- "If you were going any slower, you'd be going backwards!"
- ― Max to Buster
The Tortoise and the Hare is the fourteenth episode of Jack and the Sodor Construction Company. It was released on Thomas' Trusty Friends.
Plot
Thomas is taking Buster to the newly built Sodor Racetrack to smooth the track, and the steamroller is dreaming about winning a race. While Buster is working, Max and Monty tease him about being slow. Once the work is done, Miss Jenny allows Max, Monty, and Buster to race so that they can test the racetrack. Although she warns them about being safe, Max and Monty are thinking about being anything but.
The race soon begins and Max and Monty race off with Buster happily trundling behind, but the two dump trucks are arguing about who jumped the line. Monty is so cross that he intentionally hits Max, which infuriates him and in retaliation attempts to bump Monty back. However, it backfires as they lose control and end up in a ditch while unaware when Buster trundles ahead. A bull scares them both away and they manage get out of the ditch, only for Buster to already be near the finish line and win the race.
Max and Monty then argue about who came second and third. When Thomas takes Buster home, he is proud of what he had done while Max and Monty are still arguing over their own positions in the race.
Characters
- Thomas
- Jack
- Oliver the Excavator
- Max and Monty
- Buster
- Jenny Packard
- The Foreman (does not speak)
Locations
Trivia
- This episode's number was revealed by a document confirming that all 13 completed episodes of Jack and the Sodor Construction Company had been filmed by 27 January 2003.[1]
- This episode is one of only two written by Will Ing,[2] the other being On Site with Thomas.
- This episode is based on Aesop's fable of the same name and as a result shares the same plot with Edward the Great.
- This episode marks:
- Buster's last appearance until The Great Discovery.
- The only appearance of the Sodor Racetrack in the Jack and the Sodor Construction Company spin-off.
- The car appearing in one of the Racetrack's billboards is a Renault R8 Gordini in the famous blue racing paintjob.
- Pre-filmed alternate footage of this episode is used in On Site with Thomas.
- A London Underground poster advertising tennis at Wimbledon is visible on some of the billboards.
Goofs
- At the very beginning of the episode, a camera shadow is seen following Thomas.
- Thomas' right eye (viewers' left) is wonky for a good portion of the episode.
- In the shot of Monty hitting Max, they are both seen smiling when they are supposed to look cross. The same thing happens three shots later.
- When Max and Monty see Buster crossing the finish line in the US dub, Monty and the narrator swap their voices.
- Max's eyes are wonky when he says "It can't be!".
- At the end of the episode, the narrator says that Thomas came back to get Buster, but Thomas is present when Buster crosses the finish line.
In Other Languages
| Language | Title |
|---|---|
| Dutch | De haas en de schildpad |
| German | Die Schildkröte und der Hase |
Home Media Releases
UK/US/AUS/NL/GER
UK DVD Boxsets
US DVD Boxsets
- Totally Thomas Volume 9
- Thomas' Trusty Friends and On Site with Thomas Double Feature
- Ultimate Thomas Collection
AUS DVD Boxsets
References
| #02 Alfie Has Kittens | #21 Percy Helps Out | n/a Bossy Byron |
| #03 Jack Owns Up | #22 A Happy Day for Percy | n/a The Importance of Being Patrick |
| #06 On Site with Thomas | #23 Thomas' Trusty Friends | n/a Pop Goes the Diesel |
| #07 A Visit from Thomas | #24 A Tale for Thomas | n/a Jack and the Quack |
| #10 Mud Glorious Mud | n/a No Dozer Is an Island | n/a Alfie Has a Secret |
| #13 Thomas and the Moles | n/a All Work, No Play | n/a Isobella Gets Steamed |
| #14 The Tortoise and the Hare | n/a Safety First | n/a The Grass Is Greener |
| #15 Percy's Scary Tale | n/a Treasure Hunt | n/a Kelly's Heroes |
| #20 Kelly's Windy Day | n/a Jack's Snow Rescue | |