Hero of the Rails [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

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In the US trailer, Sir Topham Hatt says "We must help Hiro at once" while standing on the gantry of a signalbox, a scene that was never present in the special. This film features a drastically reduced cast of characters due to the crew not having enough time to create models for every character from scratch. Only the Japanese trailer mentions that Hiro is from Japan. The UK trailer merely mentioned he is "from a far-off place." Hiro would confirm he is from Japan in the twenty-fourth series episode Kenji on the Rails Again, over ten years later. This special states that Hiro was the first engine on the Island of Sodor, despite The Island of Sodor: Its People, History and Railways stating that other engines were there long before.

In the first trailer, there is a scene where Victor says, "You've come to the right place, my friend." This was not present in the special; it is from the thirteenth series episode, Creaky Cranky. The first to have a full voice cast in the UK and US versions, while being the first production with a voice cast since Thomas and the Magic Railroad in 2000, nine years before the CGI usage. To cut costs and maximise profits (because of government tax breaks for UK animation in 2007), HiT Entertainment decided to retire the models and have the show be turned into a CGI product. They enlisted Nitrogen Studios to provide the visuals. Nitrogen had already created CGI elements for the twelfth series. Christopher Skala added that it was to also include more emotion and flexibility through the stories. Previously Skala claimed that, of his focus group, even those who felt that Thomas, as an institution, should not be changed in this way but ultimately responded positively to the demonstration of the new animation techniques. Hero of the Rails also sees the installation of a permanent voice cast, which would continue throughout the franchise.The first time that a location outside of the United Kingdom is shown in the television series, in this case, the location shown is Hiro's homeland, Japan. Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 1 | Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 2 | Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 3 | Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 4 | Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 5 | Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 6 | Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 7 | Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.8 | Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.9 | Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.10 | Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.11 | Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.12 | Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.13 | Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.14 | Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.15 | Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.16 | Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.17 | New Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.1 | New Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.2 | New Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.3 | New Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.4 | New Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.5 | New Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.6 | Hello Thomas and James | Best of Thomas | Best of James and Edward | Best of Henry | Best of Gordon | Best of Percy | Sing-Along and Stories | New Thomas the Tank Engine 2 Vol.1 | New Thomas the Tank Engine 2 Vol.2 | New Thomas the Tank Engine 2 Vol.3 | New Thomas the Tank Engine 2 Vol.4 | New Thomas the Tank Engine 2 Vol.5 | New Thomas the Tank Engine 2 Vol.6 | Sing-Along and Stories 2 | Sing-Along and Stories 3 | Let's Sing Thomas Songs Together Vol.1 | Let's Sing Thomas Songs Together Vol.2 | Let's Sing Thomas Songs Together Vol.3 | Thomas and Connie's Wonderful American Journey | Thomas and the Magic Railroad | The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.1* | The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.2* | The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.3* | The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.4* | The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.5* | The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.6* | The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.7* | The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.8* | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 6 Vol.1 | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 6 Vol.2 | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 6 Vol.3 | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 6 Vol.4 | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 6 Vol.5 | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 6 Vol.6 | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 7 Vol.1 | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 7 Vol.2 | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 7 Vol.3 | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 7 Vol.4 | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 7 Vol.5 | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 7 Vol.6 A video game adaptation of the film was also released to the Nintendo Wii and the DS [6] in Europe on 29 June 2010. It was to be released in North America, but it has appeared to be cancelled indefinitely. [6]

Near the end of the special during Thomas and Spencer's final race, the points were not switched, but Spencer was still able to change lines. In the film, Thomas discovers an old, dilapidated engine in the woods, and tries to repair him in secret, without the villainous Spencer finding out. Thomas is taking on water when an engine rushes past. The rest of the Steam Team soon have similar experiences and gather at Knapford to figure out what is going on. Halfway through their conversation, Spencer arrives. It turns out that he is staying for the summer to help the Duke and Duchess build their summer house. Needless to say, nobody is pleased with the news, especially when Spencer rushes around with his work, teasing the other engines. That night, all of the engines are tired and cross because they have all been teased by Spencer. Race for the Sodor Cup | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 25 Vol. 1 ( coming soon) | Thomas the Tank Engine Series 25 Vol. 2 ( coming soon) The first special to have Shin Yong-u, Um Sang-hyun, Jeon Tae-yeol and Kim Eun-a as part of the voice cast for K.NET in South Korea.The first special to have its own stylised opening sequence instead of using the Thomas & Friends opening.

Gordon and Spencer race to the station. Spencer is exhausted, having been running around all day. Gordon wins the race and who should step out of the coaches is the Fat Controller and the Duke and Duchess. While they scold Spencer, Thomas arrives, saying he will help Spencer finish the summer house. The Duke and Duchess are pleased, but Spencer's pride is shattered. Tim Whitnall narrated the first UK trailer; he would later join the voice cast in 2014, five years later. The DVD sales of Hero of the Rails outstripped The Great Discovery which was the highest selling DVD produced by HiT Entertainment at the time. Thomas' Useful Stories* | Thomas' Fan Favorite Adventures* | Thomas' Magical Musical Ride* | Great Destinations! | Double Features | HiT FavoritesThe Norwegian DVD cover states that the special is named Dagens Helt, which means "Hero of the Day." However, the narrator and the end credits state that the special is named Skinnenes Helt, which means Hero of the Rails. In the scene where Spencer is staring at Emily, Thomas and Percy pass on the bridge with nothing behind them. In the trailers, however, the same scene is shown, but Thomas and Percy are pulling flatbeds full of engine parts. It can be assumed that the trailer showed an altered version of the scene. Hiro states that he was the first engine on Sodor, but this is untrue, as Hiro's basis was not built until 1935, in which several engines had already arrived on Sodor.

The first special narrated by Óscar Gómez in Latin America. It is also the second film dubbed in Mexico with a full voice cast, with the first being Thomas and the Magic Railroad. Thomas and Percy are later getting coal and Emily is puffing off to give Hiro more parts. Edward and Henry pass with Spencer in tow, bringing him to the Steamworks. While Spencer is being taken care of, Thomas arrives. Kevin starts dropping things, which causes Spencer to wince and shut his eyes. As he does so, Thomas sneaks away with more parts. An early prototype cover for the DVD included Percy and James on the top layer, taking Spencer's place (who was moved behind Victor).Edward and Gordon | Thomas and the Breakdown Train | Thomas and Bertie | Thomas in Trouble | Thomas, Percy and the Coal | Percy Takes the Plunge | A Close Shave | Edward's Exploit The next day, Thomas and Percy head to the quarry to search for the mail coaches. Spencer has secretly followed them there. But before he can do anything, Mavis appears and offers to show him around, but she is really shooing him away from Thomas and Percy while James sneaks away with more parts for Hiro. Spencer ends up under a chute and his funnel gets filled with slate. Spencer and the Duke and Duchess of Boxford's first appearances in a special as well as their first appearances since the eleventh series episode, Dream On. In the first UK trailer, Thomas and Spencer have different UK voices than their current ones. This is because both characters were meant to be voiced by Kerry Shale during the original cut. Also, Toby has his US voice.