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For
many years prior to the official launch of the movie, Britt Allcroft had harboured plans and aspirations, documented as far
back as 1994 prior to the launch of the fourth television series, to create a Thomas the Tank Engine feature film. In
1997, rumour had it that the working title down as being Thomas and the Rainbow Railway, later changed to the official title of Thomas
and the Magic Railroad by around 1999.
For the Magic Railroad film, Allcroft decided
to take her two entities of the Thomas Television Universe and tie them together to become one. The popular American
television series, Shining Time Station, which helped to launch Thomas in the USA played a major tie-in function in the
film. "Grease" star, Didi Conn, who had played Station Manager Stacy Jones in the original
TV series, was the only actor who reprised her role for the film, while Alec Baldwin took on the role of Mr Conductor,
the part traditionally associated with storytellers of the Shining Time series, like Ringo Starr and George Carlin
before him, and Russell Means taking over the part of Billy Two Feathers - the American-Indian
Engine Driver.
New to us however, were the other human characters we came to meet
with. To play significant parts in the story, were Mara Wilson - who as a child star had rose to fame alongside
Robin Williams in the hilarious Mrs Doubtfire, and made a name for herself in the
film adaptation of Roald Dahl's Matilda alongside Danny DeVito and his off-screen wife,
Cheers actress, Rhea Perlman. Mara was called up to play Lily, the grand-daughter
of the depressed care-taker of the lost engine, Burnett Stone, played by Easy Rider's
Peter Fonda. This was to be Mara's final screen role as a child star, retiring at the tender age of twelve
to concentrate on her studies. However, she has been seen since playing the title role in stage production
of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, performed at the Ector Theater in Odessa, Texas,
before becoming a freshman at the Tisch School of the Arts of New York University in the fall of 2005. Mara was
nominated two awards for her portrayal of Lily - the YoungStarAward for "Best Young Actress/Performance in a Motion
Picture Comedy" and the Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress".
The engines of Sodor were also due some new arrivals for the movie,
firstly in the shape of the three new villains - the sinister Diesel 10 and his bungling side-kicks Splatter
and Dodge. There was also the introduction of the first female steam engine, Lady, a special engine
who had the magic that kept both universes together. The role of voicing Lady was taken up by Britt
Allcroft herself, who also wrote, directed and produced the film.
For a trip down memory lane, the movie's trailer and rare teasers
are featured below.
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