Thomas’ Anthem - An 80th Anniversary Celebration | Thomas & Friends: Back on Track

“Thomas is a tank engine, who lives at a big station on the Island of Sodor. He’s a cheeky little engine, with six small wheels, a short, stumpy funnel, a short, stumpy boiler, and a short, stumpy dome.”
— The Rev. W. Awdry (1946)
____________________________________________________________________________________

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this very special music video. This features my very best work from my “Back on Track” series, plenty of new, specially shot footage, and a whole bunch of surprises along the way. I hope you all enjoy it!

“Thomas’ Anthem” is a very obvious choice for an anniversary music video - there are a lot of other songs I could have picked. However, the reason why I chose to make a music video to this song goes a little deeper.

“Best of Thomas” was the first Thomas DVD I ever received when I was 2 or 3. According to my parents, they showed me the Sing-Along Songs in the bonus features before I had even watched the episodes. So I think it’s safe to assume that “Thomas’ Anthem” was the very first piece of Thomas media I ever saw. I thought it was only fitting to celebrate the 80th with a music video that showcases my very best work from my YouTube series, set to the song that was my first exposure to the world of Thomas and his friends.

I worked very hard to find the best footage from my series and to film lots of brand-new footage for this video, complete with a recreation of the opening shot from “Thomas Gets Bumped”, which is likely the first Thomas shot I ever saw as a kid - the shot in which Thomas puffs along his branchline, looking mildly concerned lol.

It’s crazy to think how much this franchise has affected my life - all because I got one little DVD and Wooden Railway set for Christmas as a kid. From a lifelong interest in trains, to discovering my passion for filming and editing, to collaborating with new friends around the world, to simply having a wonderful, comforting TV show to grow up with - the list goes on and on. This little blue engine and all his friends have a special place in my heart, as I’m sure they do for all of you as well.

Thanks for being a Really Useful friend, Thomas - for 80 years and many more. 💙

I hope my anniversary video was worth the wait! I’m getting right to work on finishing my 80th anniversary parody song, the next “Back on Track” episode, and more music videos for this Spring.

See you again soon! Happy 80th!
— Sooty (and Thomas)

____________________________________________________________________________________
CREDITS:
“Thomas’ Anthem” - An 80th Anniversary Celebration
Directed, Filmed, and Edited by Sooty Will

Based on The Railway Series By The Rev. W. Awdry
& The Television Show By Britt Allcroft and David Mitton

MUSIC
“Thomas’ Anthem” (1991)
Composed by Mike O’Donnell and Junior Campbell
Performed by Tom Penta, Laura Penta, Victoria Ferrer, Louise Roberts, and Joanna Wyatt

3D MODELS
Gauge 1 Models by JamosTrainos, ThomasTankMerch, ThomasModeller, cooldude7208, The lbsc Thomas, and Enginfan020
https://drive.google.com/drive/folder...

Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends (Tinkercad)
https://www.tinkercad.com/users/1hzQK...

TTTE Boy (Tinkercad)
https://www.tinkercad.com/users/9p7li...

DrMopp1966 (Thingiverse)
https://www.thingiverse.com/drmopp196...

Positron (Cults3D)
DreamWorks All Star Kart Racing / Kajy (Mr Wolf)
Sooty Will

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Wondershare Filmstocks
Production Crate

And special thanks to YOU for watching!
— Sooty Will

(Shit piss damn crap - sorry, trying to keep comments turned on)