Thomas & Friends: Misty Island Rescue

Misty Island Rescue is a feature-length Thomas & Friends film released as a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack in the US on 7th September 2010 and on DVD in the UK on 11th October 2010. It was considered to be the worst Thomas and Friends film by fans, and represents the absolute lowest point in the television series.

Plot
Thomas mocks Diesel for not being a steam engine, and for being different from the other locomotives. Diesel tries to prove himself in a race against Thomas, but suffers a bridge accident and looses his cargo. Thomas rescues Diesel, and is rewarded with a visit to the rescue center on the mainland. Thomas is placed on a raft and pulled by boat. The chain connecting the raft to the boat breaks during the trip, and a lost Thomas is eventually stranded on Misty Island. His only companions are the "Logging Locos", a trio of locomotives who received unfavorable transfer there for reckless behavior. After exploring the island for a while, Thomas learns that there is a tunnel connecting Misty Island and Sodor. Thomas and the Logging Locos attempt to cross the tunnel, but are trapped in a cave-in. Thomas uses his engine smoke to signal for help, and the group are rescued by Percy and Whiff. Once he returns to safety, Thomas learns that Sir Topham Hatt was looking for him and has led a rescue.

Why We Need to Be Rescued From This Movie

 * 1) It introduces the infamous Logging Locos of Misty Island, engines that act very cheesy, selfish, and are very lousy engines who just make fun of Thomas and don't even understand anything that Thomas knows. They have very little personality and contribute nothing to the Thomas & Friends franchise whatsoever.
 * 2) * Bash and Dash do nothing but say each other's lines from start to finish.
 * 3) * Ferdinand just says "That's right!" constantly. He says it a total of twenty times throughout the film, the first three alone were already grating and repetitive.
 * 4) * They always laugh at the simplest of things, which has already gotten very annoying after the first.
 * 5) *They can also be viewed as kind of insane, since they nonchalantly tell Thomas they're going to throw him in the river for fun.
 * 6) *In general, after events of the movie, they have been constantly shoehorned in Seasons 14-16, which shows why the Miller era was a dark time for the series due to Sharon Miller's poor writing and HiT's poor management, especially in episodes where they are not needed.
 * 7) There are so many plot holes and continuity errors all throughout the film:
 * 8) * In the Japanese dub, Hee Haw and Ol' Wheezy have voices despite neither having faces. That was a minor issue with Henrietta since she didn't have a face until Season 18. But here, they talk like they have no faces. They don't speak in other versions, though.
 * 9) ** Their movements imply that they have operators, despite the complete absence of humans on the island.
 * 10) * If Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand don't have enough oil to go to Sodor by the Misty Island Tunnel, then they should not go at all costs.
 * 11) * Thomas wants to go to Sodor to bring the jobi logs, then for some reason, all the Logging Locos go with him. What makes them think that Thomas is forcing them? If it's not Thomas, then why are they thinking they are being forced to go to Sodor? They are all hauling a flatbed of logs each, and one of the twins isn't even pulling anything.
 * 12) * How can Thomas not handle flatbeds on his own if (unlike the E2s in real life) he is capable of pulling and shunting cars, coaches, and even brake vans of all trains that Thomas has pulled? This truly ruins the continuity of the character, as well as the Railway Series, and as well as the show!
 * 13) * There are some strange geographical errors, such as Misty Island being a few miles away from Sodor, yet is practically unknown to most on the latter.
 * 14) ** It is within view of Brendam Docks, but apparently has never been seen due to the namesake mist, which only lifts to reveal the island in this film.
 * 15) ** Whiff knows all about Misty Island, despite only being on Sodor since Season 11. Edward is older, has been on the island longer than any other engine that has arrived, and regularly travels to the docks, so how could he have never seen or even hear about the island?
 * 16) * When Diesel races off with the Jobi wood, he comes to a half-built bridge with no barriers or signage to stop or warn trains before reaching the end of the track! And here's another thing, there doesn't appear to be any scaffolding, workers, or machinery around the area, appearing as though they only bothered to build half of the bridge, then call it a day.
 * 17) * It should be noted that the BR Class 08 locomotive that Diesel is based on can only reach speeds of 25 mph, yet Diesel seems to go much faster as he runs away from Thomas.
 * 18) * When Thomas finds a flatbed of Jobi wood, he pushes it. However, when he and the Logging Locos arrive at the tunnel, he is pulling it without explanation.
 * 19) * While trapped in the tunnel Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand run out of oil and are unable to move, but Bash and Dash's bunkers as well as Ferdinand's tender have wood in them, so why didn't they just burn that?
 * 20) * Thomas, Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand charge at the blockade and unsuccessfully attempt to break through. However, Whiff and Percy, two smaller, less powerful engines, manage to crash through the barrier and allow the other four engines to exit.
 * 21) * Whiff and Percy go forward into the Misty Island Tunnel, and are facing Thomas when they find him and the Logging Locos, but when they all exit the tunnel on Sodor, Whiff and Percy have somehow turned around.
 * 22) Misty Island appears to have an entire logging camp, as well as a railway with engines, but there doesn't appear to be any humans present on the island to operate the machinery. This isn't a bad concept (at least on paper), but in practice, this is poorly handled, especially since the engines need drivers to move them.
 * 23) * Also, the camp has a zip-line, which is unrealistic for transporting engines, not to mention the Shake-shake Bridge, which in real life would not be able to withstand a light breeze, much less bear the weight of an engine.
 * 24) Although Thomas wasn't quite as charmful during the final few seasons of the model series (notably Season 12), he somehow still does a lot of idiotic mistakes throughout the entire film, even more than what he was previously.
 * 25) *For example: He chooses an old rail raft behind the boat and asks to be carried on it, rather than waiting for another boat, and the chains linking it to the boat are rusty. Sure enough, the raft breaks off from the boat.  On the subject of the boat ride...
 * 26) ** Why does the ferry even have such a raft attached to itself in the first place?
 * 27) ** Thomas whistles after the chains break, but apparently nobody on the ship hears him, even though its lights suggest there are people awake aboard. This is why the concept of a rail raft is a really stupid one, especially for transport.
 * 28) ** Thomas and Spencer need to take a ferry to the mainland, even though Sodor has a rail bridge connecting all the way to the mainland at Vicarstown, which makes the idea completely pointless, stupid, and unnecessary. Also, the ferry trip takes much longer than it should, considering how close Sodor is to the Mainland/England. Spencer is also never seen again when he’s hauled onto the Ferry, or on Misty Island with Thomas.
 * 29) ** Spencer is placed in the hull of the ferry, then the dock manager says there isn't any room for Thomas, yet that same ferry later carries Edward, James, and Gordon to Misty Island, ALL ON THE SAME DECK!
 * 30) ***Not to mention how after the ship leaves, there's a panning shot that shows that the deck on the ship is completely empty.
 * 31) ** After the rail raft breaks off from the ferry, it then just happens to drift toward Misty Island, to a spot that just happens to have a pier with railway tracks, and docks with the rails perfectly to allow Thomas to disembark the raft.
 * 32) Speaking of going to the Mainland, Thomas going to the Mainland to get more Jobi logs sounds like an excuse to prove Thomas' racist comment on Diesel right that Diesel can't do anything good and that Diesel is really useless because he's a diesel engine and not a steam engine alongside his devious nature.
 * 33) The story is filled with plot conveniences. For example, it's set up that Misty Island is a long-lost island, but all of a sudden, it's right next to Sodor with a random tunnel connecting the two.
 * 34) Much like "Day of the Diesels", Thomas is really unlikable in this movie. He comes off as a completely selfish moron who is too stuck up to even know the difference between what's right and wrong, caring little about anything other than himself.
 * 35) *He gets no karma or repercussion for his actions, and everything works out fine for him like he should get what he wants, which isn't true.
 * 36) *He discriminates Diesel for being a diesel engine, yet he has been friends with diesels like Mavis, Rusty, Daisy, and Salty, making him a hypocrite, though to be fair, Diesel has been causing him and his steam engine friends trouble a lot with his devious nature but it's not much a excuse.
 * 37) *He makes bad decisions despite saying he makes "good" ones (though in this film, he only made one, and even that had a negative reprecussion).
 * 38) *He ignores the Logging Locos when they need oil to build up steam.
 * 39) *He thinks what's good enough for himself and no one else, even after he saved Diesel from falling off at the edge of the then-unfinished bridge.
 * 40) *Speaking of rescuing Diesel, he didn't even bother telling Diesel that the bridge to the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre wasn't ready for use at the time, not even when he chased him.
 * 41) *As typical of Seasons 8-16, he acts like this repugnant, stuck up, know-it-all type of character that no one would find likable about Thomas, far from what made Thomas the Tank Engine an appealing character to begin with.
 * 42) The Misty Island Tunnel has had a blockade isolating the Island from Sodor, and the engines attempt to break through it, which is extremely dangerous as it could cause the rest of the tunnel to collapse.
 * 43) * Not only that, but as the tunnel travels under the seabed, a collapse could also flood the tunnel, drowning the engines' crews, as well as the engines.
 * 44) * Indeed, the tunnel does collapse behind Thomas and the Logging Locos, trapping them in. Coincidentally, a hole opens above Thomas that lets him send a signal, he was lucky that part of the tunnel was still on Misty Island!
 * 45) As typical of the era, the engine drivers and firemen are apparently needed to run the engines, but are otherwise next to nonexistent, with no regard given to their health and safety...
 * 46) * They apparently rode in Thomas's cab when he was riding on the raft to the Mainland, and did nothing about the issue until they sound Thomas's whistle when the raft broke from the ferry. Realistically, they should not have allowed Thomas to even be placed on the raft at all.
 * 47) * While on Misty Island, they don't even bother to lean out of the cab and look at the unfamiliar landscape, nor do we see them setting up any sort of camp when Thomas goes to sleep on the island.
 * 48) * The Misty Island Tunnel is particularly dangerous for the drivers and firemen, not only due to the potential for causing a huge collapse or flooding as described above, but they could suffocate from all the smoke that the steam engines produce within such a long, confining tunnel.
 * 49) The rhyming and alliteration are at their absolute worst in this film, a notable example being Thomas's often repeated: "I make good decisions, that's what I was told!  I will not be fearful, I'll be brave and bold!" which is very irritating to listen to, and the way Thomas says this is him bragging and proving he always makes good decisions, when he doesn't. In fact, by counting them all, this movie has a total of 65 rhymes.This was where the rhyming and alliteration clearly started getting way out of control beyond belief.
 * 50) The voice acting is surprisingly bad, with all the actors sounding bored. The only exception to this is with the actors for the Logging Locos, who constantly overact.
 * 51) For some strange reason, when Thomas finally comes back to Sodor along with Percy, and Whiff, and introduces to the Logging Locos from Misty Island, and when Harold The Helicopter comes back, The narrator states Harold the Helicopter isn't happy, which makes no sense as there is a scene of Harold being happy when Thomas came back from Misty Island.
 * 52) Very bad character development, especially for Bash, Dash, and Ferdinand. The three engines make fun of what Thomas says, including one scene where Thomas shows them how to shunt flatbeds of logs (which is kinda clever of him), they laugh at Thomas while he's talking about The Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt while bragging about how he making good decisions all the time the umpteenth time. Worst yet, they even claimed that his name is very funny with the "Who is Sir Topham Hatt?!" line.
 * 53) The US version uses the Fat Controller's real name, Sir Topham Hatt, but the UK version doesn't since someone behind the UK version did not understand the fact that both the Fat Controller and Sir Topham Hatt are the exact same person despite the Fat Controller being his name.
 * 54) *Though the UK version part is more insulting than in the US version since Sir Topham Hatt is fat, and the way Bash says "Who's the Fat Controller?" is him making fun of not only his name, but also his shape.
 * 55) The Fat Controller sending Edward, James, and Gordon to look for Thomas is ungodly pointless. Of course the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre is in the works, but that's beside the point. The point is that Topham should have sent the entire rescue team to look for Thomas and only one engine (because someone's got to pull Rocky) to go look for him at Misty Island. But, no. The story never does that.
 * 56) The story is rather more a badly written story compared to the feature-length film Thomas and the Magic Railroad, which (depending on your view) has better and tolerable writing than this.
 * 57) The attempts at humor are really unfunny and cringeworthy. Such as the Logging Locos telling Thomas that he should ride the throwing crane Ol' Wheezy, which would have resulted in the former being severely damaged from being thrown into a river.
 * 58) *This should be noted that if any railway in the world had a crane that constantly spins and throws things around in real life, the railway would either be closed or at the very least, be forced to go decommission the crane.
 * 59) Although the movie does have a good message about why you are not right all the time, it shows two terrible morals that are used on purpose. One being 'discriminating those different from you' and the other one being that you can 'go and act like an incompetent, stupid, idiotic, and selfish know-it-all who would put your friends and everyone else around you in danger, as long as you sound confident enough to make yourself look good.'
 * 60) Overall, this film left a horrible impact on the 1984-2020 Thomas & Friends series. The series was already on a downward slope starting in Season 8 but got worse when it transitioned to CGI. The events of the film were later disregarded in all Thomas films showing no mention of the Logging Locos or Misty Island. After Season 16, nothing about Misty Island or the Logging Locos were mentioned ever again in the main TV series, period. Thomas and the Magic Railroad may have put no effect on Thomas & Friends as a whole, but at least it had potential, likable characters, effort, and had good intentions compared to the likes of a movie with a stupid story, a trash concept, unlikable new characters (with the exception of Captain despite being the least used), forced obvious stating, grating rhyming and alliteration, and unfunny attempts at humor. In later years after Season 16, anything regarding Misty Island would be taken as nothing but a joke instead of being given the respect it never deserves. Even the "Big World! Big Adventures!" era, "All Engines Go", and the Thomas Creator Collective five-episode-arc special, "Big Galaxy! Big Adventures!" have gone to show that everything about Misty Island and the Logging Locos have been taken as a joke and nothing more.
 * 61) *The ridiculing on the movie, Misty Island, and the Logging Locos also goes to show this movie is now a joke and nothing more.
 * 62) *It's safe to say that this movie is more like an full-length Thomas and Friends April Fools Day joke rather than a Thomas and Friends Movie.
 * 63) *You can also watch all the episodes of the Thomas & Friends original series (skipping the episodes where The Logging Locos and Misty Island are present or appear), "All Engines Go" (despite being incredibly unfaithful to the source material.), the Thomas Creator Collective five-episode-arc special, "Big Galaxy! Big Adventures!" Thomas and the Magic Railroad, all the direct-to-video specials skipping over this film and nothing really important would be missed, since it is so mean spirited that even a Thomas fan wouldn't like this movie.
 * 64) **This is what happens when you think of pranks, false advertising and being mean spirited a lot to Thomas and Friends instead of the other way around.

Redeeming Qualities

 * 1) The premise of having another island called "Misty Island" is a pretty interesting idea, though it was poorly executed due to a stupidly bad story, poor characterizations, and other listed above.
 * 2) The one thing likable about the Logging Locos here is that all three of them do have a very smart point about the Misty Island Tunnel being closed and too dangerous to get in there, if only Thomas had listened...
 * 3) Unlike "Day of the Diesels", at least Thomas learns a lesson before the very end.
 * 4) *Aside of that, the movie does show a really good moral that no one is always right.
 * 5) The Fat Controller's lineː "I may find another hat, but I will never find another Thomas" is a touching and heartwarming line and shows a true connection between the two characters.
 * 6) Awdry's map of Sodor can be seen outside Sir Topham Hatt's trailer as Whiff and Percy are about to enter the Misty Island Tunnel.
 * 7) The UK narrator Michael Angelis is still amazing. US narrator Michael Brandon does a great job as well.
 * 8) Diesel 10 appears at the end of the movie, which he would appear in a later special. His voice, done by Rupert Degas, is really impressive, and really suits him more than Neil Crone from Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
 * 9) From time to time, the Logging Locos don't laugh, and instead do want to know what the Island of Sodor is and even the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre is while Thomas knows what's all about, which is another part of the three being likable than either one-dimensional or stupid.
 * 10) The setting for the Sodor Search and Rescue Centre looks interesting.
 * 11) The CGI animation is still good, and the various setpieces at Misty Island are really creative.

Full Movie
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Reviews
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