsy face from the third series.
    • The first appearance of Gordon's new sleeping face.
  • This episode's title refers to the fairy tale of the same name about a princess who falls asleep for one hundred years due to a curse.
  • The three berth garage from TUGS is visible at the end.
  • This is the only fourth series episode to feature the short wheelbase plank trucks.
  • A map of the east of Sodor, which features Crovan's Gate and the Skarloey Railway, is seen alongside other maps inside the Fat Controller's office. It is also seen in the fifth series episodes, Bye George!, Oliver's Find and Busy Going Backwards. The map was made in the fourth series and was used as geographical reference for the locations in concept arts.
  • The rescuers mention the episode title when they say, "We found him! We found our sleeping beauty!"

Goofs

  • In the UK and international dubs, Skarloey and Falcon have Rheneas/Stepney's original whistle sound.
  • In the original UK dub, Falcon has Duke's original whistle.
  • In the US dub, Stuart has Smudger's whistle sound and Falcon has a different whistle sound similar to Lady/Millie's during their reunion to meet Duke on the Skarloey Railway.
  • When the journey starts:
    • Skarloey is facing forwards but in every shot after that, he is facing backwards. This was likely done so that his face would not to be shown on screen until Four Little Engines.
    • The coach's roof is lifted and the brake van's roof is additionally lifted in one scene during the journey.
  • When Stuart and Falcon arrive at the sheds, the tracks behind them come to an end and one leads straight into a bush.
  • Stuart is tilted slightly in the final scene of him and Falcon.
  • Duke's right eye (viewers' left) slightly pops out of his face when he grumbles "You woke me up!"
  • Percy's right lamp iron (viewers' left) is crooked at the end of the episode.

Quotes

[first lines]
Percy: Thomas. Will you tell us the end of the story?
Thomas: You mean the one about Duke the Lost Engine?
Henry: Exactly.
James: But please remind us of the story so far.

Rescuers: [looking at maps in search of Duke] We want to find Duke and make him happy again.
Narrator: Maps lay everywhere.
Rescuers: If we follow the old line shown here on the map, we'll travel north of the village and then into the mountains. And look, there's a sign for the old station. If Duke's anywhere, he's there.
Narrator: Everyone set off for the mountains far away. The days went by and the search grew harder but the rescuers wouldn't give up.
Rescuers: Let's go this way.
Narrator: But there was still no sign of Duke.

[the rescuers unexpectedly find Duke in his buried shed after one fell through it]
One Rescuer: We found him! We found our sleeping beauty!
Duke: Excuse me! Are you a vandal? Driver told me vandals break and smash things!
Rescuers: Bless you, no! We've dropped in because we couldn't find your door. Falcon and Stuart will be pleased to see you.
Duke: So they did remember!

[Sir Handel and Peter Sam prepare Duke a big welcoming return]
Stuart (Peter Sam) and Falcon (Sir Handel): He's here! Shh! Shh!
Duke: You woke me up! In my young days, engines were...
Stuart: Seen and not heard, Granpuff. We know!
Falcon: We'll all be back to work tomorrow. We're glad you've come back, we can keep you in order now.
Duke: Keep me in order!? Be off with you! [Stuart and Falcon leave] Impudent scallywags.
Thomas: "But his old eyes twinkled. And for the first time in years, he smiled as he dozed in the sun." And that is the whole story. Did you like it?
Percy: Yes indeed.
James and Toby: Especially the happy ending.
Narrator: And soon, they were all asleep too.
[all the engines fall happily to sleep]

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Albanian Bukuroshja e fjetur
Brazilian Portuguese A bela adormecida
Chinese Mandarin 睡美人
Czech Šípková růženka
Danish Sovetrynen
Dutch De schone slaper
Finnish Unikeon etsintä
French La belle au bois dormant
German Schlafende Schönheit
Greek Το τρένο που κοιμόταν
Hungarian Csipkerózsika
Italian La bella addormentata
Japanese ねむりひめをさがせ
Korean 잠자는 듀크
Latin American Spanish La bella durmiente
Norwegian Syvsoveren
Polish Gdzie jest Dziadek? (Original)
Śpiąca królewna (Alternate)
Romanian Frumoasa adormită
Russian Спящая красавица
Serbian Uspavana lepotica
Slovenian Trnjulčica
Swedish Sömntuta
Ukrainian Сплячий Красень
Welsh Y Cysgadur

Merchandise

Home Video Releases

UK

UK DVD Boxset

WAL

US

CAN

  • Rusty to the Rescue and Other Thomas Stories (Direct-to-VHS)
  • Engine Friends

US/CAN DVD Boxset

AUS

AUS DVD Packs

NZ

  • Rock 'n' Roll and Other Stories
  • The Best Ever Christmas Collection

ZA

IND

MYS

PHL

ITA

NL

GER

GER DVD Boxset

NOR

DK

SWE

FIN

SVN

SRP

GRC

GRC DVD Boxset

THA

JPN

KOR

CHN

HK

TWN

Episode

Reference



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