The Great Discovery is a really great movie and a perfect way to end the show (same goes for tale of the brave) and i think everyone should give more credit to this movie
Though the HiT Era was inconsistent at times at least we can give it credit for trying to expand the Island of Sodor and this movie is a perfect example of such. I feel like all the HiT Era had to do was get the characters right & consistently and it would have been near perfect if not a step up from the classic series.
Even if they didn't add any new characters. More in-depth character exploration and different pairings would have been great. (Been getting into Thomas lore recently)
The Great Discovery is my personal favorite, it felt like Thomas in every way and the music and modelwork are spectacular and stuff like the crashing building truly show how far the last of the Thomas crew has come. Every engine is in character and the fact that Thomas is the main character shows that everyone else has grown up and when Thomas ruins Great Waterton it’s more impactful that the main characters are disappointed Thomas would do something so bad and none of the movie would be as good as it was without Pierce Brosnan’s narration that make it feel like an adaptation of a book series and fits perfectly as a Thomas narrator. the fact there was a send off to the Model series is another reason why it’s my favorite because it feels like Hit Entertainment cared for once, they got Pierce Brosnan as narrator and the merchandise is unforgettable and to be honest… This movie felt like the classic series. Discovering a lost town, The inclusion of The Narrow Gauge engines, The amazing music, but the send off is what really makes it feel like people actually cared about the show and care was the only thing Thomas needed at that time and especially today and that is something to appreciate!
Pierce Brosnan seriously deserves more credit. People say that he’s ‘boring’, but imo, he has just enough energy in his voice to keep me engaged in the film. He knows when to be either lively or calm when the scene calls for it and the voices he gives the characters aren’t overly cartoony and bombastic like Michael Brandon. They’re more subtle, like how he makes James sound slightly snooty or how he gives Emily a Scottish accent. I honestly don’t think TGD would be as memorable if Angelis (as much as I love him) or Brandon narrated it. I really wish Pierce stayed on for a bit longer.
I agree fun fact pierce Brosnan was originally going to narrate season 12 to 16 modal Thomas but did not but quit due to the show switching to cgi sooner then expected and only 3 bits of pierce narrations of season 12 have surfaced those 2 being a full episode of thomas and the build bord but the screen backwards and upside down and a clip from Godorn takes a shortcut and a full episode of steady eddy again in black and white and backwards all 3 narrated by pierce brosnan
I agree with everything except the ending statement that the show should've ended after Great Discovery. Imo I think Great Discovery should have been used has a reference for future writers, for how great this show can be and be a catalyst for amazing thomas content in the future. Its just that they failed to do so in the miller era and some would argue the hit era aswell and Imo the Brenner era gave us exactly that an era of the show that used the classics has a guide to bring thomas to a new generation with entertaining stories and even adding their own twist and lore, even if some of it didnt always work... plus Blue Mountain Mystery is my favorite Thomas movie so due to my own biases I'm glad the show went on.
It was an ending! A true ending for the original Model era of T&F. In 2009, they would use partial CGI before Hero of the Rails was released! Since then, everything has been fully animated.
@Michael Butler hmmmm tough one. I'd have to say I think it'd be in no particular order TAB, The Great Discovery, Journey Beyond Sodor and Blue Mountain Mystery
If ever we got a true reboot of Thomas, a tribute to the series' best, if you will, I would definitely want Great Discovery to be its finale, perhaps with a few more songs that add a bit more to the story, such as the following: - He's a Really Useful Engine, at the start to clue us in on Thomas' identity and quirks - A song sung by Thomas about taking charge of the restoration project and how it adds to his connections with everyone - Another number sung by Thomas after losing his reputation, kinda similar to I Want to Go Home from JBS - A remix of Where Oh Where is Thomas sung by the rest of the team, also involving elements of Where in the World is Thomas - We Make a Team Together, highlighting Thomas' return to fame while the tower is being rebuilt - A reprise of Really Useful Engine sung by all of Thomas' friends at the opening ceremony for having discovered Waterton and played a major role in its restoration - Mostly instrumental remixes of past Thomas songs during the credits Also, not a song, but maybe have a mid-credits scene where Thomas pulls into Knapford and finds out that children from all over the world have written to him asking if he can come visit one day.
I think that The Great Discovery is my favorite Thomas movie. I remember when it was like the newest Thomas movie when I was a little. And seriously, Pierce Brosnan was an amazing Narrator! He didn’t have too much, or little energy, and my gosh he did an amazing job with how he captured the characters emotions with his narration! Honestly, he deserves to be in top tier for his narration! Can we just give him a late round of applause please? 👏🎉👍
I adore this film, I have lots of nostalgia for the songs in it, I think this is one of the best Thomas films, it portrays Thomas perfectly. I like all the inclusion of different characters The Narrow Gauge engines, The pack etc. :)
14:33 I also love how there are still construction things on top of the tower, you might think it’s subtle but it isn’t. The tower looks finished and the constructions imply it is so close to being finished it looks done. The fact the tower isn’t finished yet also means that a lot of the builders of the tower probably saw the accident happening right in front of their eyes which makes the situation even worse. This movie is so clever
The Great Discovery is my 2nd favorite movie in Thomas. It's just fantastic. Not just because it ended the model era on a high, but because it barely does anything wrong. The models look as good as ever with excellent paint jobs and the sets are easily HIT's best work ever. Great Waterton looks sick. The amount of characters that appear is honestly astounding considering how limited the screen time was for most of the characters throughout the HIT Era. The crashes are amazing, especially the one where the tower falls to the ground, boy that was intense. I think what works for this movie the most is Thomas. Thomas in the HIT Era was hit a miss. In TGD, he was probably at his best in the entire model era. He is cocky, jealous, impatient but at the same time mature enough to understand the seriousness of situations and is a good friend. I can't express how well Thomas is portrayed here. He also goes through a wonderful character arc from being insecure to saying "We're all Leaders of the Track". The songs are all bops especially Thomas You're the Leader. They outdid themselves with that one. The mine sequences were extremely well shot and some of the camera angles were just gorgeous. To conclude, the soundtrack is great, the cinematography is beautiful, the characters are bang on perfect and this was the perfect way end off the model era I also need to mention Pierce Brosnan. As you mentioned, he strikes the perfect balance between action and calm. He knows when to be loud and when to maintain a relaxing tone.
While I don’t agree on your opinions about the songs (I listen to them for many years) and that this should be the series finale, TGD is most certainly one of the best Thomas movies, one of my favorites (in my Top 5) and truly deserves all the credit for what it accomplished in terms of story, structure, production and execution.
TGD holds a very strong memory for me, as it was the 1st Thomas movie I managed to get on its release day here in New Zealand, then rushing home to watch it. Good times
Now that I build things for a living, I can’t watch the tower collapse without thinking of how man weeks, maybe months went into building that tower. And seeing all of that going to waste makes me just as mad at Thomas as the other engines, which means the movie did it’s job right.
The Great Discovery is also my favorite Thomas movie with Blue Mountain Mystery in 2nd and Lost Treasure in 3rd. I remember as a kid being confused by the different narrator but I thought he was a lot better than Brandon (who's narration even as a kid I always hated). And then I remember getting a S12 DVD and when I heard Brandon's voice I was so upset by that. I really hope one day the Brosnan cut of S12 is found because if he narrated the season, it would still be bad, but I don't think it would be as hated as it is today and also because they should've never cut him to begin with.
This special is one I grew up watching and is one of the faves. My favourite is BMM personally cos… it’s kinda obvious tbh. I am a Narrow Gauge Engine so the special with me returning will assuredly be the best in my eyes 🤌🏻 You can expect me there next Saturday! You’ve got me eager to hear what’s happening next 👍🏻
The Great Discovery was the first Thomas production I ever saw in 2012 so if the show didn’t continue after I would have never found my love for Thomas and his friends and that’s why I am happy the show continued. Thank you for reading.
For me : ,,Tale of the brave " is my favorite . For me this movie has strong moral and the story is also very realistic and can also happend in real life. I love Percy arc in this season .The song are great .The new characters are great or fin (expert Rex) .And James .James was the best part of this movie . You can understand his movitation . For me the peak of this show.
Semi-recently watching the great discovery again was just so nostalgic for me. I had the dvd as a kid (and still do, although it has been generously loved and doesn’t run anymore) and I remember watching it over and over and over. The score in this movie is one of my favorites, and I never get tired of listening to it. Although I don’t agree with your final statement, I agree with everything else. You highlighted many of my personal favorite moments of the movie, and I love the analysis you gave!
The Great Discovery really was the perfect capstone and a wonderful farewell to the model era of the show. HiT really put a lot of effort into making this. For example, in that montage of characters spreading the news of rediscovering Thomas, they could've just used the main characters and maybe a couple background secondaries. But no. They went completely all out, using so many character props. All of the Skarloey Railway engines and The Pack. That was very impressive. Hell, even fricking DIESEL 10 made a cameo. The narration was just golden. The fact that they got Pierce Bronsen, known for his work on the James Bond movies, to narrate a children's movie, was God impressive. I know people have said Pierce was too slow and not so energetic, but I disagree. This wasn't new. We've already had narrators that have had almost equal levels of narration. Ringo Starr, hell even Michael Angelis (particularly Season 7 in the US) both were almost equivalent in terms of narration to Pierce. The model work, need I say more? It was beautiful. Some of the action shots felt like they were callbacks to David Mitton's pyrotechnics from Season 5, particularly the collapse of the tower in Great Waterton, and the shot of Thomas airborne. It isn't completely perfect though. The songs, with the exception of the Thomas, You're The Leader, were pretty mediocre, and felt like they detracted from the main plot. Other than that, I can definitely see why this is your favorite Thomas movie. You good sir get a 10/10 on your video analysis, and I wholeheartedly rate the Great Discovery with an A-
To start things off, I like that you added a DPRK flag at the beginning lol I couldn't help but smile at that. Second, the Great Discovery is a great movie and I remember seeing a trailer for it in one of my old Thomas DVDs. I never watched it until years later. It truly was a great send off for the model series.
Yes! It’s now available for me to watch! Great video discussing one of the best Thomas movies. I am nostalgic for this one a lot so it’s nice seeing people talk about it.
I Actually Agree With You, The Great Discovery Is The Best Thomas Movie Ever, Pierce Brosnan Is A Good Narrator, Stanley Is A Great Character, Great Waterton Is Beautiful, And Thomas You’re The Leader Is Just Beautiful, I Love The Great Discovery, It’s A Beautiful Movie! (10/10)
I also remember this movie from back in the old years when I was younger and I loved to see a new narrator like Pierce Brosnan, he was really good at narrating this film as well as voicing the characters! I also like the scene where Thomas gets jealous and hates Stanley in this film and gives him a lot of heavy cars for Stanley as one of his cheeky plans, but backfires and Thomas gets in big trouble for it. I bet this is the angriest I’ve seen from Sir Topham Hatt during this late model era. I also remember the ionic scene where all the engines say: WELCOME STANLEY!
I would just like to say something about the songs. Jobs a plenty adds to the story because the song describes of what the engines are doing. They are rebuilding the town in time for Sodor day. (that's what I think at least? I dunno) Does anyone else agree with me? reply or like?
This was probably my favourite, i never saw it when it came out originally, but i watched the show from around series 8 onwards. I really liked how it manages a big plot and doesn't focus on adding too many characters, we only get one, although underused in modern Thomas. I liked how it was able to include many characters and their interactions and created a new location to explore. The only problem with this movie and series 12 overall was creating characters that were pretty much instantly forgotten about.
As someone who believes that everything after Season 11 is non-canon (yes, I know why they did what they did, but I prefer the halcyon days where they served modellers, RWS fans and everyone in between), I sort of have to agree. There's a reason why Pierce Brosnan recorded the following season's lines. There's a reason why this film was almost akin to the 'come together style' of modern superhero franchises; that 'spread the word' scene gave me an incredible feeling when I first listened to it. Wait, listened? Yep. I've never watched the movie. I've only listened to the AUDIO RECORDING and am basing my opinions off that. I felt every beat, every sliver of drama and feeling. If a movie has an impact where one of your sentences is out of the picture, we are part of Thomas' friends more than anything. In a welcoming show to anyone such as early TTTE, if we feel that we are among Thomas' select few, it is an incredible feeling. And this is what makes TGD great in my opinion. Everything comes together to make us part of that 'really useful crew.' That era of inclusivity hasn't ended (based on this comments section alone), but even though the model era got a send-off, what a send off it was. And by James freaking Bond, no less.
My favorite Thomas movie in the entire franchise is "The Great Discovery" for a number of reasons 1. I remember seeing this in the movie theater back in 2008 and being absolutely blown away by how many model props were used. 2. The storyline is absolutely incredible!!!! 3. This movie is so unique because of the narration by Mr. Pierce Brosnan!!!!! And he did a phenomenal job!!!! Pierce was a nice change from hearing Michael Brandon all the time (No tea no shade Mike) 4. Nostalgia sweet nostalgia!!!! 5. The "Thomas, You're The Leader" song is such a bop!!!!! What a masterpiece!!! It slaps so hard and it truly confirms that Thomas is the leader of the track!!!! What an incredible outro to the HIT Entertainment era of Thomas!!!! 10 out of 10!!!!!
Hi there Thomas Cynic. I remember commenting on this video exactly two years ago when it came out. Watching it again, I'd say that the Great Discovery is a great send off to the model series. And yes, Thomas was a bit unlikeable in the middle of the film, but that's one of the many strengths of this film (By the way, I still chuckle at the North Korean flag you put at the beginning lol).
I remember this one it has been my favorite cause of stanley and I like his design and I watch it when I was 8 years old and it has a special place in my heart perhaps. But the location great wateron is cool.
My favorite Thomas movie is The Adventure Beings, because of its nostalgic music, remake of "He's a Really Useful Engine" and "The Troublesome Trucks" songs, and the retelling of the first stories of Thomas & friends. :D
First of all, colour me very curious about your announcement. The note of potentially bittersweet has my interest piqued, regardless of what it may be. I'm sure I'll be keeping my eyes peeled next week! As for TGD, I'm a fan that originally watched 1-6 as a child, and have had trouble finding that much to enjoy with the seasons after that - bits here and there, but nothing consistently. When I finally watched The Great Discovery, I had a great time, and I agree with everyone that's ever said this is what Magic Railroad should have been. It's far more true to what I loved about Thomas as a child, and while I would have loved the dialog and narration to be more in the style of S5, I think it the best writing to come out of the HiT era. The Mitton-esque action sequences you mention are incredibly true, especially things like the breaking coupling and the nature of the crashes. If this has been done after S5 with the cast from the time in that context, I can only imagine what we would have got, but I'm still very happy it exists as it is.
I don’t know the name of the narrator but I never heard him in the show so I’m assuming he was unique to the movie. He is probably one of my favorite narrators in all of Thomas now. Edit: wrote this before you talked about him, I definitely agree with everything you said about him.
there's one more thing that is bad in this movie and in the whole HiT era - remember how the rails were laid in seasons 1-5? engines and their consists wobbled and shaked all the time because the terrain wasn't perfectly flat and bends were sharp sometimes engines were heavy enough to tilt a turntable when going through one too there's something like this in 6 and 7 too but not as often and there was less just straight flats and more detailed ones with lots of bends etc in HiT era every piece of rail is shiny, flat and there's no wobble and this looks unreal and most of the railway we're seeing is just a straight line or a wide bend and this film suffers from it too for some part but there's one more good thing too this movie started to remind us of older characters thanks to this movie season 12 gave us murdoch, donald, douglas and duck even if their roles were small
You forgot one thing about this movie that makes it the best: The poster/cover. It is the most beautiful cover for a movie/dvd/any sort of media I've ever seen in my life. Even as a younger kid, when I had the DVD I would just stare at the cover because it was so beautiful. I have a video suggestion: you do what ThomasFan261 did and review some of the Thomas DVD covers.
I love both The Great Discovery and TATMR. TATMR has its own issues regarding the live action segments being rather boring, but I don't hate the magic aspect as much as everyone else does. As for The Great Discovery, although it has a metric ton of characters, I don't feel that any of them were really used in the film. They appeared, yes, but what is that worth if all they are is faces that appear for a few seconds here and there?
The way I see it, "The Great Discovery" is a model series movie, and its' writing isn't crap, unlike the other two model series movies. Therefore, I love it. But seriously, I think this is one of Thomas' best movies. There's really nothing for me to say, because you hit the nail on the head. And as a Duncan fan, I love Duncan in this movie. Arguably one of his greatest roles. In fact, I actually have very vague memories of seeing this movie in the theater back when I was a stupid, snotty little shit. The film was released in select theaters in the U.S. in July of 2008, so I guess I had the great privilege of being able to see this film on the big screen. I shall now end this comment with the obligatory: *"WELCOOOOOOOOME, STAAAAAAANLEYYYYYYY!".*
YES FINALLY SOMEONE WHO SHARES MY OPINION Fr though I think this movie Expanded sodor in a very cool and fun way. The action scenes with Thomas are really fun to watch and the songs.....are eh good great at best
