Hero of the Rails
| Hero of the Rails | |
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DVD cover
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| Directed by | Greg Tiernan |
| Produced by | Nicole Stinn |
| Written by | Sharon Miller |
| Starring |
Martin Sherman Jules de Jongh William Hope Glenn Wrage David Bedella Ben Small Teresa Gallagher Togo Igawa Keith Wickham Matt Wilkinson |
| Narrated by |
Michael Angelis (UK) Michael Brandon (US) |
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Production
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| Distributed by |
Theatrical Kidtoon Films Vue Cinemas & Lionsgate Entertainment Home Entertainment Lionsgate Entertainment |
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Release date
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Running time
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63 minutes |
| Language | English |
Hero of the Rails is a 2010 CGI feature-length special and film spin-off of the TV series Thomas & Friends. The film introduces full CGI animation, replacing model work and the addition of a voice cast for the characters alongside the narration to the TV series. The film features the voice of Ben Small and Martin Sherman as Thomas the Tank Engine for the UK and US respectively. It was first released on DVD and to iTunes on 12 January 2010. To promote the film a "Day Out With Thomas 2010: The Hero of the Rails Tour" was held at locations such as the Illinois Railway Museum, where guests could participate in activities such as arts and crafts or ride on a 15-ton replica of Thomas the Tank Engine. A mobile app, Thomas & Friends: Hero of the Rail, was released in May 2011.
One summer on the Island of Sodor, Spencer (voiced by UK: Matt Wilkinson/US: Glenn Wrage) arrives to help the Duke (voiced by UK: Matt Wilkinson/US: William Hope) and Duchess (voiced by UK: Teresa Gallagher/US: Jules de Jongh) with the construction of their new summer house. After being an absolute nuisance to all of the other engines by teasing and bossing them around, Thomas (voiced by UK: Ben Small/US: Martin Sherman) accepts Spencer's challenge to a contest of strength, taking heavy cargo around the island. Thomas's brakes fail after climbing a tall hill, and he runs out of control through an overgrown, abandoned line. There, Thomas finds an old abandoned Japanese engine named Hiro (voiced by Togo Igawa). Hiro doesn't want the Fat Controller (voiced by UK: Keith Wickham/US: Kerry Shale) to find out, fearing he will be scrapped, so Thomas promises to keep him his secret and work to make Hiro "Master of the Railway" once again. Later, he's taken to the Sodor Steamworks for repairs, where he finds old parts for Hiro. He takes them with permission from Victor (voiced by UK: Matt Wilkinson/US: David Bedella), the Steamworks engine, only to discover that Hiro's hiding place is dangerously close to the Duke and Duchess's new summer house.
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Wikipedia