Thomas & Friends: The Great Discovery
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 Thomas he's my number one. Shining in the morning sun. Working hard but having fun. Thomas, you're the leader!
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Thomas and Friends: The Great Discovery is a 2008 adventure-family film based on the Thomas and Friends TV-series, the film stars Pierce Brosnan as the role of the narrator, being the only Thomas and Friends production to feature him as that position (albeit he was going to narrate the series starting from Series 12, though it was canceled for unknown reasons), it was also the first of the yearly-Thomas direct-to-video movies released from 2008 to 2018 (as Thomas and the Magic Railroad was a theatrical film and Calling all Engines! didn't have a sequel released the year after). It serves as the sequel to Thomas & Friends: Calling All Engines and is the third film in the overall Thomas & Friends film series.
It was also the last Thomas media to fully use the model faces, as the 12th series (also from 2008) was the very last series to use the modeled trains and filmed in live action, but the faces were covered in CGI and was the very last Thomas media to use these humanoid figurines, as all of them were fully replaced being animated in CGI by 12th series onwards.
Plot
Thomas the Tank Engine and his friends prepare for Sodor Day, however, Thomas discovers an abandoned town named Great Waterton after managing to escape from a collapsing bridge, meanwhile, while a new engine named Stanley arrives on the Island of Sodor, the island itself starts to re-construct Great Waterton, but after mishaps happen in the process, Thomas must set off in a dangerous mission.
Why It's A Great Discovery
- The cinematography is phenomenal, surpassing that of Seasons 8-10, thanks to the high-definition quality of Seasons 11 and 12.
- This film marks a notable enhancement compared to Thomas & Friends: Calling All Engines, Seasons 9, 10, and even 11, although Season 11 was already a minor upgrade before the series experienced a significant decline in Seasons 12-16.
- A lot of good songs, especially the credits song, "Thomas, You're the Leader", which later ended up being featured as a regular song in the CGI series (albeit cut off) and has become a cult classic with many fans and children.
- Stanley is a pretty good and interesting new character. And while Thomas was jealous of him at first, they later become friends at the end.
- The premise is pretty interesting, as it involves Thomas discovering a new town and trying to get it reconstructed in time for a special day.
- The narrative is filled with intense, action-packed sequences, including the dramatic collapse of an ancient iron bridge and the harrowing scene where Thomas is ensnared within a deserted mine.
- Pierce Brosnan's narration, though occasionally distracting because of his distinctive voice and Irish accent, has its merits. Some enthusiasts even hoped he would have succeeded Michael Brandon and the late Michael Angelis following Season 11, as was initially intended.
- As the final Thomas & Friends production to exclusively use live-action models, it is widely regarded as a fitting tribute to the model era. Season 12 stands as the last season to feature live-action models, even though it also incorporated CGI animation.
- Good soundtrack by Robert Hartshorne and Ed Welch.
- A lot of characters appear in the film, which made it one of the ultimate Thomas films.
- It gives out a really great moral about not being jealous of others.
- The ending is well thought-out and a great way to end off the Live-Action era of the Thomas & Friends series.
Disgraceful, Disgusting, and Despicable Qualities
- Plot hole: How Thomas discovered the lost town of Great Waterton remains a mystery. Either the signalman or Thomas's driver would need to set the switches, which they would likely be reluctant to do, as it could disrupt Thomas's schedule. Moreover, the tracks' poor condition posed a risk of derailment.
- The engine drivers and firemen are practically nonexistent, neither are seen in any of the engine cabs, nor is there any mention of them in instances such as when Thomas goes too fast onto a curve and topples over, rolling down the embankment, which would have seriously injured or even killed them; or when Thomas runs through the abandoned mine, in which they could suffocate from the smoke.
- In "Thomas, You're the Leader", the Engine Roll Call used in this film, and the movie, there were hints about Stanley joining the Steam Team. Although he made frequent appearances after the film, he never became a member of the Steam Team, which continued to consist of the same eight engines until the "Big World! Big Adventures!" era.
- As is common for this era, there's a plethora of alliteration, though it's not as pronounced as in Seasons 12-16.
- Oddly, Brosnan did not narrate any further Thomas productions after this.
- In the mine, Thomas tumbles into an underground stream and is carried to a waterfall, from which he soars across a ravine! Realistically, an engine of his size would be too heavy to float, let alone traverse such an expansive ravine, highlighting a departure from realism that had been evident even before this incident.
- Missed opportunity: Duck, BoCo, Toad, Donald, Douglas, and several other characters from the early model era seasons did not make an appearance in this production. This may have been due to the already high costs of the movie.
- Although the series experienced a slight improvement in Season 11, it unfortunately declined in quality from Seasons 12 to 16, indicating that this was one of the rare highlights during that period.
- "Hero of the Rails" and "Blue Mountain Mystery" were also standout moments during this era, yet unlike Seasons 12-16, "Misty Island Rescue" and "Day of the Diesels" failed to halt the series' downturn seen in Seasons 9, 10, and to a lesser extent, 11. When HiT transitioned the show to CGI, the marketing and merchandise quality significantly improved, Thomas' popularity surged to new heights in 2010, and Nitrogen Studios' animation brought a fresh and promising look. Television ratings soared, and DVD sales hit record numbers. Regrettably, neither "The Great Discovery," "Hero of the Rails," nor Season 11 managed to revitalize the series, a feat that was not achieved until Seasons 17-21.
Trivia
- Currently, this is the only Thomas & Friends production narrated by Pierce Brosnan, though originally, Pierce Bronsnan was to narrate Season 12 to Season 14 in both English dubs, as well as 3 specials.
- This marks the last Thomas & Friends production to exclusively use live-action models, as the series introduced CGI animation in Season 12, alongside the traditional model set, before completely transitioning to CGI animation with "Hero of the Rails" and Season 13.
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