- “I tried to make the other engines feel better but they were all sure they were going to be replaced.”
- ― Thomas
World of Tomorrow is the third and final double-length episode of the twenty-fourth series.
Plot
Kenji's arrival causes the Steam Team to fear Thomas' original worries, but when a pair of crooks steal the plans for a great new invention, there is a high-speed chase to try and get them back and allow them to prove their worth. In the end, the steam engines prove that they are still really useful.
Characters
- Thomas
- Gordon
- James
- Percy
- Emily
- Nia
- Rebecca
- Sonny
- Kenji
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Sir Robert Norramby
- Ruth
- Baz and Bernie
- Professor Friedrich
- Dr. Kim
- Dr. Holyfield
- Dr. Hetty
- Stanley (cameo)
- Stephen (cameo)
- Glynn (cameo)
- Winston (cameo)
- Millie (cameo)
- Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
- Farmer Finney (cameo)
- Jem Cole (cameo)
- The Thin Clergyman (cameo)
- Cyril the Fogman (cameo)
- Hiro (mentioned)
Locations
- Ulfstead Castle
- The Dual Gauge Tunnel
- The Dinosaur Park
- Tidmouth Sheds
- Suddery Junction
- Sodor Dairy
- Crosby Tunnel
- Maron
- East Maron Junction
- West Maron Junction
- Sodor Airport (mentioned)
- Japan (mentioned)
Cast
UK, AUS, NZ and MYS
- John Hasler as Thomas
- Keith Wickham as Gordon, Sir Topham Hatt, Thomas' Driver and the Policeman
- Rob Rackstraw as James, Bernie and Professor Freidrich
- Nigel Pilkington as Percy
- Teresa Gallagher as Emily
- Yvonne Grundy as Nia
- Rachael Miller as Rebecca and Dr. Hetty
- Joe Swash as Sonny
- Matt McCooey as Kenji
- Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby
- Dominique Moore as Ruth
- Bob Golding as Baz
- Colin McFarlane as Dr. Holyfield
- Siu-see Hung as Dr. Kim
US and CAN
- Joseph May as Thomas
- Kerry Shale as Gordon
- Rob Rackstraw as James, Bernie and Professor Freidrich
- Christopher Ragland as Percy
- Jules de Jongh as Emily
- Yvonne Grundy as Nia
- Rachael Miller as Rebecca and Dr. Hetty
- Joe Swash as Sonny
- Matt McCooey as Kenji
- Keith Wickham as Sir Topham Hatt, Thomas' Driver and the Policeman
- Mike Grady as Sir Robert Norramby
- Dominique Moore as Ruth
- Bob Golding as Baz
- Colin McFarlane as Dr. Holyfield
- Siu-see Hung as Dr. Kim
Trivia
- Production-wise, this episode and its predecessor, A New Arrival, as the two specials that form a two-part story, are placed in the exact middle of the regular-length episodes of the twenty-fourth series, between Ace's Brave Jump (the tenth episode production-wise) and Sonny's Second Chance (the eleventh episode production-wise).
- Thomas mentions the events of Big World! Big Adventures! to Kenji.
- This is the first time the airport was menitoned by name since Series 12.
- When Thomas' driver lassos the runaway Sonny, it is very similar to the second series episode Old Iron, when the same act was done by an Inspector and Edward to rescue a runaway James.
- This special marks:
- Stanley, Farmer Finney, Jem Cole, The Thin Clergyman, Cyril the Fogman, The Indian Fashion Designer, Baz, Bernie, Dr. Holyfield, Dr. Hetty and Professor Friedrich's final appearances, as well as Stanley's only appearance in the twenty-fourth series and Dr. Holyfield and Hetty's only speaking roles.
- Dr. Kim's only appearance.
- The only double-length episode set on Sodor not to feature any diesel engines.
- The first production to outright state that Hiro is from Japan.
- The final double-length special, at least in airing order.
- The final production with Joey So as director.
- Gordon's worries about being replaced by an electric engine are similar to his worries from the story High-Speed Gordon, the first story from the 31st book of The Railway Series, Gordon the High-Speed Engine.
- This is one of the three times in Series 24 for an engine's crew member to have a speaking role. The other two are Thomas' Fuzzy Friend and Thomas and the Royal Engine.
- This is the second episode to deal with a magnet after the fifteenth series episode, Stuck on You.
- Matt McCooey joins the voice cast
- Thomas rocketing down the tracks with the Blastbooster-7 is similar when he rocketed down the tracks with the The Jet Engine in the sixth series episode, Thomas the Jet Engine.
- Much like Gordon in the seventh series episode, Best Dressed Engine, Kenji has a banner obscure his vision. Unlike with Gordon, however, Kenji's incident was done deliberately in a failed attempt to stop Baz.
Goofs
- In various shots at the beginning of the episode, Kenji is shown running on the narrow gauge tracks of the Estate Railway.
- After Sir Topham Hatt gets covered in milkshake, Dr. Holyfield's machine mysteriously disappears.
- During its rampage, the Metal Man leaves no footprints.
- The Megalosaurus statue is referred to as a T-rex by Ruth during the Metal Man chase.
- When the Metal Man gets caught in the magnetic field, it has its back facing towards Thomas, but before it hits the tanker, it flips orientation.
- After Thomas brakes to slow down Sonny, his wheels keep moving in the subsequent scenes until both engines finally stop.
- Before the two engines stop moving, their wheels do not spark like in the last shots.
- After Bernie disconnects the coach, the trees outside Kenji's windows move slower than they are actually going.
- After Thomas brakes to avoid colliding with Kenji's coach, his wheels keep moving in subsequent shots.
- Thomas' wheels spin at inconsistent speeds after catching up to Kenji. The Blastbooster-7 also uncouples from him in an undetermined matter. In the same shot however, Thomas's wheels are spinning backwards.
- When Kenji bumps Thomas, he makes direct contact with him, but in subsequent shots outside his cab, he has moved farther from Thomas' buffers. This was likely done so viewers could see his face much more clearly.
In Other Languages
Language | Title |
---|---|
Brazilian Portuguese | O Mundo do Amanhã |
Italian | Il Mondo di Domani |
Latin American Spanish | El Mundo del Mañana |
Polish | Świat Jutra |
Home Media Releases
UK
Merchandise
- Push Along - Rocket Thomas
- Motor Road And Rail - Thomas the Tank Engine Kenji and Thomas' Chasing Set
- Books - Marvelous Machinery/The Royal Engine
External Links
#01 Emily's Best Friend | #09 Thomas' Not-So-Lucky Day | #17 Gordon and Rebecca, Coming Through! |
#02 Thomas' Fuzzy Friend | #10 Ace's Brave Jump | #18 Kenji on the Rails Again |
#03 The Great Little Railway Show | #11 Nia's Bright Idea | #19 Cleo the Road Engine |
#04 Thomas and the Forest Engines | #12 Cleo's First Snow | #20 Thomas' Animal Friends |
#05 Emily to the Rescue | #13 Sonny's Second Chance | Special #01 Thomas and the Royal Engine |
#06 Shankar's Makeover | #14 Thomas and the Inventor's Workshop | Special #02 A New Arrival |
#07 Nia and the Unfriendly Elephant | #15 The Inventor's Spectacular Bridge | Special #03 World of Tomorrow |
#08 James the Super Engine | #16 Yong Bao and the Tiger | |