Live Action Thomas...Harder Than You'd Think

My deepest fear with a live-action feature adaptation of Thomas the Tank Engine is that it is produced/written by people who simply do not love trains and railways. I feel that is crucially important. If you ask AI to generate an image of a train, it will likely churn something out that matches an average person's idea of a train, checking boxes of wheels and whistles. But for those with a love for these machines, there will be instant tells that it was not created by someone with shared interests. An imposter. Then who is that for?

I am not saying that following the "rules" automatically makes a Thomas production "good". For a four-quadrant feature film, it will take more than a railway enthusiast's perspective. Obviously, I am not the arbitrator of what Thomas can and can't be. I certainly don't know everything. But my hope is that the team has a vested interest in telling a compelling story that is true to the spirit of the characters and stories that have resonated with many for generations.

Of course, I have my own ideas of what that could look like. Don't we all?

Chapters:
0:00 Part 1: The Adventure Begins
2:08 Part 2: Problem Solving
5:28 Part 3: Play Patterns
8:55 Part 4: Caleb Goes to Hollywood
10:49 Part 5: Humans & Sodor
13:45 Part 6: Conclusion

#liveaction #thomasandfriends #mattel