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Thursday 29 September 2011

The Diesels are coming to Deutschland homes

Germany's Day of the Diesels will arrive in home releases after it has finished it's cinema run.

The Dampfloks gegen Dieselloks DVD produced by Sony Music Entertainment runs just like it's world release counterparts at 60 minutes approximation.
The description reads; Es brennt auf der Insel Sodor! Thomas und Percy kämpfen gegen das Feuer bis endlich die Feuerwehrlok Belle eintrifft. Ihr gelingt es die brennende Scheune zu löschen. Das war knapp!

Der dicke Kontrolleur beschließt, dass Belle Unterstützung braucht und holt Flynn, das Feuerwehrfahrzeug, nach Sodor. Thomas zeigt erst Belle und dann Flynn die Insel und ist damit sehr beschäftigt.
Er merkt nicht, dass sein bester Freund Percy sich vernachlässigt fühlt. Der Anführer der Dieselloks, die hinterhältige Lok "Diesel Zehn" heckt einen Plan aus. Er tut so als hielte er Percy für etwas ganz Besonderes und freundet sich mit Percy an.

Percy fällt darauf rein, und merkt nicht, dass "Diesel Zehn" ihn nur benutzt, um sein großes Ziel zu erreichen: Die Übernahme der Lokwerkstatt durch die Dieselloks...

Dampfloks gegen Dieselloks hits German DVD shelves on October 21st 2011.


Thanks to TOPPictures for the alert. 

The 'Dampfloks gegen Dieselloks' comes to Germany

Day of the Diesels has entered foreign territory with the feature-length special arriving in Germany.

Translated as Dampfloks gegen Dieselloks, the film is currently being screened in select theatres with four dates in November remaining left.

The schedule below shows the last cities in the country due to screen the film in the weekends which will end on November 9th 2011.
Cinemaxx Darmstadt in Darmstadt at 13:30uhr/15:15uhr on November 1st 2011.
Kinopolis Rhein-Neckar in Viernheim at 11:30uhr/13:15uhr on November 2nd 2011.
Rex Kinos in Wetzlar at 13:30uhr/15:15uhr on November 8th 2011.
Gießener Kinos in Gießen at 11:30uhr/13:15uhr on November 9th 2011.

The complete schedule can be found on the Official Thomas & Seine Freunde facebook page where two trailers promoting the film are available to watch.

Dampfloks gegen Dieselloks starts it's November cinema run in select theatres starting from November 1st to 9th 2011.
Thanks to TOPPictures for the alert.

Two more promos from 'Diesels' 2011 special

Germany's Thomas & Seine Freunde facebook page have published two promotional stills from the Day of the Diesels film.

The first still shows the scene of Flynn arriving at the Steamworks with The Steam Team, Victor, Kevin, Belle and Stanley looking on.

The second is from Percy's revelation to Thomas, Toby, Emily, Stanley and Henry about his alliance with Diesel 10.

Animated series promotionals with extra presented

Three promotional images from the CGI era of Thomas & Friends have been found, all in high-resoloution from the Thomas & Seine Freunde facebook page.

The widely seen Hero of the Rails promo with Thomas, Percy, James and Gordon at the Docks are presented here along with another two which come from the Thirteenth Series.

Also included is a deleted scene from the last live-action special, The Great Discovery. The scene shows an upset Thomas with Percy at a Water Tower.

Hero of the Rails

Season Thirteen

Extra
The Great Discovery

Wednesday 28 September 2011

'Day of the Diesels' continues chart domination with commendation

Day of the Diesels has recieved more acclamation in UK DVD charts, this time from Sainsbury's in a bigger position.

The special which brings Percy and Diesel 10 as the main starts of the story has been named the 5th Bestseller in the supermarket chain's Film & TV chart.
It has successfully beaten off the new 2011 film of Winnie the Pooh alongside general audience picks such as the Seventh Series of House, Fast & Furious 5 and even the complete Pirates of the Caribbean boxset.

Day of the Diesels is now available to buy on DVD/Blu Ray in UK, US and Australasian stores.

Thanks to ThomasPercyandToby2 for the alert.

Content confirmed for UK 'Merry Winter Wish'

The bbfc have revealed the content due to be featured on the Merry Winter Wish Season Fourteen UK DVD release.

The website confirms that the 2010 Season's Christmas episodes will feature; Merry Winter Wish, Thomas and the Snowman Party, Henry's Magic Box and Merry Misty Island.
The DVD marks the first time since the Thomas and the Runaway Kite release to only include two extras; A Guess Who? Puzzle clip and another Down at the Station mini episode, Coal.

Merry Winter Wish hits UK DVD shelves on the day of Halloween, October 31st 2011.

Big 'Adventure on the Tracks' cover goes up

Lionsgate Publicity have published a high-resoloution version of the cover for the US Adventure on the Tracks DVD boxset.
The 6 disc set includes the releases Thomas and the Jet Engine & Other Adventures, Percy's Ghostly Trick & Other Thomas Stories, Thomas Comes to Breakfast & Other Thomas Adventures, Rusty to the Rescue, Steamies Vs. Diesels and Percy Saves the Day.

Adventure on the Tracks hits US DVD shelves on December 6th 2011.

'Fiery Flynn's 'Rescue on the Rails' gallery opens

Lionsgate Publicity have published promotional stills from the Season Fifteen finale episode, Fiery Flynn.

The images come to promote the release of the Rescue on the Rails US DVD, where it's cover can be viewed in a larger size.

The stills shown however don't come from the release's other episodes, Edward the Hero, Stop That Bus! and James to the Rescue.
Rescue on the Rails hits US DVD shelves on December 6th 2011.

Tuesday 27 September 2011

'Day of the Diesels' wins top spot in Tesco chart

Day of the Diesels has been winning a positive reaction from fans but has now claimed the No. 1 spot in Tesco's DVD Family Chart

The 2011 special set before the Fifteenth Series has beaten off the likes of Barbie, Peppa Pig and even Chuggington to recieve the achievement.
A few days before it came out on UK DVD, the hour long episode's release had entered the charts early owing to it's pre-order requests, where it was placed in 10th but has since climbed dramatically.

Day of the Diesels is now available to buy on DVD/Blu Ray in UK, US and Australasian stores.

'Toot Toot Toys' predicts more 'Thomas Story Library's

Toot Toot Toys have anticipated a date for more new books in the Thomas Story Library range in the UK.

In a headline on their page for the books via the Thomas The Tank Engine section, an explanation is made due to the low stock of the books that they currently have.
Many are currently out of print, hence our low number of this range. We cannot get more new titles until the publisher does - reprint expected Feb 2012.

The last title to be released was The Spring Suprise earlier this year, an adaptation of the TV Series episode, Thomas and the Pigs.

Thanks to Jim522 for the alert.

Monday 26 September 2011

Australasian's doubles and wishes get underway

The first ten series of Thomas & Friends will be released Down Under on DVD in Double Packs courtesy of ABC for Kids.

The sets each have two edited promotional photos published on their front covers, with the first two Hit Entertainment made seasons having to include a misinterpreted image of Diesel with Cranky's face.
The Double Packs;
Season One and Two
Season Three and Four
Season Five and Six
Season Seven and Eight
Season Nine and Ten

Also due out for Down Under is the longly-awaited release of the Season Fourteen Christmas DVD, Merry Winter Wish which comes in a yellow carry case.
The episodes included are the same as the US and UK DVD's with Merry Misty Island, Thomas and the Snowman Party, Henry's Magic Box and the release's main episode of the same name all accompaining it.

The series Double Packs and Merry Winter Wish all hit Australian and New Zealand DVD shelves on November 3rd 2011.


Thanks to SteamTeam for the alert.

"O the Indignity" goes Trackmaster Gordon

Gordon is to be included in another special product from Fisher Price's Trackmaster toy series.

O the Indignity Gordon is the newest item in the Greatest Moments miniseries where the pompous big blue engine hauls a truck full of garbage.
Based on the Season Fourteen TV Series episode, O the Indignity, the above engine comes attached with a split banana beside his funnel with some residue held on his tender.

Trackmaster's O the Indignity Gordon is available in stores worldwide soon.


Thanks to SteamTeam for the alert.

Reissue done and dusted for 'Story Library' collection

The Thomas Story Library boxset has been re-released in the UK under a new design.

The original which came out in 2010 featured the 65 character books published as of now. The new boxset keeps the idea but has changed the boxset's look.
It follows the housing design of an engine shed all around the pack with Thomas, James and The Fat Controller sighted all around it.

Neither the preceding and present sets include the special one-off titles such as Haunted Henry, The Snowy Suprise and others.

The 2011 version of the Thomas Story Library collection is now available in UK retailers.


Thanks to SI3DFilms for the alert.

Friday 23 September 2011

Animated series promos from Thomas' 'Freunde'

Super RTL Merchandising have updated their Thomas und Seine Freunde page with some notable new promo images from the CGI animated series.

The shots include the previously seen Tidmouth Sheds roll call but however is in it's uncut form which reveals Toby to be part of the call.
Thomas, Percy and James reunite with the three in the countryside followed by a similar promo with them in the winter season.

Also included is the Season Twelve Thomas frame, the Steam Team at The Docks and half of the team in the dockyards with the latter two coming from the Hero of the Rails special.

THE SHOTS

Special thanks to SI3DFilms for the alert.

'Rescue on the Rails' details fully confirmed

The upcoming US DVD, Rescue on the Rails has had it's details released by Hit Entertainment's newest press release.

The title is now confirmed to be the second for the Americans to feature episodes from the poorly recieved Fifteenth Series.
The following DVD synopsis includes a certain line from the series that has been slammed by fans; Ready to Rescue! The Sodor Search and Rescue Team is racing to the rescue. Bertie's stuck on Shake Shake Bridge, Gordon's derailed and Thomas' firebox is on fire!

In these exciting episodes, your favorite engines brave the rails to rescue their friends. Discover that being heroic is more than having speed and strength; it's about teamwork and a big heart, which puts every Really Useful Engine on the right track.
Episodes include;
Fiery Flynn
James to the Rescue
Edward the Hero
Stop That Bus!

Extras include;
Who's Pulling into the Station? Game
Thomas, You're the Leader! Karaoke Music Video
Rescue on the Rails hits US DVD shelves on December 6th 2011.

Six DVD tracks complete an 'Adventure on the Tracks'

A new 6 Disc DVD set will incorporate previous releases of Thomas & Friends into another compilation pack for the US.

Thomas and the Jet Engine & Other Adventures, Percy's Ghostly Trick & Other Thomas Stories, Thomas Comes to Breakfast & Other Thomas Adventures, Rusty to the Rescue, Steamies Vs. Diesels and Percy Saves the Day are all lined up for the set.
The collection is called Adventure on the Tracks and runs at 230 minutes approximately while a specially designed cover has been made showing Thomas, Percy and Harold.

Noteworthy, the front includes Thomas and Percy on the Narrow Gauge Railway's Wooden Bridge.

Adventure on the Tracks hits US DVD shelves on December 6th 2011.

Monday 19 September 2011

Stars all rise for the Diesels in UK premiere event

Day of the Diesels finally arrived in Vue Cinemas nationwide in the UK on Saturday September 17th 2011 where faces from television and showbiz attended the Leicester Square VIP premiere.

Dominating the tabloids was Sally Bercow's appearance at the film's main event. Fresh from her stint on Channel 5's Celebrity Big Brother, Bercow brang along her children; Oliver, Freddie and Jemima to watch the film.
Presenter, singer and X Factor star, Stacey Solomon also attended in tow with her son Zachary and her boyfriend Aaron Barham.

Solomon had tweeted briefly on her Twitter page confirming her attendance; On my way to Thomas the tank engine with zachary and Aaron xxx.

Legendary journalist of the BBC News service, John Simpson, Coronation Street actress, Kate Ford, Holby City's, Laila Rouass and Louise Mensch MP all turned up aswell.

The DJ's of BBC Radio 1, Zane Lowe, Nihal and Edith Bowman followed on alongside French model, Vanessa Perroncel and Channel 5 presenters, Amanda Lamb, Natasha Kaplinsky, Emma Crosby and Jason Bradbury.

Finally and representing Sodor was Sir Topham Hatt, The Fat Controller who has headlined all the Leicester Square premiere's of Thomas in the past and present.

TheTopHatts' brief of the premiere;

Waiting outside Leciester Square's event was me with my team of Thomas fans which shall all be explained in a report log due out in the coming weeks where we did witness some connections from Thomas & Friends' team attending the screening...

Representing the Thomas & Friends team was the voice behind the likes of Thomas, Toby and Ferdinand, Ben Small with his young daughter, who greeted us warmly and was pleased that we had finally been able to meet him.

Small confirmed to us of Keith Wickham's attendance but was not seen due to leaving early. After successfully recieving the goodie bags, we did in fact have a surprising encounter with the Rev. W. Awdry's children, Hilary Fortnam and Veronica Chambers with her husband inside Hamleys.
The three were very kind to talk to us of Thomas, The Railway Series and other related subjects which was a huge honour and was easy to tell that they had infact been at the premiere too.

They confirmed to us that UK long-standing narrator, Michael Angelis did not attend, although one more connection did.

Someone we did not meet was none other than the longest-standing US narrator, Michael Brandon, who has been confirmed in two news articles. We did however also got to meet in order of appearance; Jason Bradbury, Natasha Kaplinsky, Sally Bercow and Amanda Lamb.

TheTopHatts' report log of the Day of the Diesels premiere will be coming soon exclusively to the Roll Along Thomas Blog.

FULL COVERAGE OF THE PREMIERE

"Winter Holidays" term for Christmas hits church with dislike

Episodes of Thomas & Friends have been blasted by political correctness campaigners and churches over replacing a common word during the Winter.

The newer episodes made by Hit Entertainment have often been celebrating christmas parties but rather renaming christmas, Winter Holidays.
Fans have since complained over the term but none has been more public than the campaigners and church leaders who have hit out.

A Catholic Church spokesperson said; It would be a great shame if political correctness were to wipe out the true meaning of Christmas for children, even to the extent of interfering in classic children's stories.

Charity auction from SiF reveals surprise winner

SiF have made another surprise announcement, this time relating to their charity auction on ebay.

The auction involved all the proceeding's going to the Clic Sargent Children's Cancer Charity but ended in a somehow humble note.
Current Thomas & Friends Director, Greg Tiernan won the auction which has surprised the SiF team but made the winning prizes going off to the second highest bidder as a twist.

The twist involved not only Tiernan granting the second winner's reward but made himself create a significant contribution to the charity.

All new rescue themed DVD saved for US Christmas date

A new DVD is due for US Thomas fans which has previously been mentioned on another release.

Rescue on Rails is the latest to be announced for the Americans just after being teased on the Day of the Diesels DVD.
Walmart have revealed that the duration of the disc shall run at 44 minutes approximately and is produced by Lionsgate Entertainment.

It is currently not known as to what episodes will feature in the release, although it is known on the Diesels release that Flynn will star in it.

Rescue on Rails hits US DVD shelves on December 6th 2011.

Nitrogen Studios prepares to conclude Sixteenth Series

Nitrogen Studios, the animation company behind the CGI era of Thomas have revealed that the upcoming Sixteenth Season is nearing completion.

The studios' Official Website have confirmed the near conclusion of the animation stage in a brief statement.

We are wrapping up the final episodes of the fifth season of the Thomas & Friends TV show.
The term of fifth season relates to Nitrogen's work starting from the Twelfth Season up to the upcoming new series.

Also teased is another announcement which confirms a new feature-length special is to be due; Our fourth movie is currently in production.

Season Sixteen is slated to air later this year and early next year with the sixth feature-length special coming soon.

Thursday 15 September 2011

British magazines excite with two more 'Diesels' competitions

The Thomas & Friends magazine series in England are running two more competitions to celebrate the release of Day of the Diesels.

The two clues in both questions are shown in the pictures provided, although a scan of the pages are not available in this blog post.

To win Wooden Railway models of Captain's Shed, Ol' Wheezy the Slinging Crane, Den, Dart, Belle, and Flynn, you need to answer this question;
What is the name of the big blue engine on this page?

To enter you need to send your answer, name and address to; Thomas & Friends 623, Tomy Wooden Railway Competition, PO Box 51, Erith, DA8 1WD.


To win a chunky Thomas at Tidmouth Sheds playset from Fisher Price, you need to answer the following question;

What is the name of the helicopter?

To enter you need to send your answer, name and address to: Thomas & Friends 623, Playset Competition, PO Box 51, Erith, DA8 1WD.


Both competitions close on October 7th 2011, a week and a half after the special's DVD goes on sale.


The competitions can be found in Issue 623 of the Thomas & Friends magazine which is now available in UK stores now until September 28th

Thanks to SteamTeam for the alert.

Thomas and the 'Search for Australia's Trackmaster' begins

The Official Thomas & Friends YouTube Channel have made a new competition for Thomas fans Down Under available.

The child is required to be able to operate their own Trackmaster set at home while being dedicated and having knowledge to it.
The prize for winning is to be able to visit Drayton Manor's Thomas Land in the UK as a family of four with accomodation and spending money provided.

Entering is simple, to produce a short tough tongue-twister related to Thomas and a Trackmaster set which will be awarded to one lucky fan.

Peek a book and hide with Thomas the Tank Engine

amazon.co.uk have published the cover for the new early learners book, Hide and Peek Flap Book.

The front shows Thomas travelling in the countryside with Annie and Clarabel accompained by the revised Thomas & Friends logo.
At 8 pages long, the lift-up flaps book comes from Egmont which will come to the UK in early February.

The description reads; Thomas is taking his passengers on a trip to the seaside. This title lets you lift the flaps to see who he meets along the way.

Hide and Peek Flap Book hits UK book shelves on February 6th 2012.


Thanks to SteamTeam for the alert.

TV Series book covers revealed for UK readers

The previously presumed 2011 Thomas Story Library Books have been revealed as TV Series tie-ins.

amazon.co.uk have published the covers for all five of the books ready to go on sale at the beginning of 2012 in the UK.
All have been given either edited promo shots or stills, notably Thomas' face being changed for The Tall Friend release.

At least three of the books are based on episodes from Season Fourteen starring Thomas while another two focus on Belle and Flynn's stories from the Fifteenth Series.

The new TV Series tie-ins books all hit UK book shelves on January 3rd 2012.

PRE-ORDER THE BOOKS AND VIEW THE COVERS

Thanks to SteamTeam for the alert.

2011 cakes baked and ready to be hauled

cakes.com have released details and images of new Thomas & Friends cakes that are now on sale in the US.

The six cakes each have special designs added on to them to tie in with the TV Series appeal.
Thomas and Coal Car places the blue engine onto track with a card of James the Red Engine also included.

Signature Thomas is a dedicated cake with the very engine as the main star. Coming with it is a DVD featuring special celebration episodes and Thomas carrying case.

Signature Thomas and Percy, Petite Signature Thomas Engine, All Aboard Prints and Edible Image Thomas are also available.

The Diesels take over three more pictures

Three more stills from Day of the Diesels have been found which feature some of the Diesels.

All of the stills show the inside of the Dieselworks with a cross Dart taking over the first picture.
Diesel 10 is in the second with a smug grin on his face while raising an eyebrow with certain deviousness.

The last shows five of the oilers with Arry, Den, Diesel 10, Dart and Bert looking down towards an engine.

THE STILLS

Thanks to ThomasPercyandToby2 for the alert.

Greens' own competition of 'Diesels' gets baked

Greens Cakes are offering UK Thomas fans the chance to win a goodie bag full of Day of the Diesels merchandise.

Ten bags are up for grabs where inside shall contain the special's DVD, the Diesel Bucket set from MEGA BLOKS and a Wooden Railway engine.
The Wooden character will be chosen at random with either Flynn, Belle, Den and Dart being added to each of the winners' package.

The competition closes by the end of October while being awarded a prize can be deemed by answering an easy question.


Thanks to ThomasPercyandToby2 for the alert.

Wednesday 14 September 2011

The Countess of Wessex' Thomas Land visit in pictures

The royal visit went ahead for Thomas and his friends at Drayton Manor's Thomas Land recently.

Wednesday September 14th 2011 saw the arrival of The Countess of Wessex who visited the Sodor based theme park to great success.
Thomas Land UK's facebook page have published two pictures from the special visit along with information about the day.

Her Royal Highness (The Countess of Wessex) visited to officially open the Drayton Manor Hotel. She stopped off in Thomas Land after touring the hotel.

Fire and space beat steam at Licensing Awards

Thomas & Friends lost out to two brands for two awards at the 2011 year of the Licensing Awards show.

Presented by Comedian and The Inbetweeners star, Greg Davies, the latest ceremony held at the Grosvenor House Hotel had many brands battling it out for the prizes they were aiming for.

Thomas & Friends was up for Best Pre-School Licensed Property and Best Classic Licensed Property.
Sadly, the Sodor cast were beaten by it's rival competitor Fireman Sam and the Star Wars franchise.

Licensing Awards' Director, Ian Hyder however commended all the participants; The Licensing Awards was the culmination of a huge amount of work and input from the entire licensing industry.

Their commitment and creativity made the awards event a truly memorable night.

Monday 12 September 2011

iTunes releases 1998 Season in Australia

iTunes in Australia have released the complete Fifth Season to be purchased, nearly a month after the Fourth Season debuted on the Store.

All 26 episodes from the action packed series can be viewed in packages of two episodes each, for $1.49.
Alternatively, the whole season may be bought for the price of $17.99, at least $1.38 shorter than Season Four's complete price.

The episodes are seen in their complete forms including the beginning intro and end credits.


Thanks to TMRReturns for the alert.

Sunday 11 September 2011

Kleinman confirms Tomy involvement in Hit sale

Sky News' City Editor, Mark Kleinman has revealed another company entering the wrangling sale of Hit Entertainment.

Toy maker Tomy, who for the present day make many Thomas & Friends products over in Japan are now linked to the buyout.
Mattel was previously in the forefront of the sale with discussions having taken place with Apax Partners.

Disney, Hasbro, Viacom and many other companies are also still in line for the takeover.


Thanks to Ajani for the alert.

Saturday 10 September 2011

Three 'Day of the Diesels' stills published

Three more stills from the Day of the Diesels special have surfaced which show three of the four main newcomers.
Flynn the Fire Engine, Den the Dieselworks Diesel and Belle the Brass Tank Engine all feature in the stills in different places.

Belle is seen in the countryside, Flynn at the Docks and Den at the Vicarstown Dieselworks.


Thanks to TheBlueE2 for the alert.

Feature: What, When, Will, Why and How of the 'Day of the Diesels'

It is the month of Day of the Diesels in Britain where the hour long episode will roll into Vue Cinemas and on DVD/Blu Ray.

What would you be doing when it's out? When will you see it? Will you see it? Why will you see it and How will you see it? This feature exclusive to the Roll Along Thomas Blog wants to hear from you detailing on the five points in your own words.

TheTopHatts' Summary;
What? - I will be travelling from my hometown Worthing, West Sussex all the way up to London via train, grab a bus to Finchley Road's Vue Cinema inside the 02 Shopping Centre, where I will be reuniting with my six YouTube real life friends. We will be joined by three more allies from the Thomas fandom.

When? - I will see it on Saturday September 17th at 10:30am.

Will? - Of course I will see it! The response to the movie has so far been positive and it looks to be an exciting hour of Thomas.

Why? - Whenever there's a new Thomas TV product on, I will always watch it and never miss an episode or special when it comes out which explains my love of the franchise ever since I started at 2 years of age and still going strong.

How? - Me and the rest shall see it in high definition via the cinema screen in VIP seating which was my suggestion to the pack, another plus to have a good day.
So there is my summary on those five little questions, now it's your turn...

Please comment just below this post to write your opinions on the five questions based on the subject.