Thomas and the Magic Railroad | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Britt Allcroft |
Produced by | Britt Allcroft Phil Fehrle |
Written by | Britt Allcroft |
Based on |
The Railway Series by The Rev. W. Awdry Uncredited: Shining Time Station by Britt Allcroft Rick Siggelkow |
Starring |
Peter Fonda Mara Wilson Alec Baldwin Eddie Glenn Didi Conn Russell Means Cody McMains Michael E. Rodgers |
Narrated by | Alec Baldwin |
Music by |
Hummie Mann Original Score & Songs: Junior Campbell Mike O'Donnell |
Cinematography | Paul Ryan |
Edited by | Ron Wisman |
Production
company |
Gullane Pictures/The Britt Allcroft Company
Isle of Man Film Commission Destination Films (Also distributor in the U.S.) |
Distributed by |
Destination Films (Also production company) Columbia Pictures/Tristar Pictures (DVD) (US) Icon Film Distribution Warner Brothers Pictures (DVD) (UK) ABC Films Roadshow Entertainment (DVD) Australia |
Release date
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Running time
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84 minutes |
Country |
United Kingdom United States Canada |
Language | English |
Budget | $19 million |
Box office | $19.7 million |
Thomas and the Magic Railroad Soundtrack | |
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Soundtrack album by Hummie Mann Mike O' Donnell Junior Campbell |
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Released | August 1, 2000 |
Length | 48:19 |
Label | Unforscene Music Ltd. / Nettwerk |
Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 British-American-Canadian fantasy adventure film based on the British children's book series The Railway Series by The Rev. W. Awdry, its TV adaptation Thomas & Friends, and the American series Shining Time Station. The film was co-produced by Gullane Pictures/The Britt Allcroft Company and the Isle of Man Film Commission and distributed by Destination Films in the U.S., Icon Productions in the U.K. and by ABC Films in Australia.
When it was first released in the U.K. where critics were unfamiliar with the characters from Shining Time Station, the film was accused of "Americanizing" Thomas. Critical reception in the U.S. was somewhat better, but still mostly negative, in stark contrast to the praise given to the original Shining Time Station, which was an award-winning show. General criticism of the film has been directed towards its plot, characterization, acting and special effects.
The film's critical and commercial failure led to Allcroft resigning from her company, Gullane Entertainment (originally The Britt Allcroft Company) in September 2000. Two years later, Gullane was acquired by HiT Entertainment, which the television rights to Thomas were passed onto. This was Mara Wilson's final film appearance to date.