* I believe the point of Whiff's basis being Aerolite is the juxtaposition of a private passenger engine doing really menial dirty work, it was probably funny to the concept artists deciding character basises to make such a glamorous engine be so opposite to that in character
Fun fact: Tom Hanks visited the studio room where Season 11 was still in production while production of the film “The Da Vinci Code”. He in fact loved Thomas and had a good time seeing all the models and sets in action. Imagine if he was the narrator for The US dub of The Great Discovery?
Agreed, even as a kid, Hector the Horrid was always an episode that stuck out to me not just because of Brandon's performance but the character and design of Hector himself
Honestly, seeing season 11 of Thomas being it’s final season for all models just feels like saying goodbye to an old friend because you remember all the fun times you’ve had before hand.
@@raulreyes5141I personally think the hit era as a whole is a bit over-hated. Like there a lot more great episodes than people give credit for. I highly recommend everyone watch: "In Defense of the Hit Era: the debate revisited" by The Thomas Cynic. It is a very well put together video. It is 2 years old now, and the Thomas Cynic himself retired from making Thomas videos like last year, but I personally feel that the video still holds up very well today.
If HiT were more concerned about making characters instead of peddling out colourful toys, they could have made Billy and Stanley the same engine; the name and livery of Stanley, with the brash stubborness and eagerness to please of Billy. Maybe also the quirky sense of humour from Charlie (Another Manning Wardle saddle-tank engine). But we wouldn't get an orange tank engine to sell and be quickly forgotten about, would we?
I think Billy is fine and the episode Don't Be Silly, Billy is pretty good in my opinion because it shows a mature Thomas trying to look after an engine who was just like the Thomas we know in Season 1.
It really is a shame how uninspired sets were in this era, they are serviceable but not memorable (though like you say, those BG hills do help). That said, I think TGD did catch a second wind with Great Waterton, the Bridge, and the mine. You could tell there was ambition there, and that matters!
There is actually an explanation for the yellow tint in season 11. During an event in Birmingham (the same place the season 10 bloopers came from) Simon Spencer talked about the show using the aforementioned yellow tint to give off the effect as if Thomas was still being recorded using film stock. Whether or not it did so successfully is up for debate but it is a neat little fact.
It’s a neat idea but the execution wasn’t good. They could have done things like adding a film scratch filter, or you know, go back to shooting on film.
And thus, we're ending with the full model era. Everyone has a piece of it in our hearts, whenever it's from great writing, beautiful scenography, or impresive modelwork.
I like that Thomas and Gordon’s alliance was resurfaced this year, and I like Henry, Gordon, and James making fun of Emily with Wiff in “Emily and the Rubbish.”
I’ve seen a few people criticising Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure recently for braking their alliance and I’m just sitting here thinking “they’ve already been braking it since season 5”.
@@joshuaW5621if you think about it, the moment The railway series adaptions stop, Thomas and Gordon’s alliance is broken. I also love how Gordon helps Thomas out here. Love Gordon and Thomas’s dynamic
I really wish the Thomas and Gordon dynamic was used more often in the Hit era Thomas and Gordon is such a good character pairing and makes for some good stories.
I want to give a special shoutout to Thomas and the Storyteller from this season for how it sort of subverts both the 3 strikes formula and the "special special" tropes. None of the "strikes" Thomas makes in this episode are really actual mistakes. They all involve him interrupting his special plans in order to help his friends get their jobs done. James' and Emily's incidents that Thomas helps with involve legitimate safety concerns (a broken side rod and a broken whistle), and each time, Thomas immediately decides to help all of them instead of rushing off to get his own "special" work done and leaving them stranded, which we've seen in other HiT episodes. In doing all of this, Thomas runs out of time to actually show the storyteller the "special" places on Sodor, and he is thus worried that the storyteller won't have a grand story to tell at the library's opening. But she reassures him that the day they did have helping others will make a wonderful story of its own. And the episode itself proves her right. The episode isn't very flashy, but it purposefully isn't trying to be. Any opportunities for special locations or fancy gimmicks that we typically expect from this era are all constantly subverted by Thomas choosing to help his friends out first and foremost. It instead shows a rather mature, considerate Thomas selflessly helping others and still being rewarded for it. A very underrated episode IMO. I also like how in "Dream On", Thomas comes to the realization of being content with who he is on his own without getting into some big accident. And in the end, he is still able to help the Duke of Botsford by simply being there to help when he is needed.
I also like 'Thomas In Trouble" as Thomas does screw up, but it's out of wanting to take responsibility for a job, and the state Thomas is in shows all the empathy his friends have for him. Liked the detail of Henry taking Thomas to the works, given Thomas' increased awareness with Henry's sickness over the previous seasons. Having James take Annie and Clarabel fits nicely with later CGI lore as well.
@@e-122psi3 how about Edward And The Mail? Channel ASodorLife made me really appreciate the episode more as it allows Edward to have a flaw that isn’t him worrying to an all time low and isn’t a jerk at a high. Henry and Emily even praise him at the start at Edward to cover the mail during Percy’s absence because they think he knows everything and Edward is just a little unsure of how to ask help because of that high status the engines put him on
This might be one of the few episodes in this season where they try to do something different with the 3 strike formula, which makes it all the more appreciative.
Or how the UK titles for a few episodes were reused. Glad he mentioned the ugly yellow filter but how can he forget the fact the UK run has 2 stories called Thomas In Trouble and Dirty Work. At least call the James one Dirty Jobs to differentiate itself from s2
@@fanofeverything30465It would make more sense for him to mention it for Season 13; that was the first season to go full CGI, whereas Season 12 was only partially CGI
I'm still impressed at how the Tug manages to make these individual retrospectives for these later seasons so long yet not be dragged out, despite it seeming at first that there's nothing really special to talk about with these seasons of the show
I'm really curious to see what he thinks of the Nitrogen era episodes in that same vein. Seasons 13-15 especially are going to be _tough_ to talk about.
i think for the Nitrogen seasons hes gonna mostly focus on the specials because let’s be honest, those were the things the production team really cared about the quality difference of HOTR and BMM to their seasons is astonishing
Season 11 feels like the season where they're the most comfortable writing "HiT era". All the newbies have personalities that feel like they matter, S11 makes better use of S10's newbies than 10 did of 9's, most episodes want to remind you that there's a whole world outside of the Steam Team, a good chunk of Thomas-centered episodes feels like "Thomas" episodes, the three strikes is put to better use than in S10 (and not as often)and it feels like they've gotten the hang of world-building and bringing things back. Not to mention, The Great Discovery is, well, great! And honestly S11 and TGD are fun. They're just fun! 21:29 I feel like that's because they deleted a scene of Gordon passing by just as James did. There is an unused "disgusted" Gordon face that supports this. 38:26 I think that's the point and it makes him more admirable. The joke is completed by having Emily and Spencer in the episodes. Each basis for all three are at the National Railway Museum. And I think it does inform his character. The CGI series makes him an older character, with a similar voice to Edward. We see in O the Indignity and Whiff's Wish that he actually does jump at the chance to be admired deep down, even though he is perfectly happy working with garbage. This contrasts with Scruff, who never cares about being admired, never did prestigious work in the past, and would avoid the spotlight entirely. After all, one runs away from being washed, while another accepts it. The contrast between Whiff and Scruff is a lot like the contrast between Skarloey and Rheneas when you think about it. To repost what I once said on Twitter, while Skarloey/Whiff are the more developed characters, I think I like the general personalities of Rheneas/Scruff more. Whiff and Skarloey are both really old and wise, gentle and easy-going but stern when need be, and quite knowledgeable about history. They're both a lot more mature than the louder engines but ultimately can still have fun. Neither are fussed about appearances, despite having once been the grandest thing ever back in the day, they literally don't care. They're just good workers above all else, no matter how dirty or smelly the job, and neither care about the opinions of others. Scruff and Rheneas are both tough, scrappy workers who value function most of all and not even the least bit about form. While Whiff/Skarloey will accept a polish or wash if they have the time, Scruff/Rheneas will flatly reject it. They don't care about being recognized for their work, and neither is good with being the center of attention and are rather awkward and uncomfortable when being put on the spot, often just fading into the background willingly. They have zero other aspirations other than to do their work and get it done, never giving up, and offering assistance to those who are struggling with it (see The Switch and O the Indignity)
Season 1: complete Season 2: innovative Season 3: big Season 4: comfy Season 5: peak Season 6: cute Season 7: eye of the storm Season 8: milquetoast Season 9: peaks and valleys Season 10: drawn out Season 11: routine.
Gordon and Thomas’s alliance appearing here is really nice to see again. Helps me remember the old days. I LOVE Gordon feeling upset for Thomas when he breaks down
@@vincentsowell2314Thomas: Fuck off HiT! You're ruining my career! Do I really have to do these learning statements again? Edward: At least they're only a bonus feature this time Thomas: I know but I still don't like them Edward: Neither do I but we'll just have to make the best of a bad situation
I personally have never minded the yellow tint S11 has. It gives the season its own unique look against the rest of the HIT era. The yellow tint gives it sort of a warm, cozy look that’s less corporate and plain than S8-10 and especially S12. I get why people don’t like it, but I can look at the season just fine. The shot direction this season was also much more interesting to me compared to the rest of the hit era, especially in Thomas and the spaceship. Some really interesting angles in that one S11 pales in comparison to the classic seasons, but I can’t help but enjoy this season more than the rest of the hit era. The pace isn’t as dull as the rest of the era
Congrats on beating Usual Bloke Luke to Season 11. Wasn’t expecting Thomas to win MVP this year, my guess was his trophy coming from S19, between TAB and Lost Treasure, though I could be wrong in connecting both films to the season.
"I spent all night looking for Percy's space ship, and the airport is only half finished!" It's like those edits putting Carlin stand up over his narration in the first four seasons
In Tug’s opinion, the MVP awards for each season of the Model era rightfully go to… : Season 1: Henry Season 2: Edward Season 3: Duck Season 4: Peter Sam Season 5: Sir Topham Hatt Season 6: Percy Season 7: Arthur Jack and the Pack: Oliver (the excavator) Season 8: Emily Season 9: Percy (again) Season 10: James Season 11: Thomas (tho based on Tug’s analysis, I’d argue that Gordon deserves the status more) I wonder which character will end the series with the most MVP awards to their name?
Michael Brandon's KEEP AWAY!!!!! was the scariest thing I've seen in the show since James's EEEEEEEEEEE from Buzz Buzz. That was impressive. Oh boy, season 12 is next. Strap yourself in, folks.
Thomas and the Magic Railroad is actually the first time they used actual performers (okay, w/ the exception of Really Useful Engine for they reused the kids' chorus, but they had an actual performer w/ them), so The Great Discovery marks the second time from this point onwards in the show they used this trend.
Season 11 has some classic in terms of a handful of good episodes and it felt like a significant improvement than 9 and 10. The Great Discovery will always my favorite Thomas movie and it was like the last hurrah of the model series which brings me back to love nostalgia!
@@CelticRailwayTraveller not really, it just should’ve been better if many of the the episodes centered around jobs, then messes up things, and everything was fine would’ve been removed. 9 has good stuff with slight improvements of production, but it got fallen apart when character flanderization started (looking at you narrow guage engine childs…)
@@CelticRailwayTraveller 8 was a pretty good start of the hit era and it felt like more potential of classic in terms of writing and the characters. Only problems is the mediocre production where almost all locations were always grass and trees
@@CelticRailwayTraveller If I were to make 11 better than 8, then I would’ve give two spotlight episodes to Molly and Mighty Mac to pretty much expand their characterization since their first debut from Season 9 even though it’s unfortunate that they got written out of the show and also removing Thomas and the Big Bang (even though it had good crashes), Percy and the Left Luggage, Smoke and Mirrors, Don’t be Silly Billy, Thomas and the Stinky Cheese, Thomas and the Lighthouse, Sir Handel in Charge, Ding-a-ling, and Skarloey Storms Through which all of these ones I don’t tend to watch are bad.
Your Aerolite based pitch on Whiff getting a riches to rags story is, funnily enough, exactly what I did in my 'Emily's Rubbish' rewrite. That's just amazing.
31:15 honestly I like how unlike lost treasure thomas doesn’t try to deny fault and blame others like the jerkass he usually is, he knows he screwed up and there was no way out of it.
I find it weird that people give out about Topham reprimanding Thomas for his mistakes in Lost Treasure yet they have no problem with that happening in the Great Discovery despite seeming equally as bad.
@@joshuaW5621yeah but at least we saw Thomas have remorse for his actions that time round and try to fix his mistakes though he got distracted in the mine but you still get my point
Yeah I wish Thomas could’ve made a lie about the accident at the tower by saying Thomas : I tried to stop Stanley he wouldn’t listen I told him not to pull the trucks up the hill it’s Stanley fault it’s his idea
@@vanessasandoval96I disagree honestly because I find lying thomas to be too unlikable. especially this late in the season when he should know better then to tell lies to his own boss. the cgi series is an acceptation because it’s a different time line at least most people believe meaning cgi thomas hasn’t aged as much as model thomas.
Yeah, Thomas' pettiness felt kept on a leech in The Great Discovery, like it was a moment of weakness he shortly realised was an awful thing to do. Truth be told, I think The Great Discovery's direction works better after several seasons of development. He still has some ego but he's at least self aware about it.
Lowkey, kind of expected Gordon to get the MVP Award, since he alongside James are the more consistint characters in the Hit Era. They're Episodes really are the standout.
1:42 One notable thing about the new version of the Roll Call. in the S8-10 version, Edward was pulling the breakdown train. In the S11 version, hes now pulling Rocky.
"Thomas' lamp lens is more clear in the original shots and more grey and muddy in the Great Discovery and the reshoots" How is the autism going, TTTE fandom? Is it fun? It looks fun
@@iratepirate3896 Seriously? I also have a pet hypothesis that Thomas is responsible for the stereotype that autistic people like trains. After all, the reasons why it appeals to autistic people - it's calm, the characters have clear expressions, etc. - have nothing to do with trains, but I don't know what attitudes towards autism were like in the 80s.
As someone who does have autism and researched those reshoots this back in April, I'm doing well. I love the part of realizing behind the scenes information, and afterward wondering why the hell such weird things happened lol. The more comedically subtle changes I noticed aren't highlighted due to just how many happened. Like, how mostly every shot of Wellsworth in Series 11 was replaced by a reshoot, and the only notable sign of this being the tree looking different. Or one shot from Thomas and the Stinky Cheese, where the gravel around the tracks changes compared to the rest of the scene, as well as the changed trees. The clouds, trees and background dressing are the usual giveaways for reshoots If you look for 'em. So, yes, it is fun noticing and documenting such stupidly little details that no one else cares about. Been thinking if I wanna do videos talking about those little details and other lesser known Thomas stuff (ex. Series 3's connection to Shining Time Stations' 2nd season, other Thomas reshoots, the gold mine of small details that is TUGS)
@@NitroIndigo Not very good overall, at least in the UK as Autism wasn't an official diagnosis until 1994. so a lot of autistic people didn't get help in school, autistic adults, who had no idea of their autism diagnosis were often written off, struggled or were put into homes, places where they were often, ill-treated, forgotten, etc. Being autistic myself, Thomas was the first work of fiction to appeal to me, not so much because it was about trains (I'm not into trains at all outside of Thomas). But because of the way the models brought the characters, story to life with the visuals being static, smooth that was very calming and allowed me to relax, the facials helped me to learn about different emotions, states. The narrator voiceover made it easy to follow what was happening, and to laugh at many of the comedy bits. Along with also because compared to other kid series at the time, it felt more in-depth, and had a lot going on that I picked up even as a young kid. Plus the music by Mike and Junior brought a real sense of wonder, passion that has stuck with me since in how music can and does play a vital role in helping a work stand out, whether it be in serious moments, setting the mood, carrying the emotions or lightening up the scene with comedy etc. Least that's my own experience and views.
The End of The Great Discovery was perfect, it felt like a true goodbye to the full model Thomas, with all the engines together, celebrating a joyful occasion. The absolute perfect sendoff the models before CGI was incorporated into the show
@@kcore1427 Then we wouldn't have gotten Thomas in CGI which looks so good and the Brenner era bringing back better character portrayals for the most part and good writing in the show once again from 2013 to 2017 which we were very happy for back then. It was too popular to end at that time in 2008 so good thing it continues.
I swear as a kid back in the 2000s when I saw season 11 on pbs kids and the yellow tint they added it almost look like it was an early morning on sodor
5:51: Don’t forget Season 6’s weird method of handling 16X9. The first 6 episodes are 4X3, with some shots in them being 16X9. And, then, the remaining 20 episodes are ALL widescreen.
This is the best season to come out of the HiT era in my opinion. I also have a soft spot for the great discovery. I remember seeing it when it came out
Watching this retrospective whilst on holiday to the UK, having just taken a ride on Dolgoch at Talyllyn the other day for the first time. The vibes are real
9:05 *"Sodor looks more post-apocalyptic."* That is such a hard hitting line to hear after just coming off reading the absolutely emotional fan-fiction "The Island's Swansong" written by The Knight Train on Wattpad. One of the best things about The Great Discovery for me was in the marketing. I still remember the joy on my face in 2008 when i first got the DVD on Christmas, not just because i was excited about owning the new movie, but the case itself was in a special "Gold" plastic with metallic finish. I still have it mint condition. It just made this movie feel all the more magical, and i think what makes it so special is that i believe it's the only DVD release anywhere to ever come with such a unique case. Really it was a great move... what better way to symbolise the end of the model series then by having the all final production literally gift wrapped to us in gold, because HIT knew that's what they'd struck. Season 11 while meh for the most part is defiantly a noticeable upgrade from Season 10, not only do i like how it retains Thomas & Gordon's alliance, most the episodes i honestly can't bring myself to hate for just how silly they are in concept, i really love that Micheal Angelis gave Billy a scouse accent; much like himself being Liverpudlian it's rather fitting. Plus this season has unquestionably Thomas' best smiling face mask since Season 4, something about just screams Awdry perfect. If i had to nitpick anything minor though it'd be in *Emily's Rubbish* how Emily can't move 6 trucks on her own?, granted she was trying to reverse on top a set of points which would've added to the slipping, combine that with the fact the Stirling Singles actually had traction issues in real life, it gives a pretty logical reason for her struggling, a nice hidden detail you might say.
"I've spent all night looking for Percy's Spaceship and the Airport is only half finished" is probably one of the best transitions I have seen between two completely different episodes or such
2007 was a blast because of a new British show of a little red race car. And Hasbro joined up with Cartoon Network for a new show for transformers releasing on 26/12/07
37:08 "I have nothing to say about Billy really. I don't think his character is interesting at all, and he was clearly never meant to go far." *Billy S T O P S*
Great Waterton is so fun to headcanon for, especially for fitting it into a Railway Series world. I’ve created an entire railway for it in my headcanon that lasted between the S&M and the NWR, and made that quarry near Rheneas into a version of the Blue Mountain Quarry.
I can't tell you how badly i've always wished to go to Sodor, go down into that mine and just explore the hell out of it. It has such an intoxicating feel of adventure.
Yeah!!! Thomas got MVP finally. I honestly have a feeling that Thomas will also get the MVP award in season 12 since he still maintains his same personality as this season
The Goat Discovery still remains my favourite Thomas movie/special. It's pure model Thomas magic and probably the most unique special of them all. God, I love that special so much. Glad to see it get the recognition it deserves. As for Season 11, it kinda felt like both Gordon's and Thomas' year. Kinda wish we saw the two together in the books again post-Gordon The Big Engine so we can see the continuation of their allience. I personally imagine it'd play out like their friendship did in this season.
Imagine Brosnan’s kids’ reactions when they found out that their father was chosen to narrate a Thomas movie, a movie revolving around the same little blue tank engine that their father told them bedtime stories about.
For me Madge was a mother when the skarloey engines where still young. But now, shes an grandma that will do fun stuff with you and love you no matter what.
Then we wouldn't have the CGI series which Thomas looks good at as well as the Brenner era returning good writing and proper character portrayals in the show after so long. It was too popular to end at the time so they continue it to begin a new start til Season 24.
I think Thomas is a role model because of how he gets into scrapes but eventually always gets out of them and I am pleased with him for making up with Stanley and releasing how great it is to have him as a friend. Also, Stanley deserved better, his friendliness and positivity is to be admired.
Nick's Favorite episode of each season: Season 1: The Flying Kipper Season 2: Edward's Exploit Season 3: Escape Season 4: Special Funnel Season 5: Duncan Gets Spooked Season 6: No Sleep for Cranky Season 7: Gordon and Spencer JATP: Thomas' Trusty Friends Season 8: Squeak, Rattle, and Roll Season 9: Respect for Gordon Season 10: James the Second Best Season 11: Gordon and the Engineer
I have wonderful memories of The Great Discovery, so I'm glad I watched that a lot more than series 11, which I didn't see all of. And I have to say Pierce Brosnan is a pretty good narrator! 🙂 I've really gotta watch the good episodes, but wow, they were re-shot? I never knew that! Nor the yellow tint on the screen.😮 Great work explaining it all, Nic. I appreciate it, even crediting everybody else going into concept and footage of Pierce Brosnan reading Thomas to his children. 👍
I think it’s hilarious how some manchildren on the internet complain that Topham is too mean to Thomas in Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure, yet they praise the Great Discovery despite Topham also getting upset with him in this movie when he does something similar to what made Topham get mad at him in SLOTLT. I swear this fandom can be so hypocritical sometimes.
@@joshuaW5621 That's kind of a few problems I have with both, I think Topham was fine in Lost Treasure, but it was kinda stupid of him to think Rocky was the one who found the pirate ship even though Thomas was the one who fell into the cavern. And I think Thomas' crew should have more significance to the stories.
As someone who's been out of the loop regarding Thomas lately, this is my first time hearing about the documentary on the movie, and I'm sure glad I have something else to watch while I wait for that Season 12 review.
The Great Discovery was THE Thomas movie as a kid. A lot of my fondness for it is probably childhood nostalgia, but they really went all out with it. The Rolling River Bridge collapse, and the mine chase, and of course the Sodor Day celebration at the end, are just so damn wonderful. I actually rewatched the season in full a few months back, and I agree with the better episodes being grouped at the start. Reality set in really quick afterwards lol. Another banger retrospective tug! Definitely excited for the next one!
While I was born in 2009,I explicitly remembered watching the Great Discovery,as well as Engines and Escapades,quite a bit as a toddler/young child. I'm happy that you're essentially doing the only Thomas model era movie I've ever watched,the other ones I've watched were all of the Miller Era movies.
I think Stanley never got an episode focused on him because he was always built to be this Ned Flanders type. Typically a Simpsons episode with Ned would be about homer realizing he’s fine not being where Ned is or how he shouldn’t hate Ned because he’s more successful in every aspect of his life.
Series 1: Complete Series 2: Innovative Series 3: Big Series 4: Comfy Series 5: Peak Series 6: Cute Series 7: Eye of the Storm Series 8: Milqetoast Series 9: Peaks and Valleys Series 10: Drawn Out Series 11: Routine Now what would be the word to define The Great Discovery?
Congratulations for Thomas to finally get the MVP Award✨ Season 11: it was an okay season, not quite the best for a final all model season in my opinion, but it still has its moments:) The Great Discovery: ABSOLUTELY ENJOYABLE!!!! It can’t be an understatement how the production team went *ALL OUT* with this special! You have a great story and nice characterization of Thomas, but the fact Almost all the Standard Gauge engines appear, Narrow Gauge engines, Jack and the Pack Appears, so many new sets and props, even something as simple as having cameo appearances of characters we haven’t seen a lot of, to think they could’ve just cobble together something half ass and just call it a day but NOPE, they made a celebratory special to mark the end of a Era that had begun in 1984! Answer for the Thomas and James Racing song: I think the point of the song is to show just HOW FAR the 2 raced across the Island to reach the Narrow Gauge Railway up in the mountains. This isn’t like how in episodes where they get there in like a couple of seconds of screen time, No, they had to travel a great distance at high speed to get there, and it clearly shows seeing how when they finally reach it, James’ cheeks were blushing red from exhaustion.
Here’s my head canon for Whiff Whiff was the inspection saloon engine back in his younger days as he is literally too light to do branch line work (despite he has the tractive effort of a GWR Manor). But after the Second World War, the need of his inspection saloon became redundant and he is left with very little to do as the inspection saloon coach he used to haul was scrapped. He became used to shunting trucks filled with rubbish and refuse which is why the LNER and BR locomotives really didn’t want to be anywhere near him. Basically Whiff is the Pepe LePew of the Thomas universe
I think it’s a shame that Pierce Brosnan didn’t continue narrating the show after TGD, he’s great. Given the poor quality of S12-16 though, maybe it was for the better.
This season always had an impact on my life as I would have been coming up to 1 years old by that point and it was heavily promoted and my parents went all out to get me great discovery merch and all different stuff such as the take along morgans mine, stanley, madge, the narrow gauge engines, and looking back now it feels wholesome that I had a great child hood before ipads and the internet took over and comparing my child hood to the childhood of modern kids today, I certainly had it alot better
I think Madge could have had a shout for being a runner up for the MVP. She's a new character who gets two lead roles, which hasn't happened since... Season 7?? with like Fergus or Arthur? Wow.
46:46 I wonder if someone's going to remake Cool Truckings into a Season 4 or 5 episode, because since you said that Madge is like a mother character in the HiT era, maybe she can work in Season 4 to mentor Sir Handel or Duncan alongside Skarloey. 53:34 New Sodor's Finest? WOOOOOOOO YEAH BABY THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!
The Unlucky Tug never disappoints, even when the season he's covering does. Farewell to the all-model era. I have been really anticipating this episode, and how perfect that it came out just in time for when I'm about to embark on a long-awaited family road trip to the west. Can't wait for what's to come, especially for Season 12 with those terrifying faces, both digital and off-camera. Eek.
I can't believe we're almost HALFWAY through the Thomas Retrospective, with only ONE more model Season to go! Even though Seasons 12 and 13 will be the start of the dreaded Miller/Nitrogen Era, I'm oddly really excited for those Retrospectives, purely for the amount of information and the whole switch to CGI.
I'm curious to see what Tug will say about each voice cast when we get to Season 13. I know he had a distaste for some of the English dub VAs at first (as seen in his movie retrospective with Hero of the Rails), but I have a feeling he's NOT going to like UK Victor's voice (I certainly don't) until it's swapped in S16.
Actually the reason for the yellow tint was HiT wanted to appeal to Mexican viewers, so they edited it in so the show would feel more familiar to them.
The final season & special to be all model… we’ll miss you, models! I guess next we’ll be dipping into the CGI stuff, but not *fully* yet! I’m excited for this Retrospective!!!
The fact that the kids get a day off school to look for Thomas in TGD is enough for me to call em lucky bastards
I’m sure some of these kids didn’t mind, but I would laugh if this happened in real life.
🤣
@@joshuaW5621me too
Fr
Guys, i got an idea!
*hide Thomas somewhere else so the we get a day off”
I can’t believe they filmed an entire season in Mexico
Should be yellow tho
HA
"Jesse, we must pick up the special!"
@@observingnerd El Camino…..
@@observingnerdbut Mr White, I think I’ll look silly doing it
God I was cringing as I wrote that, I really hate the majority of seasons 9-16
* I believe the point of Whiff's basis being Aerolite is the juxtaposition of a private passenger engine doing really menial dirty work, it was probably funny to the concept artists deciding character basises to make such a glamorous engine be so opposite to that in character
i always headcanoned that whiff was the prototype of the design, but aerolite was more famous
It is
No wonder why he is a beloved character in the fandom, which considering when he debuted in, is pretty damn impressive.
It’s interesting how Whiff was loved by fans and fun fact he is the only steam engine that wears a pair of glasses.
this isnt undertale, dont put an asterisk at the beginning of your comment
Fun fact: Tom Hanks visited the studio room where Season 11 was still in production while production of the film “The Da Vinci Code”. He in fact loved Thomas and had a good time seeing all the models and sets in action. Imagine if he was the narrator for The US dub of The Great Discovery?
That would be a genuine surprise! Despite not being an actor of the show, it's great to see him as a Thomas fan of it all.
Tom Hanks as US narrator and Pierce Brosnan as UK narrator after Season 11..... goddamn it how i want that timeline now!.
SAY WHAT?!
@@thesudriana016yeah that was nice imagine sheriff woody met Thomas
That explains the photo I saw of him holding Topham’s prop
Hector the Horrid was honestly one of Brandon’s best performances. He makes Hector sound so intimidating.
He sure does.
He scared me when I was a kid that’s how yk that was good acting
it did scare me when I I first saw the episode back in the day.
Agreed, even as a kid, Hector the Horrid was always an episode that stuck out to me not just because of Brandon's performance but the character and design of Hector himself
Even Dalek44/Simon's Cartoon Studio agrees with this.
Honestly, seeing season 11 of Thomas being it’s final season for all models just feels like saying goodbye to an old friend because you remember all the fun times you’ve had before hand.
Project Tiger Moth was that "it's good to see you again old friend" moment after so many years.
Well , I have watched season 11, but not all of it, the movie is the only thing of media that I enjoy the most watching, and Hector the horrid
@@raulreyes5141I personally think the hit era as a whole is a bit over-hated. Like there a lot more great episodes than people give credit for. I highly recommend everyone watch: "In Defense of the Hit Era: the debate revisited" by The Thomas Cynic. It is a very well put together video. It is 2 years old now, and the Thomas Cynic himself retired from making Thomas videos like last year, but I personally feel that the video still holds up very well today.
And The Great Discovery is like that final hug
not necessarily season 12 is-int FULL model but its mostly model and its not very good either :( in my opinion a bad way to end the model era
"And his character was never meant to go far"
(Billy runs out of water)
That got a chuckle out of me 😂
If HiT were more concerned about making characters instead of peddling out colourful toys, they could have made Billy and Stanley the same engine; the name and livery of Stanley, with the brash stubborness and eagerness to please of Billy. Maybe also the quirky sense of humour from Charlie (Another Manning Wardle saddle-tank engine).
But we wouldn't get an orange tank engine to sell and be quickly forgotten about, would we?
@@QJ89Charlie was originally supposed to be Billy
I think Billy is fine and the episode Don't Be Silly, Billy is pretty good in my opinion because it shows a mature Thomas trying to look after an engine who was just like the Thomas we know in Season 1.
@@dylanlyles9453 I agree with you 💯
@@fanofeverything30465 Thank you
It really is a shame how uninspired sets were in this era, they are serviceable but not memorable (though like you say, those BG hills do help). That said, I think TGD did catch a second wind with Great Waterton, the Bridge, and the mine. You could tell there was ambition there, and that matters!
There is actually an explanation for the yellow tint in season 11. During an event in Birmingham (the same place the season 10 bloopers came from) Simon Spencer talked about the show using the aforementioned yellow tint to give off the effect as if Thomas was still being recorded using film stock. Whether or not it did so successfully is up for debate but it is a neat little fact.
Yeah it does reflect Season 4/5 slightly. Although they did get rid of it in S12 so I believe even they thought it was a failure
It’s a neat idea but the execution wasn’t good. They could have done things like adding a film scratch filter, or you know, go back to shooting on film.
the lighting still looks like ass anyway. idc if anyone likes it it feels like someone pissed on it.
The Great Discovery is easily one of the best specials from the Star Wars franchise
What?💀
It's just a joke@TronicSSJ07
@@landonsultimatetoyreviews360 Oh.
Can someone explain the joke
@@tudorbrancuturcu5996 People keep wondering when he'll continue his Star Wars retrospective.
And thus, we're ending with the full model era. Everyone has a piece of it in our hearts, whenever it's from great writing, beautiful scenography, or impresive modelwork.
I like that Thomas and Gordon’s alliance was resurfaced this year, and I like Henry, Gordon, and James making fun of Emily with Wiff in “Emily and the Rubbish.”
I’ve seen a few people criticising Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure recently for braking their alliance and I’m just sitting here thinking “they’ve already been braking it since season 5”.
@@joshuaW5621if you think about it, the moment The railway series adaptions stop, Thomas and Gordon’s alliance is broken. I also love how Gordon helps Thomas out here. Love Gordon and Thomas’s dynamic
I really wish the Thomas and Gordon dynamic was used more often in the Hit era Thomas and Gordon is such a good character pairing and makes for some good stories.
@TrainsRKool1999 I'm sure he'll point out their dynamic when he gets to hero of the rails
@@LegendaryCaptain hope so
I want to give a special shoutout to Thomas and the Storyteller from this season for how it sort of subverts both the 3 strikes formula and the "special special" tropes.
None of the "strikes" Thomas makes in this episode are really actual mistakes. They all involve him interrupting his special plans in order to help his friends get their jobs done. James' and Emily's incidents that Thomas helps with involve legitimate safety concerns (a broken side rod and a broken whistle), and each time, Thomas immediately decides to help all of them instead of rushing off to get his own "special" work done and leaving them stranded, which we've seen in other HiT episodes.
In doing all of this, Thomas runs out of time to actually show the storyteller the "special" places on Sodor, and he is thus worried that the storyteller won't have a grand story to tell at the library's opening. But she reassures him that the day they did have helping others will make a wonderful story of its own. And the episode itself proves her right.
The episode isn't very flashy, but it purposefully isn't trying to be. Any opportunities for special locations or fancy gimmicks that we typically expect from this era are all constantly subverted by Thomas choosing to help his friends out first and foremost. It instead shows a rather mature, considerate Thomas selflessly helping others and still being rewarded for it. A very underrated episode IMO.
I also like how in "Dream On", Thomas comes to the realization of being content with who he is on his own without getting into some big accident. And in the end, he is still able to help the Duke of Botsford by simply being there to help when he is needed.
I also like 'Thomas In Trouble" as Thomas does screw up, but it's out of wanting to take responsibility for a job, and the state Thomas is in shows all the empathy his friends have for him. Liked the detail of Henry taking Thomas to the works, given Thomas' increased awareness with Henry's sickness over the previous seasons.
Having James take Annie and Clarabel fits nicely with later CGI lore as well.
@@e-122psi3 how about Edward And The Mail? Channel ASodorLife made me really appreciate the episode more as it allows Edward to have a flaw that isn’t him worrying to an all time low and isn’t a jerk at a high. Henry and Emily even praise him at the start at Edward to cover the mail during Percy’s absence because they think he knows everything and Edward is just a little unsure of how to ask help because of that high status the engines put him on
@@ThomasmemoryscentralI agree
Season 11 kind of continued the trend of subversive stories from Season 10
This might be one of the few episodes in this season where they try to do something different with the 3 strike formula, which makes it all the more appreciative.
I'm surprised he didn't mention how 'Thomas and the stinky cheese' got partially remade into a CGI animation test, before the show went full CGI!
Maybe he will mention that in the next one
Or how the UK titles for a few episodes were reused. Glad he mentioned the ugly yellow filter but how can he forget the fact the UK run has 2 stories called Thomas In Trouble and Dirty Work. At least call the James one Dirty Jobs to differentiate itself from s2
@@shivamkamil1581Or maybe he'll mention it in Season 13's Retrospective
@@fanofeverything30465It would make more sense for him to mention it for Season 13; that was the first season to go full CGI, whereas Season 12 was only partially CGI
@@WillCWilson That's what I was thinking
I'm still impressed at how the Tug manages to make these individual retrospectives for these later seasons so long yet not be dragged out, despite it seeming at first that there's nothing really special to talk about with these seasons of the show
I'm really curious to see what he thinks of the Nitrogen era episodes in that same vein.
Seasons 13-15 especially are going to be _tough_ to talk about.
i think for the Nitrogen seasons hes gonna mostly focus on the specials because let’s be honest, those were the things the production team really cared about
the quality difference of HOTR and BMM to their seasons is astonishing
@@Woodenfan I think he'll need plenty of alcohol to get through the Nitrogen seasons.
The great discovery is the best Thomas movie ngl🎉
Absolutely
@@cybertroniccustomz998 thanks!
I think it would be Legend of the Lost Treasure, but that’s my CGI nostalgia possibly.
I got actually got to it this theaters when it first came out!
My thoughts exactly.
"Thomas, You're the Leader of the Tracks!"
Season 11 feels like the season where they're the most comfortable writing "HiT era". All the newbies have personalities that feel like they matter, S11 makes better use of S10's newbies than 10 did of 9's, most episodes want to remind you that there's a whole world outside of the Steam Team, a good chunk of Thomas-centered episodes feels like "Thomas" episodes, the three strikes is put to better use than in S10 (and not as often)and it feels like they've gotten the hang of world-building and bringing things back. Not to mention, The Great Discovery is, well, great! And honestly S11 and TGD are fun. They're just fun!
21:29 I feel like that's because they deleted a scene of Gordon passing by just as James did. There is an unused "disgusted" Gordon face that supports this.
38:26 I think that's the point and it makes him more admirable. The joke is completed by having Emily and Spencer in the episodes. Each basis for all three are at the National Railway Museum. And I think it does inform his character. The CGI series makes him an older character, with a similar voice to Edward. We see in O the Indignity and Whiff's Wish that he actually does jump at the chance to be admired deep down, even though he is perfectly happy working with garbage. This contrasts with Scruff, who never cares about being admired, never did prestigious work in the past, and would avoid the spotlight entirely. After all, one runs away from being washed, while another accepts it. The contrast between Whiff and Scruff is a lot like the contrast between Skarloey and Rheneas when you think about it.
To repost what I once said on Twitter, while Skarloey/Whiff are the more developed characters, I think I like the general personalities of Rheneas/Scruff more. Whiff and Skarloey are both really old and wise, gentle and easy-going but stern when need be, and quite knowledgeable about history. They're both a lot more mature than the louder engines but ultimately can still have fun. Neither are fussed about appearances, despite having once been the grandest thing ever back in the day, they literally don't care. They're just good workers above all else, no matter how dirty or smelly the job, and neither care about the opinions of others.
Scruff and Rheneas are both tough, scrappy workers who value function most of all and not even the least bit about form. While Whiff/Skarloey will accept a polish or wash if they have the time, Scruff/Rheneas will flatly reject it. They don't care about being recognized for their work, and neither is good with being the center of attention and are rather awkward and uncomfortable when being put on the spot, often just fading into the background willingly. They have zero other aspirations other than to do their work and get it done, never giving up, and offering assistance to those who are struggling with it (see The Switch and O the Indignity)
I think you should watch: "In Defense of the Hit Era: the debate revisited" by the Thomas Cynic. Very well put together video
@@NintendoGamer2600I love that video; it’s such a pleasure to watch.
Season 1: complete
Season 2: innovative
Season 3: big
Season 4: comfy
Season 5: peak
Season 6: cute
Season 7: eye of the storm
Season 8: milquetoast
Season 9: peaks and valleys
Season 10: drawn out
Season 11: routine.
Season 12: Creepy
@@Loweffordproducions Yes.
Season 12-16: COMPLETE DISASTER!
Season 17: back to normal
All Engines Go: Blah!
@@nathanchan4653all engines go: kill me
Gordon and Thomas’s alliance appearing here is really nice to see again. Helps me remember the old days. I LOVE Gordon feeling upset for Thomas when he breaks down
29:52 Idk, Thomas blowing that boot off his smokebox is quite funny. Especially how you can see it falling into the void in the background.
He's like: *F#**#k** off! You're ruining my career!*
@@vincentsowell2314Thomas: Fuck off HiT! You're ruining my career! Do I really have to do these learning statements again?
Edward: At least they're only a bonus feature this time
Thomas: I know but I still don't like them
Edward: Neither do I but we'll just have to make the best of a bad situation
Madge spraying the police man in snow is so funny. I can’t stop laughing at all.
I personally have never minded the yellow tint S11 has. It gives the season its own unique look against the rest of the HIT era. The yellow tint gives it sort of a warm, cozy look that’s less corporate and plain than S8-10 and especially S12. I get why people don’t like it, but I can look at the season just fine.
The shot direction this season was also much more interesting to me compared to the rest of the hit era, especially in Thomas and the spaceship. Some really interesting angles in that one
S11 pales in comparison to the classic seasons, but I can’t help but enjoy this season more than the rest of the hit era. The pace isn’t as dull as the rest of the era
Congrats on beating Usual Bloke Luke to Season 11.
Wasn’t expecting Thomas to win MVP this year, my guess was his trophy coming from S19, between TAB and Lost Treasure, though I could be wrong in connecting both films to the season.
It takes time ya know
TAB will be connected to Season 19 Lost Treasure will be connected to Season 20
"I spent all night looking for Percy's space ship, and the airport is only half finished!" It's like those edits putting Carlin stand up over his narration in the first four seasons
In Tug’s opinion, the MVP awards for each season of the Model era rightfully go to… :
Season 1: Henry
Season 2: Edward
Season 3: Duck
Season 4: Peter Sam
Season 5: Sir Topham Hatt
Season 6: Percy
Season 7: Arthur
Jack and the Pack: Oliver (the excavator)
Season 8: Emily
Season 9: Percy (again)
Season 10: James
Season 11: Thomas (tho based on Tug’s analysis, I’d argue that Gordon deserves the status more)
I wonder which character will end the series with the most MVP awards to their name?
Percy deserves those two awards.
I think it will be either Percy or Edward
Who do you think it will be for Season 12 personally my money's on Gordon
@@fanofeverything30465I’ll take a piece of that action.
@@robertrowley4929 What does that mean
The great discovery is low key, a favorite of mine
Michael Brandon's KEEP AWAY!!!!! was the scariest thing I've seen in the show since James's EEEEEEEEEEE from Buzz Buzz. That was impressive. Oh boy, season 12 is next. Strap yourself in, folks.
Yeah for Angelis well too quiet by saying keep away
But for Brandon on the other hand well I love the US version when he says
Hector : 🤬KEEP AWAY
Thankfully it’ll be the shortest, right?
We're going to dive in the season that gave me nightmares as a child
@@tad7441 Not necessarily
How does James scaring after he got stung by a bee scary?
Thomas and the Magic Railroad is actually the first time they used actual performers (okay, w/ the exception of Really Useful Engine for they reused the kids' chorus, but they had an actual performer w/ them), so The Great Discovery marks the second time from this point onwards in the show they used this trend.
Season 11 has some classic in terms of a handful of good episodes and it felt like a significant improvement than 9 and 10. The Great Discovery will always my favorite Thomas movie and it was like the last hurrah of the model series which brings me back to love nostalgia!
@@CelticRailwayTraveller not really, it just should’ve been better if many of the the episodes centered around jobs, then messes up things, and everything was fine would’ve been removed. 9 has good stuff with slight improvements of production, but it got fallen apart when character flanderization started (looking at you narrow guage engine childs…)
@@CelticRailwayTraveller 8 was a pretty good start of the hit era and it felt like more potential of classic in terms of writing and the characters. Only problems is the mediocre production where almost all locations were always grass and trees
@@CelticRailwayTraveller If I were to make 11 better than 8, then I would’ve give two spotlight episodes to Molly and Mighty Mac to pretty much expand their characterization since their first debut from Season 9 even though it’s unfortunate that they got written out of the show and also removing Thomas and the Big Bang (even though it had good crashes), Percy and the Left Luggage, Smoke and Mirrors, Don’t be Silly Billy, Thomas and the Stinky Cheese, Thomas and the Lighthouse, Sir Handel in Charge, Ding-a-ling, and Skarloey Storms Through which all of these ones I don’t tend to watch are bad.
The Great Discovery is my Thomas film too
@@fanofeverything30465 same
Your Aerolite based pitch on Whiff getting a riches to rags story is, funnily enough, exactly what I did in my 'Emily's Rubbish' rewrite. That's just amazing.
31:15 honestly I like how unlike lost treasure thomas doesn’t try to deny fault and blame others like the jerkass he usually is, he knows he screwed up and there was no way out of it.
I find it weird that people give out about Topham reprimanding Thomas for his mistakes in Lost Treasure yet they have no problem with that happening in the Great Discovery despite seeming equally as bad.
@@joshuaW5621yeah but at least we saw Thomas have remorse for his actions that time round and try to fix his mistakes though he got distracted in the mine but you still get my point
Yeah I wish Thomas could’ve made a lie about the accident at the tower by saying Thomas : I tried to stop Stanley he wouldn’t listen I told him not to pull the trucks up the hill it’s Stanley fault it’s his idea
@@vanessasandoval96I disagree honestly because I find lying thomas to be too unlikable.
especially this late in the season when he should know better then to tell lies to his own boss.
the cgi series is an acceptation because it’s a different time line at least most people believe meaning cgi thomas hasn’t aged as much as model thomas.
Yeah, Thomas' pettiness felt kept on a leech in The Great Discovery, like it was a moment of weakness he shortly realised was an awful thing to do. Truth be told, I think The Great Discovery's direction works better after several seasons of development. He still has some ego but he's at least self aware about it.
I loved how The Great Discovery expanded on the lore of Sodor with Great Waterton.
Lowkey, kind of expected Gordon to get the MVP Award, since he alongside James are the more consistint characters in the Hit Era. They're Episodes really are the standout.
I expect Gordon to get it in S12. Because really, who else could it be?
@@shivamkamil1581you’ve got a point there.
1:42 One notable thing about the new version of the Roll Call. in the S8-10 version, Edward was pulling the breakdown train. In the S11 version, hes now pulling Rocky.
Oh boy, here comes the Season 12 retrospective coming soon.....
"Thomas' lamp lens is more clear in the original shots and more grey and muddy in the Great Discovery and the reshoots" How is the autism going, TTTE fandom? Is it fun? It looks fun
There's a hilarious amount of academic research on the links between TTTE and autism
@@iratepirate3896 oh to be fully clear I am aware and also 100% autistic myself it just tickles me to see it making itself known lol
@@iratepirate3896 Seriously?
I also have a pet hypothesis that Thomas is responsible for the stereotype that autistic people like trains. After all, the reasons why it appeals to autistic people - it's calm, the characters have clear expressions, etc. - have nothing to do with trains, but I don't know what attitudes towards autism were like in the 80s.
As someone who does have autism and researched those reshoots this back in April, I'm doing well. I love the part of realizing behind the scenes information, and afterward wondering why the hell such weird things happened lol.
The more comedically subtle changes I noticed aren't highlighted due to just how many happened. Like, how mostly every shot of Wellsworth in Series 11 was replaced by a reshoot, and the only notable sign of this being the tree looking different. Or one shot from Thomas and the Stinky Cheese, where the gravel around the tracks changes compared to the rest of the scene, as well as the changed trees. The clouds, trees and background dressing are the usual giveaways for reshoots If you look for 'em.
So, yes, it is fun noticing and documenting such stupidly little details that no one else cares about. Been thinking if I wanna do videos talking about those little details and other lesser known Thomas stuff (ex. Series 3's connection to Shining Time Stations' 2nd season, other Thomas reshoots, the gold mine of small details that is TUGS)
@@NitroIndigo Not very good overall, at least in the UK as Autism wasn't an official diagnosis until 1994. so a lot of autistic people didn't get help in school, autistic adults, who had no idea of their autism diagnosis were often written off, struggled or were put into homes, places where they were often, ill-treated, forgotten, etc.
Being autistic myself, Thomas was the first work of fiction to appeal to me, not so much because it was about trains (I'm not into trains at all outside of Thomas). But because of the way the models brought the characters, story to life with the visuals being static, smooth that was very calming and allowed me to relax, the facials helped me to learn about different emotions, states. The narrator voiceover made it easy to follow what was happening, and to laugh at many of the comedy bits.
Along with also because compared to other kid series at the time, it felt more in-depth, and had a lot going on that I picked up even as a young kid.
Plus the music by Mike and Junior brought a real sense of wonder, passion that has stuck with me since in how music can and does play a vital role in helping a work stand out, whether it be in serious moments, setting the mood, carrying the emotions or lightening up the scene with comedy etc.
Least that's my own experience and views.
The End of The Great Discovery was perfect, it felt like a true goodbye to the full model Thomas, with all the engines together, celebrating a joyful occasion. The absolute perfect sendoff the models before CGI was incorporated into the show
Yeah after season 12 best friends the last model/CGI animation the new Movie Hiro Rails was the first cgi animation of Thomas
If only the show could have ended there.
@@kcore1427 Then we wouldn't have gotten Thomas in CGI which looks so good and the Brenner era bringing back better character portrayals for the most part and good writing in the show once again from 2013 to 2017 which we were very happy for back then. It was too popular to end at that time in 2008 so good thing it continues.
Season 12 is very forgettable you can pretty much just skip that season and it would be like you’re not missing anything?
I swear as a kid back in the 2000s when I saw season 11 on pbs kids and the yellow tint they added it almost look like it was an early morning on sodor
5:51: Don’t forget Season 6’s weird method of handling 16X9. The first 6 episodes are 4X3, with some shots in them being 16X9. And, then, the remaining 20 episodes are ALL widescreen.
This is the best season to come out of the HiT era in my opinion.
I also have a soft spot for the great discovery. I remember seeing it when it came out
Watching this retrospective whilst on holiday to the UK, having just taken a ride on Dolgoch at Talyllyn the other day for the first time. The vibes are real
Ooh, I hope you’re having a fun trip on the Talyllyn.
9:05 *"Sodor looks more post-apocalyptic."* That is such a hard hitting line to hear after just coming off reading the absolutely emotional fan-fiction "The Island's Swansong" written by The Knight Train on Wattpad.
One of the best things about The Great Discovery for me was in the marketing. I still remember the joy on my face in 2008 when i first got the DVD on Christmas, not just because i was excited about owning the new movie, but the case itself was in a special "Gold" plastic with metallic finish. I still have it mint condition. It just made this movie feel all the more magical, and i think what makes it so special is that i believe it's the only DVD release anywhere to ever come with such a unique case. Really it was a great move... what better way to symbolise the end of the model series then by having the all final production literally gift wrapped to us in gold, because HIT knew that's what they'd struck.
Season 11 while meh for the most part is defiantly a noticeable upgrade from Season 10, not only do i like how it retains Thomas & Gordon's alliance, most the episodes i honestly can't bring myself to hate for just how silly they are in concept, i really love that Micheal Angelis gave Billy a scouse accent; much like himself being Liverpudlian it's rather fitting. Plus this season has unquestionably Thomas' best smiling face mask since Season 4, something about just screams Awdry perfect. If i had to nitpick anything minor though it'd be in *Emily's Rubbish* how Emily can't move 6 trucks on her own?, granted she was trying to reverse on top a set of points which would've added to the slipping, combine that with the fact the Stirling Singles actually had traction issues in real life, it gives a pretty logical reason for her struggling, a nice hidden detail you might say.
"I've spent all night looking for Percy's Spaceship and the Airport is only half finished" is probably one of the best transitions I have seen between two completely different episodes or such
That could be an actual line of dialogue
“All the narrow gauge engines appear here” except Duke
Also some of the Pack are absent too.
Good thing I'd say.
@@spyfan62591 Duke being ruined in the Hit era would never suit his Grace!
& Bertrum. . .and Smudger.
Yeah I wish Duke could’ve been in the HiT era he could’ve been in the narrow gauge engines songs
The great discovery is genuinely one of my favorite movies if not THE favorite thomas for me :D
Me to
@@drstain09 And me
Season 11 is *UNDOUBTEDLY* a Season of last's...
A routine season
2007 was a blast because of a new British show of a little red race car. And Hasbro joined up with Cartoon Network for a new show for transformers releasing on 26/12/07
37:08 "I have nothing to say about Billy really. I don't think his character is interesting at all, and he was clearly never meant to go far."
*Billy S T O P S*
Great Waterton is so fun to headcanon for, especially for fitting it into a Railway Series world. I’ve created an entire railway for it in my headcanon that lasted between the S&M and the NWR, and made that quarry near Rheneas into a version of the Blue Mountain Quarry.
can't wait till season 14 says and misty island where he is going to curse at the screen for 10 minutes
33:08 The Thomas in the mine scene is the best 'Model Train in water' sequence I've ever seen in all seasons of the franchise.
I can't tell you how badly i've always wished to go to Sodor, go down into that mine and just explore the hell out of it. It has such an intoxicating feel of adventure.
Like TATMR and TAB, TGD has lots of interesting, tearful, heartwarming scenes, and they all deserve awards
Yeah!!! Thomas got MVP finally. I honestly have a feeling that Thomas will also get the MVP award in season 12 since he still maintains his same personality as this season
Unlikely
@@samsea0489 why do you say that?
@@SodorEnginesFanatic Because Thomas is depicted the same way he was in S8-S11
After a stressful morning. There is nothing like drawing superheros. And listening to The Unlucky Tugs relaxing videos.
The Goat Discovery still remains my favourite Thomas movie/special. It's pure model Thomas magic and probably the most unique special of them all. God, I love that special so much. Glad to see it get the recognition it deserves.
As for Season 11, it kinda felt like both Gordon's and Thomas' year. Kinda wish we saw the two together in the books again post-Gordon The Big Engine so we can see the continuation of their allience. I personally imagine it'd play out like their friendship did in this season.
Whenever I hear the “Thomas your the leader” song, I get 100 nostalgic feelings at once and it feel like my life has been complete every time.
PBS Retro has honestly made me appreciate many season 11 episodes a lot more.
Imagine Brosnan’s kids’ reactions when they found out that their father was chosen to narrate a Thomas movie, a movie revolving around the same little blue tank engine that their father told them bedtime stories about.
Now i'd love to see a fan episode that explores Whiff's life before sodor and how he discovered his enjoyment of the more menial work
For me Madge was a mother when the skarloey engines where still young. But now, shes an grandma that will do fun stuff with you and love you no matter what.
She’d be the grandma to give you weed for christmas lmao
@@LimpBizkitMix exactly.
the little engines got ready too... (has a damn heart attack while saying "Peep")
I find it appropriate that Thomas, the main character himself, gets the MVP award for the final all-model production.
You’re right
BRO! This is my day! My bachmann Edward just came in and now this! I am living good
I honestly wouldn’t of minded if Thomas had ended after The Great Discovery, it definitely felt like a grand finally.
Then we wouldn't have the CGI series which Thomas looks good at as well as the Brenner era returning good writing and proper character portrayals in the show after so long. It was too popular to end at the time so they continue it to begin a new start til Season 24.
Gordon and the engineer is a peak episode from season 11, no cap.
I think Thomas is a role model because of how he gets into scrapes but eventually always gets out of them and I am pleased with him for making up with Stanley and releasing how great it is to have him as a friend. Also, Stanley deserved better, his friendliness and positivity is to be admired.
Nick's Favorite episode of each season:
Season 1: The Flying Kipper
Season 2: Edward's Exploit
Season 3: Escape
Season 4: Special Funnel
Season 5: Duncan Gets Spooked
Season 6: No Sleep for Cranky
Season 7: Gordon and Spencer
JATP: Thomas' Trusty Friends
Season 8: Squeak, Rattle, and Roll
Season 9: Respect for Gordon
Season 10: James the Second Best
Season 11: Gordon and the Engineer
Notice that Season 10 is the only season in the hit era to not be a Gordon Epsidoe
I have wonderful memories of The Great Discovery, so I'm glad I watched that a lot more than series 11, which I didn't see all of. And I have to say Pierce Brosnan is a pretty good narrator! 🙂 I've really gotta watch the good episodes, but wow, they were re-shot? I never knew that! Nor the yellow tint on the screen.😮 Great work explaining it all, Nic. I appreciate it, even crediting everybody else going into concept and footage of Pierce Brosnan reading Thomas to his children. 👍
Getting Pierce to narrate was honestly the best thing Hit ever did and it’s a shame it didn’t stick.
The Great Discovery is one of the best movies.
Change my mind
I can’t. I love it too. Top 3 for me personally.
I think it’s hilarious how some manchildren on the internet complain that Topham is too mean to Thomas in Sodor’s Legend of the Lost Treasure, yet they praise the Great Discovery despite Topham also getting upset with him in this movie when he does something similar to what made Topham get mad at him in SLOTLT. I swear this fandom can be so hypocritical sometimes.
@@joshuaW5621 That's kind of a few problems I have with both, I think Topham was fine in Lost Treasure, but it was kinda stupid of him to think Rocky was the one who found the pirate ship even though Thomas was the one who fell into the cavern. And I think Thomas' crew should have more significance to the stories.
@@joshuaW5621What do you mean sometimes
I can't It's my favourite Thomas film
Well looks like he passed Usual Bloke Luke
As someone who's been out of the loop regarding Thomas lately, this is my first time hearing about the documentary on the movie, and I'm sure glad I have something else to watch while I wait for that Season 12 review.
Emily's Rubbish is like that episode where karma finally reaches her bad deeds from the Hit era and in the CGI series she gets better.
The Great Discovery was THE Thomas movie as a kid. A lot of my fondness for it is probably childhood nostalgia, but they really went all out with it. The Rolling River Bridge collapse, and the mine chase, and of course the Sodor Day celebration at the end, are just so damn wonderful. I actually rewatched the season in full a few months back, and I agree with the better episodes being grouped at the start. Reality set in really quick afterwards lol. Another banger retrospective tug! Definitely excited for the next one!
Michael Brandon Henry wants to be Mr. DNA from Jurassic Park so badly 😂
While I was born in 2009,I explicitly remembered watching the Great Discovery,as well as Engines and Escapades,quite a bit as a toddler/young child.
I'm happy that you're essentially doing the only Thomas model era movie I've ever watched,the other ones I've watched were all of the Miller Era movies.
I think Stanley never got an episode focused on him because he was always built to be this Ned Flanders type.
Typically a Simpsons episode with Ned would be about homer realizing he’s fine not being where Ned is or how he shouldn’t hate Ned because he’s more successful in every aspect of his life.
The great discovery has always been my favorite film as it's the only good thomas film I got on dvd
Pierce Brosnan sounds like he's doing ASMR.
Pierce Brosnan is the best narrator in the entire wide world
@NitroIndigo your comment was mentioned on TV Tropes
@@Mattcai2004 I saw.
Series 1: Complete
Series 2: Innovative
Series 3: Big
Series 4: Comfy
Series 5: Peak
Series 6: Cute
Series 7: Eye of the Storm
Series 8: Milqetoast
Series 9: Peaks and Valleys
Series 10: Drawn Out
Series 11: Routine
Now what would be the word to define The Great Discovery?
Wonderful is the word I would describe the great discovery but Breath Of Fresh air would be good as a phrase
Thomas' arc in the great discovery is like inside out.
Congratulations for Thomas to finally get the MVP Award✨
Season 11: it was an okay season, not quite the best for a final all model season in my opinion, but it still has its moments:)
The Great Discovery: ABSOLUTELY ENJOYABLE!!!!
It can’t be an understatement how the production team went *ALL OUT* with this special! You have a great story and nice characterization of Thomas, but the fact Almost all the Standard Gauge engines appear, Narrow Gauge engines, Jack and the Pack Appears, so many new sets and props, even something as simple as having cameo appearances of characters we haven’t seen a lot of, to think they could’ve just cobble together something half ass and just call it a day but NOPE, they made a celebratory special to mark the end of a Era that had begun in 1984!
Answer for the Thomas and James Racing song: I think the point of the song is to show just HOW FAR the 2 raced across the Island to reach the Narrow Gauge Railway up in the mountains. This isn’t like how in episodes where they get there in like a couple of seconds of screen time, No, they had to travel a great distance at high speed to get there, and it clearly shows seeing how when they finally reach it, James’ cheeks were blushing red from exhaustion.
Here’s my head canon for Whiff
Whiff was the inspection saloon engine back in his younger days as he is literally too light to do branch line work (despite he has the tractive effort of a GWR Manor). But after the Second World War, the need of his inspection saloon became redundant and he is left with very little to do as the inspection saloon coach he used to haul was scrapped. He became used to shunting trucks filled with rubbish and refuse which is why the LNER and BR locomotives really didn’t want to be anywhere near him.
Basically Whiff is the Pepe LePew of the Thomas universe
I think it’s a shame that Pierce Brosnan didn’t continue narrating the show after TGD, he’s great. Given the poor quality of S12-16 though, maybe it was for the better.
Imagine him narrarting wonky whistle or up up and away
The Great Discover was my childhood! I remember watching it over and over… 😊
I think the Thomas and Stanley Rivalry was inspired by Toy Story.
I remember being excited for The Great Discovery to come out, and now I feel old
Tug has just completed the 65th anniversary DVD boxset with His retrospectives
12:04 “Now watch and learn, here’s the deal, he’ll slip and slide on this banana…”
This season always had an impact on my life as I would have been coming up to 1 years old by that point and it was heavily promoted and my parents went all out to get me great discovery merch and all different stuff such as the take along morgans mine, stanley, madge, the narrow gauge engines, and looking back now it feels wholesome that I had a great child hood before ipads and the internet took over and comparing my child hood to the childhood of modern kids today, I certainly had it alot better
I grew up watching Thomas as a kid and watching this channel makes me remember how much I loved this show it like unlocking lost memories
I think Madge could have had a shout for being a runner up for the MVP. She's a new character who gets two lead roles, which hasn't happened since... Season 7?? with like Fergus or Arthur? Wow.
Thomas & The Lighthouse's final scene looks so incredibly good tho
I agree
46:46 I wonder if someone's going to remake Cool Truckings into a Season 4 or 5 episode, because since you said that Madge is like a mother character in the HiT era, maybe she can work in Season 4 to mentor Sir Handel or Duncan alongside Skarloey.
53:34 New Sodor's Finest? WOOOOOOOO YEAH BABY THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!
In my rewritten version of wash behind your buffers I have sir Handel and Peter Sam instead of Skarloey and Rheneas
The Unlucky Tug never disappoints, even when the season he's covering does. Farewell to the all-model era. I have been really anticipating this episode, and how perfect that it came out just in time for when I'm about to embark on a long-awaited family road trip to the west. Can't wait for what's to come, especially for Season 12 with those terrifying faces, both digital and off-camera. Eek.
I can't believe we're almost HALFWAY through the Thomas Retrospective, with only ONE more model Season to go! Even though Seasons 12 and 13 will be the start of the dreaded Miller/Nitrogen Era, I'm oddly really excited for those Retrospectives, purely for the amount of information and the whole switch to CGI.
I'm curious to see what Tug will say about each voice cast when we get to Season 13. I know he had a distaste for some of the English dub VAs at first (as seen in his movie retrospective with Hero of the Rails), but I have a feeling he's NOT going to like UK Victor's voice (I certainly don't) until it's swapped in S16.
I'm shocked you didn't mention the lack of brake vans in this season.
Actually the reason for the yellow tint was HiT wanted to appeal to Mexican viewers, so they edited it in so the show would feel more familiar to them.
They should’ve removed the yellow tint in the night scenes or fog and the Winter Episodes because it makes the snow look warm
Ah, the breaking bad method of being in Mexico
@@caboose.20 You're making that up
Me personally I love how they made Stanley in Hit era
The final season & special to be all model… we’ll miss you, models! I guess next we’ll be dipping into the CGI stuff, but not *fully* yet! I’m excited for this Retrospective!!!