Henry's Forest (Thomas & Friends)

"Henry's Forest"
"Now whenever Henry stops by the forest, he could see the new trees growing strong and tall. Sometimes, everywhere is very quiet, and at other times, Henry could hear leaves rustling, or birds a wing brushing the air. Often he can hear the distance sound of children laughing, and always he is happy here." -Both George Carlin and Michael Angelis narrating the last line of the episode.
Series: Thomas & Friends Part of Season: 3 Episode Number: 9 Air Date: January 11, 1991 (UK; original narration) December 16, 1991 (US) April 14, 1992 (UK; new narration) Director: David Mitton Previous episode: Diesel Does It Again Next episode: The Trouble with Mud

"Henry's Forest" is the ninth episode of the third season of Thomas and Friends. It is based on the magazine story of the same name and "Clearing Up", both originally written by Andrew Brenner. It aired in the UK on ITV on October 15, 1991 before airing on PBS on December 16, 1991 as part of Shining Time Station despite being produced the same year.

Why It Rocks

1. The episode's message is perfect. It always shows that sometimes, things that were once destroyed can be built and brought back together again, starting a new hope, as well as a new era. Definitely the example of a moral that is the most important thing to learn for everyone in the world.
2. The music by both Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell shows both music composers at their best.
3. The overall plot is emotionally sad as you see Henry seeing his favorite forest being torn down by the strong nighttime storm.
4. Excellent narration from both Michael Angelis and George Carlin likewise.
5. The sets of the forest are spot on and they really do look like what a real forest would look like.
6. Great story adapting with the help of both Britt Allcroft and David Mitton.
7. Heartwarming ending: After Toby had delivered the new trees to be planted for Henry's Forest, Henry returns to see Terence and Trevor beginning the forest all over again, as we get the last lines of the episode from the narrator on such a touching note (The last lines can be seen captioned).

Bad Qualities

1. Wilbert Awdry, himself, was infamous for criticizing this episode (see Trivia below).
2. Henry only has two lines despite being the main character. This could be due to the original four minute and thirty second time limit.
   • He has three lines in the Japanese version.

Trivia

• A photograph from this episode was released as a Royal Mail stamp in 2011 to mark the Reverend Awdry's Centenary.
• This episode marks the last appearance of the Country Line to date, not counting a deleted scene in the third season episode, "No Joke for James".
• On the week when both this episode and "Diesel Does it Again" made their television debut, TV Times held a competition with the deadline on May 1, 1992. Fans had to write the correct names of three engines as pictured in a scene from "Woolly Bear" and send in their answers. Seven winners would receive various assorted Thomas goods as their prize.
• From this episode onwards, Trevor's eyes move with a motor.
• The Reverend W. Awdry is known for criticizing this episode for its lack of realism. The major flaws he found were Henry's driver letting him stop in the forest without alerting a signalman (Rule 55), paving the way for a severe crash with an unaware locomotive and the number of trees so close to the line that could catch fire from a spark from an engine's funnel. He also stated that engines should not be interested in scenery. Britt Allcroft, the episode's adapter, countered the second flaw by claiming to have seen many other railways do the same thing.

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