80 Years of the Famous Engines!

We’re currently sitting in the 80th Anniversary year, and until now I was not overly optimistic about the current future of Thomas the Tank Engine.

The year began on a sad note with the passing of Britt Allcroft, someone who, even after her involvement ended, used her platform as a truly vital part of Thomas’s history to strongly advocate for the brand.  With Awdry Extravaganza going on hiatus for the duration, and no confirmation of further seasons of All Engines Go, the feeling seemed to be that Thomas is going back to the shed to rest for a while.

The official release of the restored Pilot episode, Down the Mine, after 40 years was a very welcome last-minute surprise.  It's been a step in the right direction to have an official release on something like this, as opposed to it being leaked out, and I am very grateful to Ian McCue and his team for spearheading the project.  It's a massive win for everyone who loves Thomas.  Mattel have worked with it, they have maximised the publicity across media and ran with it, meaning it's had the genuine love and attention that it deserves, which they can use going forward with the brand.  It also builds a strong business case for the future of the brand - “this is what people want, here's what happens when WE do it properly, let's pivot in that direction.”  I sincerely hope this is a return to form, and it's probably the best first step they could have taken.

The stories that the Reverend Awdry created tell a story across nearly 30 years of a changing world, from a quaint and jolly little England to a harsher reality where threats begin to emerge, but the engines of Sodor remain safe and detached within this happy little world that has chosen to keep them.  The Awdry books are often overlooked, but they provide an interesting overview of a world that was changing and evolving for Britain, and its railways.  His world evolved and grew naturally as time progressed, the flow was very natural and reflective of the tone of the times; whereas the TV Series had to make radical changes in an age where things move faster, in order to keep up with audience tastes and to meet sales targets.

Whilst I had hope for Big World! Big Adventures! – the minute they begin adding taglines to classic properties, it’s a cry for help and the prospects are never good.  Quietly, I was hoping that the globe-trotting premise would play out within a five-year lifespan, before a full return to Sodor and the elements that worked from that period of time could be implemented alongside the ones that made the original premise work.  Equalising the gender balance in the core character group was something I was on board with, it made sense, and over time, Edward and Henry could have been stronger as supporting characters to the core group.  Shifting production from London to California put the brakes on that.

Whilst many have come to hate All Engines Go, I genuinely don’t feel that way.  I have watched about less than five episodes of the series in their entirety, but ended up switching off at points and returning to it when I am willing to try again and push through to the end with absolutely no desire to watch more. I find I am totally indifferent to it.  The true opposite of love is indifference, hate comes from the same place, passion.   All Engines Go is, to my mind, simply not Thomas the Tank Engine, but a generic American children’s animation that happens to slightly resemble the aesthetic elements of the original series.  It has its own continuity, geography, aesthetic and timeline – which has no bearing on the other universes that came before it.  I’ll talk more about it in another blog.

With the series thought to be ending with Season 4, means we go into Thomas’s 80th Year with no firm plans.  I had speculated a while ago that the series transferring from broadcast on Cartoonito to streaming on Netflix for its 3rd and 4th seasons in the USA did not bode well for its future.  It’s been successful in maintaining a brand presence, but it has hardly seen products occupying the same shelf space that its predecessor was ten years ago.

Thankfully however, Mattel have pivoted in a direction with the toys, which I have been advocating for for years, dive into the legacy and work with it effectively.  You have a multitude of characters, stories and settings to work with, which should provide a slate of toys from across multiple eras from the books to the original TV Series and CGI incarnations.  There’s nostalgia value in everything there.

Rumours continue to swirl about another Thomas and Friends movie, on the slate from Mattel Films, but seemingly further back in the queue than Barney and the completely reimagined Bob the Builder.  I strongly wager that this will be the next time we see Thomas and his friends on the screen, and this (much like Paramount has done with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) will form the basis and foundation of the next incarnation of Thomas the Tank Engine on television and all other media.

Whilst it would be nice to see a return to the premise of the books and the original series, I do not see us going back the way we came.  The world has moved on, and any new series will be updated to reflect modern values and sensibilities, and if Bob the Builder’s reimagining being anything to go by – we could see a completely different Thomas and Island of Sodor to the one we are used to.

Whilst Thomas might be going back to the shed to rest for a while, the influence of the characters and stories will continue to resonate among those who love them, and that love will transcend new generations who will go on to discover the characters and stories in the same way that other classic characters have been down the years.  The Awdry Railway Series books are still loved by generations who grew up with them, and I would personally welcome eBook versions of the Railway Series to create something more readily accessible for new audiences.  As for the TV Series, the quality visuals that David Mitton, Steve Asquith and the various directors of the CGI era created will live on and carry the torch for quite some years to come.

As for what comes next, who knows?  In a Business Wire article, it’s stated that “in 2026 promises 2026, Thomas & Friends is ready for a thrilling new journey that is set to delight fans old and new”.  With the end of All Engines Go, it’s open to interpretation what this means.  We may be getting a new TV series, we may be moving toward a new wave of toys and merchandise taking a multifaceted view of the brand as a whole, utilising everything.

A return to the classic, gentle storytelling roots of the original stories written by the Rev Awdry and TV Series, developed by those who genuinely appreciate and understand the brand helming it?  Or something geared more toward Mattel’s core business of selling toys?  I am hoping for the former.  Go back to the traditional roots of the series, draw upon that quaint, yesterworld British feel and run with it.  There is a reason that the Talyllyn Railway have done particularly well with Awdry Extravaganza events across their five-year run, it capitalises upon all of these features and more.

The team at Mattel should be looking more at Bluey, (which offers gentler, slice of life storytelling and still outperforms its competitors on the toy shelves and across broadcast and streaming services), than the more high-octane Paw Patrol, which Big World Big Adventures was designed to emulate and compete with. 

Thomas and his friends have a wonderful past, a shining legacy and a lot of love from those who grew up with them.  We sincerely hope that the next person who helms the team in charge of raising steam will put things back on the right track!  Happy 80th Anniversary, and may it continue on forever!