Pierce Brosnan pics for The Great Discovery

During the filming and publictity for the 2008 special, The Great Discovery, Pierce Brosnan posed with a large scale model of Thomas in 2 previously unseen promotional pictures.

The large scale Thomas was probably used for the Wharf sets or for the Jack and the Pack spinoff, but I feel that it was probably for studio showing use only.

As you can see Thomas' headlamp is nowhere to be seen, also a CGI effect for Thomas' face is added, still proving the fact that Pierce had originally recorded some lines for the Twelth series until he left, bringing Michael Angelis and Michael Brandon back into the series for more narration duties.

Pierce also posed for another picture with him beside Thomas while sitting down, which was originally found by me over 2 years ago on a Pierce Brosnan fan site, although I edited out the background which was simply a zoomed in countryside background which I thought wasn't neccesary.

Best of Thomas moved to Wednesday

I originally planned the Best of Thomas video for Friday 4th June, however I have decided to move it to Wednesday 2nd June 2010.

Reasons being are that I will be the only one in my house so that no one has to complain why the internet is going slow, so I will have a lot of time on that day to get it on YouTube without compications with the internet speed.

So that's why I have decided to move it and also as that Friday everyone is at home. Another reason is that Friday is the near end of the half-term break, so Wednesday might give the chance for more people to watch it as more people are likely to be busy in the weekend and would get a chance to see the video after the weekend would have ended.

The Best of Thomas appears on YouTube on Wednesday 2nd June 2010.

Hit to air block in Latin America

Hit Entertainment have made a deal to air a 90-minute block of their programmes with the Latin American TV network, Albavision. 

The block will feature more than 600 episodes from HIT’s library, which includes Barney, Thomas & Friends, Bob the Builder and Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps while the programs will air in Spanish dubbed language. 

The block is set to start airing this spring in Chile, Guatemala, Paraguay, Costa Rica and Argentina, with Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Peru following this summer. 

Senior Vice President of Latin America for Hit, Gabriela Arenas said, Hit characters have enjoyed immense popularity in the region, and we are very excited to bring our award-winning programming to even more children in Latin America with such a highly regarded partner as Albavision.

Best of Thomas on YouTube - Rendered

Just a small update on my Best of Thomas countdown video, it has now been fully rendered and saved, appearing in 720p HD format.

Hopefully everyone will find the results satisfying, although the No.1 spot was a clear winner. Should just mention that rendering it on Vegas took 5 hours although I did have the time to do it.

When the video appears, the blipverts for the No. card in between the episode lsitings might look rushed, if it does, it is due to fitting it in a 10 minute and 59 second slot, as YouTube only allows videos in between 10-10:59 minutes. It originally ran for a little over 12 minutes, so some small edits had to be made in places.

The video is 439MB although because of the waiting, I thought it would be 2 GB's worth!

Remember, a lot to look forward to in the video, if you want to know what things will be in it, look on my previous post a little bit down the page.

Thomas & Friends - The Best of Thomas appears on YouTube on Friday 4th June 2010. 

Misty Island Rescue - UK Website

Misty Island Rescue, the next feature-length special now has it's own minisite for UK audiences. The site includes the UK Trailer that plays automatically, a commercial for a Take 'n' Play set, information on MIR products and new character profiles of the four new characters are now available in the Engine Depot.

I won't need to explain anymore...

Misty Island Rescue - UK Minisite

Best of Thomas on YouTube - Release Date

Thank you to all the fans who voted for their favourite Thomas episodes and I am pleased to announce that the video is complete!

I have yet to render the video but I will do in due course, meanwhile, The Best of Thomas will be released on YouTube next Friday.

If you don't want to wait that long, here are some things to look out for in the video:
- The title sequence with a twist
- Music Cues from the thirteenth series
- The Thomas & Friends font
- The No.1 spot
- The end credits

That's all I can reveal to you I'm afraid and if you are wondering how long the video will be, the video runs at 11 minutes.

Thomas & Friends - The Best of Thomas will appear on YouTube on Friday 4th June 2010.

TheTopHatts' YouTube Channel

Australia's Thomas website revamped

The Australian Thomas & Friends website has been revamped in the same style of the UK & US versions.

There are some differences though; the 3 links below the animated Thomas are slightly different, the top of the page does not include the pages to My Station and Shop, and the What's New page has more news than the UK & US such as more events and more information on DVD's.

The Videos and the Engine Depot all remain the same with all 62 Videos available, all Engines from other countries websites are included and the Activities too.

The revamp also goes for New Zealand, although selecting it takes you to the Australian region.

Thomas & Friends website for Australians and New Zealanders

Executive quits Hit while Thomas has a New Line

Peter Byrne, the Executive of Consumer Products and Home Entertainment is leaving Hit, as the firm announces a restructure of its global operations.

The realignment involves the creation of four new divisions that will form two new lines of business; one focusing solely on Thomas and Friends and the other on Hit's other Global Brands such as Angelina Ballerina, Barney, Bob the Builder, Fireman Sam, Pingu and Rainbow Magic.

The Thomas and Friends line of business will comprise of three divisions; the New York based Thomas in America headed by Pam Westman will focus on North and South America.while the London-based Thomas headed by Rick Glankler will focus on the UK, Europe, Middle East and Africa and the Hong Kong based Thomas of Asia headed by Antonio Huabwho will focus on Australia and Japan.

Westman, Glankler and Huab will all report to HIT’s Chief Operating Officer, Sangeeta Desai while Hit’s Finance, Legal groups will remain centralised staff units supporting both lines of business. The Global Brands business will be managed from London by Jon Owen as one global division.  He will also have local staff based in New York, London and Hong Kong reporting to him.

President and CEO of Hit Entertainment Jeff Dunn said: This new organisation is the logical next step in the evolution of our brand management strategy. It will allow us to bring greater focus and attention to all of our brands, which are at different stages in their lifecycle and therefore require different resources to maximise their potential.

Dunn also commented on Peter Byrne's resignation, Peter is one of the most accomplished executives in the licensing industry and has served HIT both loyally and well. We will miss him and wish this talented individual well in his next endeavour.

The realignment will take immediate effect.

Thomas UK website minor update

The Thomas & Friends UK website has been updated, but only slightly. Two new activities are available if you are a registered user on the My Station tool and both acitivities are once again pdf's as the first is a Thomas Pinwheel to make while the other is Spelling Fun featuring Gordon and Emily.

The What's New page also has been updated with two DVD entries; The Best of Thomas and Thomas and the Runaway Kite, both are recent releases that are available to buy from Hit Store UK now, or in all good retailers.

Both activities as listed above are available for download also for non-registered users who can find the activities by selecting the ALL tab and skipping to the end of the selection.

Activities

The Best of Thomas - Youtube Glitches

Now I have PMed some of you on YouTube, I PMed all of you but unfortunately, over half of my subsribers and friends are having problems recieving my PM to vote for your most favourite Thomas episode out of 15.

So, have your say here! Just post an episode's name out of the list below, pick one, and post as a comment, I need your votes!

Also, if you are anonymous here, feel free to take on a vote!

The Flying Kipper
Old Iron
Escape
Thomas and the Special Letter
Busy Going Backwards
Percy's Chocolate Crunch
Snow Engine
Halloween
Mighty Mac
Thomas' Trusty Friends
The Green Controller
Emily's Rubbish
Gordon Takes A Shortcut
Hero of the Rails
Steamy Sodor

THE FINAL RESULTS WILL BE REVEALED IN A NEW YOUTUBE VIDEO ENTITLED, THOMAS & FRIENDS - THE BEST OF THOMAS.

Misty Island Rescue recieves American Trailer

mikedw96 from Dailymotion has upload the US Version of the Misty Island Rescue trailer.

The trailer came from the recent US DVD, Thomas & Friends - The Greatest Stories by Lionsgate which includes 20 selected episodes from Season 1-11, although I agree with most people, the episodes they picked weren't THE best.

Salty and Harold are now officialy in the new special, and you can hear the new voices to both Salty and Harold, and newcomers Bash, Dash and Ferdinand.

Scruff is nowhere to be seen in the trailer, possibly due to the fact that the special might not be rendered in parts that feature Scruff.

Misty Island Rescue - US Trailer

Exclusive Interview with...: Vocal Artist and voice of Gordon, Percy, Edward and others, Keith Wickham

So Keith, how did you get into voice acting?
By doing lots of stand up gigs, sketch shows and then sending tapes in to agents. It took a little time to get work, but one meets various people and eventually I ended up doing cartoons quite by chance. I was befriended by a company that specialises in finding voice artists for cartoons. For about ten years I was doing 5 or 6 series a year.

You have been involved with Thomas & Friends since the feature-length special Hero of the Rails. How did you get the job of joining the new voice cast?
I auditioned, along with most of the voice actors in London. It took three re-calls and a lot of waiting. There are only 4 of us doing the UK voices, with one other added recently, so we were very lucky.

Was it you're choice to voice characters such as Gordon and Henry, or was it Hit Entertainment's decision?
No choice. I auditioned for all the characters, they decided who was to play whom.

The end credits don't list what characters you voiced. To confirm for people who are interested in knowing, what characters do you lend your voice to?
Fat Controller, Henry, Gordon, James, Edward, Percy, Ben, Salty, Captain, Harold, Dash and Dowager Hatt.

Did you think of how to interpret the voices to fit in with the characters?
Yes, sort of. I was told what they wanted and sort of worked round it. Gordon was obvious, as was the Fat Controller, but the others needed some work.

What is the routine like when you arrive at the studios and do you view a screen showing an episode which requires your vocal talents?
I do voices in the US and the UK version. The US version is done like all the other cartoons I do, in a studio with the other actors, and with a script. The animation is then done, and a couple of months later, I do the voices for the UK version, which are done to match the finished animation, line by line, with one actor at a time.

How long does it usually take every day to voice your lines from start to finish?
Depends on the episodes. The hour long episodes take several sessions, the short ones take a couple of hours each. The US sessions take longer.

You have worked on other popular kids TV series such as The Koala Brothers and The Mr. Men Show. Do you feel privileged that you are now part of a phenomenom that is of Thomas?
Yes, I'm very lucky. I was lucky to do all of the series I'm in, but this is the most high profile series I've been in.

You were involved in the Children in Need music video, Peter Kay's Animated All Star Band. You notably reprised your voice roles of the Koala Brothers. How much did you enjoy to be part of the good deeds of the Children in Need charity?
That was a fun gig, and well spotted by the way. It was good to do it, of course, but it took about half an hour, so it didn't seem like a major gig until it went out on TV. Being a part of the whole thing was really good.

You and Ben Small who voices Thomas and Toby previously worked on Watch My Chops. How did you feel to work with each other again?
That's great, but we rarely work together. The UK episodes are done one actor at a time. We did the voices for the stage show together, but otherwise, we work separately.

Do you have a character that you like the most who exists within the show?
Not really. I suppose I would choose the Fat Controller, but then I'm biased.

Who is the character that is your favourite to voice?
Can't choose. They all have their charms. Percy gets the most response from people, he's cute, but they are all fun.

Did you know or watch Thomas & Friends before you joined the series and did you have any knowledge of it?
Have to say no to that I'm afraid. I was aware of it of course, and knew that it was on TV, and the names of some of the engines, but not having children, I never watched it.

Michael Angelis now only provides the narrative rather than voicing characters, have you spoken to him at all?
I met him once as he was leaving the studio and I was going in. He's usually recorded on different days to me, so I haven't spoken to him other than 'Hello'.

How much do you love being a part of the series?
Very much. As I've said, I'm lucky to be in it, and I'd be silly not to enjoy it.

You are involved in the next feature-length special Misty Island Rescue which features four new characters, Bash, Dash, Ferdinand and Captain. Are you voicing any of these characters?
Yes, I'm Dash and Captain.

Thank you Keith, finally, is there anything that you want to say to us fans?
Keep watching! I hope that the voices and the new animation are popular, it's a huge change for the series, and I'd like to keep doing it for as long as they want me in it. Thanks for asking me to answer these questions, and enjoy the show.

ebay's guide to Misty Island Rescue

ebay have posted a full guide of the next feature-length special, Misty Island Rescue. the guide includes an extended synopsis of the special and character profiles including what prototypes they're based on.

Here is most of the guide:

Synopsis

A new Search and Rescue Center is being built on the Island of Sodor as a base of operations for Harold the Helicopter, Rocky the Crane and a new lifeboat named Captain. For the construction project, sturdy Jobi wood is imported from Hiro's homeland of Japan. Complications arise when Diesel takes the trainload of the lumber and has a close call over a seaside cliff! Thomas rescues him, but the Jobi wood is lost into the sea. For saving Diesel, Thomas is given the job of collecting new wood from the mainland, meaning an oceangoing voyage. When the barge carrying Thomas comes loose from its tugboat, Thomas is lost at sea, washing ashore on a strange place known as Misty Island. 

Thomas discovers that the island has its own railway, and meets the three engines, known as the Logging Locos, who run it - a big, slow Class C Climax named Ferdinand, and two small twin engines known as Dash and Bash, who were sent to the island after causing trouble on the mainland. Thomas learns that lots of Jobi wood grows on Misty Island and tries to find a way to return to the Island of Sodor. Meanwhile, out at sea, Harold and Captain carry out a search party to look for Thomas.

____________________________________________________________

Ferdinand

Ferdinand is a gentle giant. He is a bigger and slower engine who is able to make special tweeting sounds with his whistles. He runs on wood and oil and can often be heard saying "that's right". Ferdinand is painted teal, with a gray lining, and is based on a Climax C type of logging locomotive. 

Bash and Dash

Bash and Dash are mischievous twins who always finish each other's sentences. They were sent to Misty Island because they were naughty on the mainland, but now they always try to do their best for the Fat Controller. Bash & Dash are based on the Bear Harbor Lumber Company's Locomotive #1. This type of engine is known as a gypsy. However, their gearing appears to be on their backs instead of their fronts and their cabs appear much sturdier, as opposed to the open cab that their real-life counterpart possesses.

Scruff the Scruncher

Scruff is a boxy steam engine that works with Whiff at Whiff's Waste Dump. Like Whiff, he loves to be dirty and hates to be cleaned, making the dump the perfect place for him to work.

Captain

Captain is a lifeboat that works with Harold at the new Search and Rescue Center on the Island of Sodor. Captain is very confident and is always in control when placed in emergency situations. He is painted yellow, blue and red with white striping.
____________________________________________________________
Now I should point out that before Scruff's synopsis, there was this;
At the time this guide is being written, a photo of this new character is not yet available.

This probably explains why the trailer of the special hasn't been released yet, maybe due to the rendering of Scruff is still being worked on by Nitrogen Studios.

ebay's guide to Misty Island Rescue

Amazon pre-orders on two July DVD's

Amazon.co.uk have now listed pages for the two forthcoming DVD releases in July.

Creaky Cranky released July 5th and Classic Collection - Season 11 on July 26th 2010 are now ready for pre-ordering on Amazon.co.uk's website both at the starting prices of £9.69 saving £3.30 or 25%.

Creaky Cranky features 4 more episodes from Season 13, likely to feature, Creaky Cranky, Tickled Pink, Steamy Sodor and The Early Bird (all 4 of which are confirmed to appear on the US release) and will more likely see the return of Driver Perkins exclusively on the DVD.

The Eleventh Series release will basically carry the 26 episodes that were broadcast during 2007-2008.

You can pre-order both DVD's for July on these links:

Creaky Cranky

The Eleventh Series

Vote for the Best of Thomas

VOTE FOR THE BEST THOMAS EPISODE FROM EACH SEASON/SPECIAL!

For all my fellow YouTubers, I have sent you all of PM's to pick in your opinions the BEST episode from each SEASON, the BEST episode from the JACK AND THE PACK spinoff and the BEST Thomas MOVIE/SPECIAL from TATMR-HOTR.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO TELL ME YOUR RESULTS IN A PM OK. 

A YouTube video will be created by me and will feature on my Channel for the results.

GET VOTING!!!

TheTopHatts' YouTube

Thomas pic from five's milkshake

Five's milkshake Thomas website includes an image of a CGI Thomas in the background but you can't save it.

However, I found out a way to download the image, I checked the page source, got the link and there we have it:

The image was located half way down the contents of the page source which contained a link to the image highlighted in dark blue and underlined.

The image features Thomas in the countryside which is used on milkshake's Thomas website and icons.

Exclusive: High-res Thomas pic from 2008

I was surfing the net on Google to search for wallpaper sized Thomas pics or larger when I came across this high-resolution image from a Lionsgate website:

As you can see, it is very large! The image has a background with a superimposed large scale Thomas which looks as though it is meant to be from the 2008 episode, The Man in the Hills.

The image is exactly 1680 x 1600 in dimensions size and is a JPEG. if you want to use it as your desktop wallpaper, you can easily reduce the size and crop it.

If used in videos on YouTube or any other sites, please give credit.

Have fun with the image! 

Minor League Baseball celebrates Thomas

Hit Entertainment has teamed up with Minor League Baseball to celebrate the 65th Anniversary of Thomas. Between May 15th and June 30th 2010 in the United States, Celebrate Thomas and Friends Night will take place at 22 Minor League Ballparks. 

The special evenings at the stadium serves as a celebration to Thomas' birthday milestone which will have those attending the party will be able to participate in a wide array of birthday events, all towards the younger audience. These include sneak previews from the upcoming Thomas and Friends - Misty Island Rescue special, customized kids activities and special giveaways of Thomas and Friends toys and goodies. 

The celebration kicks off Saturday at Pawtucket's McCoy Stadium, home of the International League's Pawtucket Red Sox while younger fans are encouraged to wear Thomas hats and shirts to the 6:05pm contest, although it is important to arrive early as well.

After Saturday's party in Pawtucket, Thomas and Friends Night will travel across the country for a May 23rd event in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. Throughout the rest of May and the entirety of June, the festivities will continue in locales as varied as Lynchburg, Va., Brevard County, Fla., and Lake Elsinore, Calif.

To order your tickets to an event, click here:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/tickets/

Celebrate Thomas and Friends Night Schedule

Day	Date	Team
Saturday	May 15	Pawtucket Red Sox
Sunday	May 23	Rancho Cucamonga Quakes
Friday	May 28	Delmarva Shorebirds
Friday	May 28	Potomac Nationals
Saturday	May 29	Durham Bulls
Saturday	May 29	Kane County Cougars
Sunday	June 6	Frederick Keys
Sunday	June 6	Tampa Yankees
Sunday	June 6	Trenton Thunder
Sunday	June 13	Lynchburg Hillcats
Friday	June 18	Carolina Mudcats
Saturday	June 19	Clearwater Threshers
Sunday	June 20	Lakewood BlueClaws
Sunday	June 20	Reading Phillies
Sunday	June 20	Tri-City ValleyCats
Friday	June 25	Brevard County Manatees
Friday	June 25	Lake Elsinore Storm
Friday	June 25	Lowell Spinners
Sunday	June 27	Charlotte Knights
Sunday	June 27	Greensboro Grasshoppers
Sunday	June 27	New Britain Rock Cats
Wednesday	June 30	Brooklyn Cyclones

Mega Brands returns to quarterly profits

Mega Brands Inc. returned to a first-quarter profit on Friday as the Canadian toymaker benefited from a gain related to its recent recapitalization plan.

The Montreal-based company, known for toys such as Mega Bloks, Halo Wars and the recent Thomas and Friends line, has earned $98.2 million compared with a loss of $25.9 million for the same time a year earlier.

The 2010 quarter included a gain related to the settlement of a debt from a recapitalization plan completed in March. The restructuring deal raised $100 million through a stock sale and $121 million in a private placement of new capital.

Screenvision adds Misty Island Rescue

Screenvision who currently presents the feature-length specials of Thomas in the United States have now added the latest special, Misty Island Rescue.

They have added a synopsis of the special:

A new Search and Rescue Centre is being built on the Island of Sodor. Special deep red 'Jobi Logs', found far away on Hiro's Island, are being used to make the centre. All the engines are very excited and all want to help deliver the Jobi logs to the Rescue Centre. Diesel, convinced that he is better than the 'steamies', decides to take the Jobi logs to the rescue centre himself and races down the tracks with the Jobi logs. Thomas sees that Diesel is going too fast and chases after him. The chase results in an exciting rescue as Thomas saves Diesel from falling over a cliff edge but the Jobi logs crash into the sea below - now there is no wood to build the Rescue Centre.

 

As a reward for his daring rescue Thomas gets to visit the mainland. Thomas waves goodbye to his friends at Brendham Docks and heads across the sea to the mainland. That night Thomas becomes separated from the ship and ends up alone and stranded on the mysterious Misty Island - a wild and wonderful island with a multitude of secret hide outs, rickety tracks and bridges. Thomas soon meets the islands' inhabitants - 3 funny logging locos called Bash, Dash and Ferdinand.

The synopsis now confirms Brendam Docks' involvement in the special which will be featured in a scene when Thomas is on his way to collect the Jobi Wood.

Misty Island Rescue hits US theatres beginning July 3rd 2010.

Screenvision Presents Misty Island Rescue

Small info on Misty Island Rescue

Film Journal International has added a small bit of info on Misty Island Rescue. 

Their synopsis of the film is basically the same bit of info as seen on other websites other than it contains this bit; Together they discover secret hideouts, solve mysteries, and work together to get Thomas back to Sodor.

Misty Island Rescue hits theatres soon. 

Characters confirmed for Misty Island Rescue

The Peep Peep Thomas website has confirmed some of the characters that will appear in the next Thomas & Friends feature-length special, Misty Island Rescue.

Characters that are confirmed to appear include; Thomas, Percy, Emily, Whiff, Diesel, Salty, Rocky, Harold, The Fat Controller, and new friends; Bash and Dash, Captain, Ferdinand and it is also confirmed that Scruff the Scruncher WILL be introduced in the new special.


There is more information on the character of Ferdinand that he runs on wood and oil and is often going to be heard saying, possibly his catchphrase, "That's right!".


Scruff the Scruncher had for a while been speculated as a new character for the fourteenth series of Thomas next year, but it is now confirmed that he is debuting in the new special and will work with Whiff in a new location called, Whiff's Waste Dump, meaning that Whiff is likely to have a sizeable role.

Peep Peep Thomas has also speculated that Cranky and Hiro might appear, although it was already confirmed in another source for a theatre website that Hiro is going to appear.

Click here for the source

Three promotional images from 2004

Here's an archive for you, I found scanned images of three covers from three Thomas books which were very large in dimension sizes. I have cropped them so that it is only the images of the main engines.

Below are promotional images of Thomas with Edward, Henry and Emily that were used for promoting many merchandising along with the Eighth series of Thomas & Friends in 2004.

Be careful, they are very large and I mean LARGE!

Thomas and Edward

Henry

Emily

Enlarged view of Music, Music Everywhere! cover

Lionsgate Publicity have posted a full size version of the Music, Music Everywhere! US DVD cover. 

 Music, Music Everywhere! hits US DVD shelves on July 20th 2010.

Creaky Cranky and S11 DVD dates

Asda Entertainment has confirmed the release dates for The Complete Eleventh Series and a new addition to the schedule, Creaky Cranky.

Creaky Cranky - July 5th 2010
The Complete Eleventh Series - July 26th 2010.

The Season 1-11 Boxset's release date for November has yet to be revealed.

Enlarged view of Creaky Cranky DVD cover

Lionsgate Publicity have posted a full size version of the Creaky Cranky US DVD cover.

Creaky Cranky hits US DVD Shelves on July 13th 2010.

Thomas toots to new music DVD

Thomas is featured on Lionsgate's next Hit Entertaiment compliation DVD in the United States. The DVD entitled Music, Music Everywhere! features an episode each from five of Hit's character brands including Thomas, Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Kipper and Barney.

A bonus CD is included on the DVD that has five songs including two from Thomas & Friends.

Songs include:
- P-I-A-N-O
- Good Manners
- Roll Call
- Narrow Gauge
- The Next Steps Theme Song

The synopsis for the DVD reads:
Jump on stage for a musical adventure full of high notes and sing-along fun! Barney, Bob the Builder and Thomas strike up the band and discover that piano-playing is even better with friends. Join Rusty the diesel engine as he learns to toot his own horn, sing with Lofty and his bird friends and pirouette alongside Angelina as she teaches her pals that music is a beautiful language. Get ready for a harmonious ride that will have you singing and dancing for more! 

Episodes include:

- Barney - Play Piano With Me

- Bob the Builder - Roley's Important Job

- Thomas & Friends - Tuneful Toots

- Kipper - Arnold's Drum

- Angelina Ballerina - Angelina's Musical Day 

Music, Music Everywhere! hits US DVD shelves on July 20th 2010.

Lionsgate promotes more Thomas

In conjunction with the US 2-disc DVD release of Thomas & Friends - The Greatest Stories due June 1st, Lionsgate and Hit Entertainment are promoting Thomas in some upcoming events.

23 of Minor League Baseball teams will have family friendly events including in-stadium advertising which will include coupons for $2 off the DVD which will be distributed at the games.

Six Flags Amusement Parks will open a new Thomas Town at Six Flags America in the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. area with Thomas-themed birthday parties for children on June 5th including games, activities and photos featuring Thomas, giveaways and park entrance discounts. Also, the DVD's include coupons for one child’s admission ticket to a Six Flags theme park.

The Day Out with Thomas tour also will continue, hitting more than 40 heritage railroad stations around the country, giving children the chance to make birthday cards for Thomas. Coupons distributed at the event offer $2 off the purchase of the Greatest Stories DVD, which also will be distributed at the Day Out With Thomas events.

More than 95 radio stations will promote the DVD, reaching more than 9 million people, according to Lionsgate.

The events are all being made to also celebrate Thomas' 65th anniversary.

Amazon Pre-order on Misty Island

Amazon.co.uk have now made the latest and upcoming Misty Island Rescue special available for Pre-order in the UK. The special will be shown in Vue Cinemas across the UK on October 2nd & 3rd while 8 days later, the special hits DVD Shelves on October 11th.

No word yet on the running time for the DVD although it is likely to be between 58-60 mins along with at least a couple of bonus features, possibly a new music video?

The cover is also likely to be a variation on the image below with the U classification rating and maybe a little banner on the top reading feature length special, or something but let's hope they keep the fun cast list names of Thomas, Bash, Dash and Ferdinand.

You can now Pre-order the DVD off amazon.co.uk for the fair price of £9.69 with P&P although I will order mine off hmv.com as they offer free delivery for every single item, and get it delivered 2 days before the actual release date.

Misty Island Rescue hits UK DVD shelves on October 11th 2010.

Pre-order Misty Island Rescue

Season 1-11 Boxset - All reissued

The previous news that I brought to you that the first eleven series apart from Seasons 3-4 were reissued by the bbfc for the upcoming boxset, well they have now done so on 3 & 4, meaning that all of the first eleven series are classified and are now awaiting a DVD release.

Both series have had title card's included along with new menus and the 65 years promo which will also affect all the other series included in the boxset.

My previous speculation led me to believe since Season 1 & 2 were reissued that the early series from 1-3 might be in their restored/remastered state. I think it now seems likely because the new title card's, menus and the new DVD covers might affect the boxset's DVD's.

Season 10 recieved a new cover which could possibly have the other series' covers revamped and I strongly feel that the early series will be remastered due to the fact that the recent The Best of Thomas UK DVD had the early series episodes in their best quality featured as possible.

Only time will tell, in November.....

Season Three

Season Four

Season 1-11 Boxset - 5-7 reissued

You've previously have heard my speculation that Season 1-2 might be restored for the upcoming Season 1-11 DVD Boxset in the UK. The bbfc who posted the re-submission have now listed Seasons 5-7.

Nothing special for picture or audio quality updates, although the three series from 1998-2003 now include the 65 years promo and have 4 pages of episode selection for their DVD Menus which has also happened to the first two series, although Seasons 8 & 9 had 4 pages due to the modern launch of Hit's own series.

The Season 7 for some reason will have 5 pages of episode selection, even though the 26 episode count is the same for the previous two.

All the series will have their own ident cards after the Hit Entertainment opening at the start of the DVD's.

The boxset is awaiting a release in November.

Season Five

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/617417EB6632FD99802577190035FD24?OpenDocument

Season Six

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/6DDBAFE462950F2B802577190035FD36?OpenDocument

Season Seven

http://www.bbfc.co.uk/website/Classified.nsf/0/1508D618721945F1802577190035FD2D?OpenDocument

Misty Island Vue tickets available

Vue Cinemas who are showing the next Thomas & Friends special Misty Island Rescue are now selling tickets to see the new special in over 50 of their own cinemas across the UK.

Cities showing the film in the UK include Leicester, Portsmouth, Aberdeen, Greenwich, Worcester, Birmingham and more.

The film's synopsis on Vue's website reads:
In this all-new Thomas & Friends 60 minute film, Thomas gets the honour of travelling to the mainland to collect special wood needed to help build the new Search and Rescue Centre. There is no room on the boat so Thomas has to be pulled along on a raft. During the journey the chain breaks from the raft and Thomas wakes to find himself in a strange place called 'Misty Island'. While looking for a way to get back to Sodor, Thomas meets three new friends know as the 'Logging Locos', they want to help Thomas return to Sodor. Will the engines on Sodor be able to find their missing friend? 

Tickets cost from £4-5 for two days on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd October later this year.

You can select your local town/city from the list provided on the link below to order your tickets now.
http://www.myvue.com/cinemas/film_finder.asp?SessionID=&cn=1&ci=33&ln=1&ic=1&qt=4

Harold and the Search Cars pack

A new Take-n-Play toy pack from Fisher Price promoting the new upcoming Thomas special Misty Island Rescue will feature a die-cast model of Harold along with two new search cars that will link to the Search and Rescue Center.

So far, not much is known on the new pack other than being listed in a short ebay.com auction and no description on the toy is available other than the obvious text on the pack.

The toy was sold from a seller in Hong Kong but is due to be released in shops soon.

The pack proves more on Harold's role in the new special.

New Friends set from Fisher Price

Coinciding with the release of the next Thomas special Misty Island Rescue hitting cinemas and DVD's soon, Fisher Price are releasing a three-combo Trackmaster set that contains three engines with trucks.

New engines Bash and Dash are included in the set along with old favourite Percy which clearly means that Percy is in the new special.

The information on the item reads:

Each set includes one of your favorite character engines as a Motorized engine pulling two cars. Percy's rushing to Thomas' aid with rope, a search light and a caboose for passengers. Dash, a brand new character from Misty Island, carries two logging trailer cars, while his twin, Bash, carries logging tools and a logging caboose. Perfect for a TrackMaster Motorized Railway. 3 years and up. 

The set will be released soon.