According to Britt Allcroft, on his first day, George Carlin was nervous about recording his narration without an audience, so the producers put a teddy bear in the booth. I just find it both hilarious and heartwarming that someone known for his style of comedy had a teddy bear with him on his first day recording _Thomas the Tank Engine._
Fun Fact: When George Carlin was first brought in as narrator, he expressed nervousness at the fact he had no audience to deliver the story to in the booth. As bringing an actual child in was not an option, Britt had a teddy bear delivered to the studio, which became Carlin's audience for all of the voiceover sessions. At the end of George's run, he gifted Britt with her own teddy bear named Teddy Carlin, which sits on her piano to this day.
Ah yes, because a train stopping on the line to look at a forest is much less realistic than a train being bricked up for being scared of the rain. Yep
@@SamDibujaTodoI read what he said and it was fucking epic. That man...he was legendary for a reason. His passing was one of the few celebrity deaths that hit me hard. Loved him as Mr. Conductor, loved him as a comedian when I learned of his stand up later on
Awdry: Criticized the episode "Henry ' s Forest" for unrealistically liking the forest and for breaking Rule 55. Also Awdry: Wrote the stories "Thomas goes fishing" where Thomas is interested in people who go fishing and "A scarf for Percy" where Percy wants a scarf. And ignored the fact that Henry was on a siding and didn't break Rule 55.
Don't forget Henry's first story ever where they leave an engine in the tunnel in the middle of the mainline and quickly build a new one I swear Henry is always in the middle of every controversy with this series 😂
Don't forget he adapted events from real life, so that means a steam crew used a river to fill up and got fish in the tank, and an engine crashed into a luggage trolley and got trousers around it's funnel. It's not quite the same as the plot revolving around one of the engines literally wanting to sit and watch the trees.
David Mitton seemed just to be be so effortlessly cool on every interview and picture. The guy was 50 when Tugs came out, but he has the attitude as someone in his 20s. There is just something about his creativity, experimentation and EXPLOTIONS that just made his productions so much better. A real shame we lost him at only 70 years old.
I don't care what anyone in the community says, Henry's Forest is a great episode with a wonderful message. I've always felt like the Rev chose an odd hill to die on with that one, and it's a shame seeing the fans mindlessly agreeing and giving the episode a kicking.
Not many people 'blindly agree' with Awdry over the episode because of Rule 55 but there are other problems as well such as the episode barely doing anything with Henry's character. He didn't go through any confliction as a character, not enough to make you care since he got the forest back anyway and only had one line. There is not much scope on the whole loss of the forest, where are the animals? The whole episode's emotional side of things just felt so shallow.
@NWR1991 why does there being no moral detract from the episode? What's wrong with a lackadaisical/slice of life episode? It adds a layer to Henry as a character. Not ever episode needs to teach a lesson, that mentality is what ruined seasons 8 onwards.
George Carlin was the voice of my childhood as well. In my opinion, he was the best narrator the series had. Rest in peace George Carlin, and Michael Angelis too.
Season 3 may not work the Awdrys, but for us fans, this really is both a nostalgic and brilliant season with so many character developments, wonderful sets, improvements in quality, etc. In terms of favorite episode, I really love All at Sea not just because of the ending, but mostly for Duck's character development that is more than just his heritage. He dreams of traveling to faraway places beyond the horizon, but is stuck to his rails and later realizes that in the words of the narrator 'the best travels are the ones we can only dream'. This episode gives a brilliant message about the values of home and those around you that give you purpose. It was also the finale episode on both Percy's Ghostly Trick and 10 Years of Thomas to which it really gives an excellent conclusion to both VHS/DVDs. Fun fact, this episode is Britt Allcroft and David Mitton's favorite episode because of the picture frame of the ending that the latter gave to the former. And you're right about Duck being the MVP for it really made him shine as a character.
Awdry's take on Henry's Forest always came across as a bit hypocritical to me; "What responsible driver would stop as if he was in a roadside layby?" I don't know Wilbert, what sort of responsible railway director would brick up an entire tunnel just to teach someone a lesson?
Audrey should've kept his mouth shut, in my opinion, even so. He's basically saying "how dare they not perfectly adhere to my stories even when they're incredibly limited by them and how dare they not follow the law perfectly in a show about talking steam engines." Again my opinion but that man would have a heart attack if he saw all engines go @joshuaW5621
@@joshuaW5621yeah although I don't want to come off as trashing the Rev by any means his adherence to real life rail practice was what made the books and the show great but he was quite a but uptight with that I'd say. Also Thomas and the Magic Railroad should just be called Shining Time Station the movie
22:51 the two unnecessary censors of Mavis work so well. By far my favorite character of the series. Her character development really works out well; going from a young feisty diesel engine to a caring mother like figure to the newer arrivals to sodor and less experienced engines later on in the show.
Season 3 just IS Thomas for me. It has some of the strongest Awdry stories balanced against some of Andrew Brenner’s early highs and a PHENOMENAL series-original tale by Britt and David. Its visuals and soundtrack are lightyears ahead of the first two seasons (not that they were bad; far from it). Easily my favorite season even after all these years.
It is cool that Series 3 has Donald and Douglas on their own without each other in their episodes and be their own individual characters. Perhaps that could have been used more in the show, even in CGI. You're right that twins can't always be seen together all the time.
All At Sea remains one of my all time favorite episodes. I loved the idea of a train dreaming about sailing on the seas, and both Carlin and Angelis deliver the final lines of the episode so magnificently.
Season 3 really was a delightful one, love aesthetics and experimentation this season had. Some of the best episodes from the franchise are found here, with All at Sea and Henry's Forest being the obvious standouts. Wasn't a fan on first viewing, but over time it has won me over!
Carlin was my childhood as well. His narration will always be my favorite of all who came and went on Thomas. Growing up and then also finding myself loving his true career as a comedian only seemed natural.
Funny story, my parents named me after George Carlin. One day, not too long after I was born, my parents went to the local library to rent a VHS of a kids show to keep me entertained, and they came across a Thomas VHS and grew interest due to having heard that the show was supposed to be really good. When my Dad noticed that the show was narrated by George Carlin he and my Mom both knew they had to show it to me so they could introduce me to my namesake early with something meant for kids so I could later have an interest when I grew older and want to learn more about him. It worked. But this decision also introduced me to my favorite show from my childhood.
My favourite aesthetics are personally the gritty Season 2 one and the even more shiny Season 4 one, on the one hand it's the most grimey and industrial-looking one and the other is in my opinion the best one that trumps Season 3 and I even prefer it to Season 5 in that regard but in terms of stories, action, characters and originality, Season 5 will always be my favourite hands-down and Season 1 would be in the middle for me based on nostalgia on the one hand and how great and calm the series started especially catering to an autistic audience unintentionally like me with its aesthetic being more simple and fairytale-like, but my two favourites for content will always be 4 and 5. Season 2 I just simply didn't grow up with like with Season 1 so it's all about bias in my case whereas Season 3 may be my least favourite only because I keep comparing it to 4 and 5 that were amazing even though Season 3 broke the ice first but I feel like the first two seasons have a special, unique charm as well as darker and more mature content in some episodes Season 3 seems to lack and seems a tad more childlike but nevertheless also fun and adventurous with "Henry's Forest", "All At Sea" and "Escape" being the GOAT.
Returning my comment from the original upload Something that stands out to me is the dynamic between Duck & Percy in All at Sea. In a story where one is having ideas of wonderlust and day dreaming, and the other is grounded in reality and trying to get the other to focus on work, you'd expect Percy to be the wonderer and Duck to be the stickler for work. But it's the other way around, and it really does wonders at adding depth to them both beyond the expected dynamic of "Percy is the naive one who daydreams a lot" and "Duck is a stickler for hard work and doesn't approve of others thoughts drifting"
According to Rick Siggelkow, It was his idea to not feature Daisy and her two episodes on Shining Time Station, because he disapproved of her excess makeup and her lazy and stubborn personality. It was a surprise to everyone that this wasn't a decision that came from the fans, viewers, critics or even the Awdry family, but rather the producer and co-creator of Shining Time Station. Her role in the Series 3 episode Mavis was giving to Diesel and her two episodes were release on Home Video in 1993 and aired on Mr. Moose's Fun Time in 1998. I am glad that you mention the Problems with Daisy in this video.
It definitely feels like Shining Time Station and its US market had some effect on the show. Notice even the UK version altered some story names and toned down some dialogue, something the US dub tended to do exclusively for the first two seasons. On a more minor note, the ending fanfare is now gone in all but one episode (Mavis) likely because it caused such an odd transition when the episodes aired on Shining Time Station and then quickly cut back to the live action.
Fun fact: even though it would be years until the English versions of the show would have individual voice actors for the engines, Japan was doing it since the start, each engine getting their own actor.
Yes, I have noticed it and they even give it some new dialogues that remain, I liked those voices when I heard them even when they did internationally in the TATMR movie, Japan continued to use the same cast (even the narrator of the series was included and they changed the way of narrating) it's a shame it only lasted 8 seasons before they were recast.
8:58 I feel like Carlin really bring out the more cocky side side of characters. Not to knock Ringo, but James sounds like he’s just asking a question, not teasing Gordon.
Mines was Angelis personally. There's just a sense of warmth and energy in his voice when I hear his narrations every time. It just hits every spot of nostalgia to me coming back to his narrations every now and then.
Thomas personality throughout the series: - In seasons 1-2, he’s cocky and stubborn and cheeky. - Since season 3, he’s become more kinder and sensible although a bit funny and sensitive (better way to describe Thomas than cheeky if you’d ask me), despite still having jealousy and a few flaws. - In seasons 12-16, he’s a know-nothing know-it-all. - In the Brenner and BWBA era, he’s sorta in between his original fussy and kind development.
Mavis 2 part is one of my favorites and I loved how she was paired up with Toby they have great chemistry together, Toby being the wise old timer who’s seen in all, and mavis being the young new recruit who thinks she knows everything, it’s a great dynamic
Tugs and Thomas S3 are a look alike. Cos of their water works and lighting. S3 is honestly my favorite season to watch in Thomas the tank engine. Thank you for reuploading this.
Season 3 and 4 back to back is my favorite period of the show, and Escape is honestly my favorite episode of the entire franchise. I was always wowed by it as a kid and still am as an adult.
What's bizarre to me, is that when season 13 came out, I thought it was the first time the engines had individual voices. Yet all along, Japan dod it years before. This blew my mind.
A other S3 episode where I think deserve more credit is ,,Gordon and the famous visitor“. Not only because it has a real life engine . I love episode because of Gordon ˋs character. This is the moment he noticed he is not more the fastest or the most famous engine of the world. And I love scene where Gordon is so fast and the sound and the music are just🤌🏻.
Ngl I know it's an overdone concept but I always loved the gordon episodes where he's extremely pompous at the beginning speaking like he's some "proper engine" only to get in a hilarious incident sometimes over the top (this episode, off the rails, better view, takes a tumble) Those episodes were always entertaining
It seems stranger to me that Awdry was more upset about the original stories and not the heavy alterations they made to his own in this season. It comes off more like Awdry feeling a bit snubbed that they didn't check things over with him and Christopher like before. I get him being protective of his universe and quality control, but this is only an adaptation after all. They have to add SOME of their own creatve intuition, otherwise he may as well be director.
It seemed like Henry was on a siding in Henry’s Forest and not right on the mainline, it would be an obvious problem if he was just sitting on one of the main three tracks
Compared to the previous 2 seasons which introduced a lot of characters season 3 NOT introducing many characters worked in its favor. I like how it expanded on almost every character in the first 2 seasons. I'm actually surprised you didn't cover James in the character section he was pretty notable in this season with his red paint character trait being established as well as the Percy rivalry and highlighting more of him being a massive tool to Gordon. Imo the 4 main characters of this season are Duck, Percy, Thomas and James
Season 3 is my personal favorite of the classic seasons in that it has so much great music like that montage and its cast of characters was utilized so well. It’s the season that I always come back to the most. Also, that image of Thomas, Percy and Duck at the end of All at Sea is the most iconic shot in the show.
I love the comparison scene between ringo and George, George put so much energy, amd character into their voices, and that he have each character their own voice and and personality
imagine a Japanese version of Thomas and Friends. they would all be those high tech bullet trains. or the whole thing being a regular Thomas but as a anime.
Excellent video! Season 3 is amazing. It was a start of a golden era indeed. Every episode is excellent and unique. Season 3 is one of the best seasons of Thomas and Friends.
While Season 3 is not as great as Season 2, it’s still really good. I agree that the season gets bigger and expands upon it. And I agree the best episode of Season 3 is Escape.
As an early child growing up, Series 3, along with Series 4, was absolutely contemporary to the series marketing for me, although I was principally exposed to the VHS releases at the time rather than the television broadcasts - these included random Series 1 and 2 episodes. Remarkably the episodes that stuck out for me as a kid the most were those that alluded to broader boundaries, like 'All At Sea' and 'Escape'. In a way that played into my ultimate desires regarding wanting to work on 'Thomas & Friends', and learning more about what it takes to prepare a successful outline - still being finalised as I write. I actually recall having a dream once where the whole plight from 'Escape' was padded out like an actual adventure movie; this had an effect in blurring my memory of the episode that made me think I had watched a longer episode than I really did; this was rectified when I re-watched it on DVD years later. It may have been supported too because I had the original book version of the story as a child as well, and having observed the differences and omissions from the adapted version. All that combined has inspired me to develop a full-length special concept expanding on Oliver's backstory and his escape journey, appropriately titled 'The Truth About Oliver'. More about this in due course. Regards, Samuel Farris.
I hate to sound overly harsh but Awdry hating Henry's forest feels very hypocritical. I mean what sort of driver crashes their train at least once a week and races the buses around.
Awdry: Criticized the episode "Henry s Forest" for unrealistically liking the forest and for breaking Rule 55. Also Awdry: Wrote the stories "Thomas goes fishing" where Thomas is interested in people who go fishing and "A scarf for Percy" where Percy wants a scarf. And ignored the fact that Henry was on a siding and didn't break Rule 55.
@@giulianodervelociraptorder734 Neither of those relates to scenery though Also I love Henry's Forest but I don't think it was ever explicitly stated that Henry was on a siding
I really liked Henry’s forest, even if it wasn’t an episode Awdry wrote. It goes along with the other episodes and doesn’t feel too out of place. Also, the moral is very good and relatable: when bad things happen, you can turn your mourning into positive, productive energy to make it better.
Other than season 5 and 17, later on, this is probably the most experimental season out of all of them and perhaps the most controversial for at least the classics, other than season 5, of course. I don't think the brand could've expanded nearly as much as it did without this season.
Unfortunately,(imho, you can cancel me for this comment but I don't really care; I stand by my point) it was because of this season, & how fans could tolerate with non-Awdry episodes, that thus led to the sad state of Thomas & Friends we see today. That was the beginning. I stand by Reverend Awdry's point. 100 percent.
This is my second favorite season of the show. Season 3 was one of the biggest Seasons of the show. We get two new narrators this is the season that came to the country I live in America and This season is so good they did great with the production. George Carlin was really good at narrating and has became my favorite narrator
Isn’t it nice how Thomas develops more kinder and sensible rather cheeky and arrogant since this season? Although he’s sorta between in the Brenner era
I can't tell if it was a good or bad thing that Britt continued working on the show, even when Rev. Awdry didn't want them to make their own stories up. I loved that the show continued, but at the cost of his respect for them
This is probably my 3rd favorite season.😊❤❤😂This might not work well with Awdry, but to the fans, it is a beautiful season. Love the models, the music, and the beginning of the songs. ❤❤😂😊😂
I love the interest amd such for Thomas, but from someone who is into other things too, love the fact you used rayman music for the end of production history😊
I had a massive realization, so bear with me while I explain it. I always thought the moral of "All at Sea" was kinda weird, especially when compared to the history of the TVS (Television Series). "All at Sea" has Duck dreaming about exploring the sea, but having to accept that, as a train, he can't and so accepts his place on Sodor. However the TVS never accepted just being Thomas, often to its own detriment. "TUGS," "Shining Time," "Magic Railroad," and "Jack and the Pack" were all attempts to be more than "just Thomas" and all were failures, often very expensive failures too. I thought it was weird that Britt Alcroft and David Mitton didn't take their own life advice, when it hit me... "All at Sea" is David Mitton's way of saying goodbye to TUGS Think about it, the moral of "accepting your place in the world" makes perfect sense coming from a guy whose creative project just went bankrupt and had to return to his old show. Series 3 DID incorporate a lot from TUGS. The plot literally has the contrast between the "dream of the sea" and the "reality of the railway." It's Mitton accepting his failure and basically "burying" TUGS. Which makes me wonder: is there an equivalent Series 6 episode from Alcroft about the failure of Magic Railroad?
That music from 14:20 has a Final Fantasy-esque vibe to it, I could see it not being difficult to pass it off as Uematsu-san's work, even! Some would probably believe it as well! And that for me is high praise! Although, thinking about it, I can't help but feel like that message of "don't let me die" on that one train may have harkened back to Thomas, if you get what I mean!
Season 3 is one of my favorite seasons alongside Season 5, 6, 18, and 20. It showcases bigger sets, brilliant music, and awesome narrations. Michael Angelis is my favorite UK actor. Rest In Peace. George Carlin did brilliantly, too. Also, Rest In Peace. My favorite episodes are Donald's Duck, Diesel Does It Again, No Joke For James, James Goes Buzz Buzz, All At Sea, Escape, Oliver Owns Up, Bulgy, and Thomas & Percy's Christmas Adventure.
Best episodes of season 3 Henry's forest (10/10) All at sea (10/10) Escape (10/10) (BESTEST) Oliver owns up (10/10) Bulgy (10/10) Heroes (10/10) The episode that deserves an (6.5/10) One good turn
10:55 Note i found online:even though it is believed that only the 2 tenders were built for Flying Scotsman there has been said to have been a face made and drivers cab made out a Gordon model that they cut up and painted green.
I always loved these first 4 seasons as a kid. I liked the sort of flowery language that was used by the narrators. I mean, vs the Hit era where the guy just says "then there was trouble" every single time Edit: also 22:49
To me, the entire model era of Thomas made wanting to play with the toys much more common. While yes, the toys had more variety but along with that, the show at that time gave off that feel to play with them. As the show became more targeted for younger, suddenly the toys didn't feel the same much anymore. Once the redesign came and brought very little variety, even less wanting to play with toys as they could no longer be pushed around like wooden railway and basically forcing parents to buy expensive batteries just to make the toys work. Still cherishing the original series even with its flawed seasons since the reboot is a just a 2D chuggington with Thomas slapped into it and as for the old toys, they still deserve love. Even though plarail still has them for the time being, it's still good to cherish the freewheeling Thomas toys vs the must-need-batteries ones no matter where they come from
