Featuring Vibrant Animation And Compelling New Characters, THOMAS & FRIENDS: ALL ENGINES GO™ Premieres On November 8

Climb aboard the new television series that reimagines the classic Thomas & Friends™ franchise, as Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go arrives on Channel 5 Milkshake! on Monday 8th November, featuring an entirely new storytelling approach, vibrant, 2D animation, and a collection of fun new characters to inspire today’s audiences.

Produced by Mattel Television, in partnership with Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana Studio, Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go is only the fourth major revamp ever for the world-famous children’s animated show in its illustrious 75-year history. The new series follows Thomas, more playful and relatable than ever before, as the hero of his own adventure. Join Thomas as he strives to be the Number One Tank Engine through trial and error, all while just enjoying being a kid. And of course, Thomas will always have his friends by his side for every adventure.

Highlights of Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go include a greater range of character expressiveness, more physical comedy and music, and core characters that are now kids themselves and voiced by British child actors. The upbeat and colourful show is crafted to appeal to contemporary audiences’ sensibilities while maintaining Thomas’ core message about the value of friendship.

Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go incorporates 26 social-emotional, cognitive, and physical life lessons throughout the series, including:

•Friendship

•Taking turns

•Teamwork

•Self-help

•Empathy

While Thomas is the hero of this series, he always has his friends by his side. Four additional engines make up the core cast of characters:

•Percy - Thomas’ best friend who loves telling silly jokes, Percy has a lot of hidden courage (that not even he’s aware of!) and will do anything to help his friends.

•Nia - Nia is an engine who loves a good plan, offering both creative and practical solutions. Because Nia is so well travelled, she often has valuable insight into things the other engines haven’t seen before.

•Diesel - Diesel is always trying to one-up Thomas and inadvertently causes trouble for everyone in his quest to be “the real Number One Tank Engine.”

•Kana - An all-new electric high-speed rail train, she is fast talking, loves to race and creates gusts of wind that blow windmills and bend trees in her wake.

Fred Soulie, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Mattel Television, says “This new creative direction for the classic Thomas & Friends franchise is crafted to appeal to contemporary audiences, yet still maintain the beloved characters’ core ethos: the value of friendship. Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go features stories that are both timeless and timely, with themes that will resonate with children, parents and caregivers alike.”

Christopher Keenan, Senior Vice President, Global Content & Executive Producer, Mattel Television, says “We can’t wait for the next generation of fans to meet Thomas and his friends. In Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, we aim for audiences to have fun as we expand the world of Sodor in new and exciting ways. For the better part of the last decade, I’ve had the privilege of working on the Thomas & Friends television series and I’ve seen first-hand how Thomas and his core message about the value of friendship inspire a broad audience - children, parents and caregivers alike. These stories are both timeless and timely, with themes that continue to resonate with kids today”.

Kelly Philp, Director of Marketing, Mattel UK, says: “Thomas & Friends has 92% brand awareness in the UK, so we are looking forward to exciting our Thomas fans new and old with all the fun and adventure of the show’s new approach. The singable songs and endless laughs have already tested well with our pre-school audience and Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go will be a great tool for parents and caregivers too, due to the integrated life lessons and values that are incorporated within the content.”

Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go will premiere on Channel 5 Milkshake on 8th November.  In the UK, the series will be preceded by a new 60-minute animated motion picture, Thomas & Friends: Race for the Sodor Cup™, showing at Vue and Odeon cinemas throughout the UK from Friday 17th September, which will be the first time that children and parents can see the new-look and feel Thomas & Friends before it hits television screens later in the year.

Production credits
Executive Producers are Fred Soulie (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) and Christopher Keenan (Thomas & Friends) for Mattel, Pam Westman, Colin Bohm and Doug Murphy (Corn & Peg) for Nelvana. Developed By Rick Suvalle (Mission Force One). Animation Studio is Nelvana Studio (Thomas & Friends).

About Mattel
Mattel is a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest catalogues of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain, and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends®, UNO®, and MEGA®, as well as other popular intellectual properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming, music, and live events. We operate in 35 locations and our products are available in more than 150 countries in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering children to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential.

Other ways to connect to Thomas & Friends

Thomas & Friends YouTube - For even more Thomas, visit the Thomas & Friends YouTube channel for exclusive content, character features, music videos, and more! Look for new updates every week!

Thomas & Friends Storytime - Kids can now enjoy an immersive audio experience with their favourite tank engine through Thomas & Friends™ Storytime, a kids' podcast series featuring stories from the Island of Sodor! Episodes include origin stories of favourite engines, magical fairy tales, and more. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you listen to podcasts!