Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)

Thomas and the Magic Railroad is a 2000 British–American children's fantasy film written, produced and directed by Britt Allcroft. The film stars Peter Fonda, Mara Wilson, Alec Baldwin, Didi Conn, Russell Means, Cody McMains, Michael E. Rodgers with the voices of Eddie Glen, Neil Crone and Kevin Frank. The film is based on the British children's book series The Railway Series by The Rev. W. Awdry, its televised adaptation Thomas & Friends, and the American television series Shining Time Station by Britt Allcroft and Rick Siggelkow. It was co-produced by Gullane Pictures/The Britt Allcroft Company and the Isle of Man Film Commission. It was distributed by Destination Films in the United States, Icon Film Distribution in the United Kingdom and ABC Films in Australia.

The film tells the story of Lily Stone (Wilson), the granddaughter of the caretaker (Fonda) of an enchanted steam engine who is lacking an appropriate supply of coal, and Mr. Conductor (Baldwin) of Shining Time Station, whose provisions of magical gold dust are at a critical low. To ameliorate these problems, Lily and Mr. Conductor enlist the help of Thomas the Tank Engine (Glen), who confronts the ruthless Diesel 10 (Crone) along the way.

Plans for a theatrical Thomas film original began with Paramount Pictures, with production set to begin in 1996 and a release date planned sometime for 1997. However, the project was soon shelved after then-vice chairman Barry London left Paramount, who had originally brought up the project to Britt Allcroft. Shortly after London joined Destination Films and became vice-chairman in 1998, interest in the film was renewed and Destination Films began funding the project. Filming took place at the Strasburg Rail Road in Strasburg, Pennsylvania (United States), as well as in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and on the Isle of Man. The film premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square on July 9, 2000 and was released in the United Kingdom and the United States on July 14 and July 26 respectively.

When Thomas and the Magic Railroad 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 almost equally 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, special effects, and lack of fidelity to the source material.

The film's critical and commercial failure led Allcroft to resign from her company, Gullane Entertainment (originally The Britt Allcroft Company) in September 2000. Two years later, Gullane was acquired by HiT Entertainment.

Parodies (Don't delete, but you can add some more)

 * 1) Thomas and the Magic Railroad (2000)/Sonic