Britt Allcroft, creator of the worldwide children's programming franchise Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, on Monday announced the launch of her new independent production company, Britt Allcroft Prods., in Los Angeles. British-born Allcroft said she has set up the company to create and produce a variety of television, film and theater projects, the first of which is the children's live-action adventure TV series Scoobs. Scoobs, which is being launched at MIPTV in Cannes, is targeted for kids ages 6-10 and follows the adventures of a kids scuba-diving team nicknamed the Scoobs. The series was created by Allcroft, David Kuehler and Greg Lee. Kuehler is the director of Project Platypus, a product-development initiative within the girls division at Mattel, and Lee was a writer, contributing producer and host of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning PBS children's show Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Allcroft also is a best-selling author featured on the New York Times children's best-seller list for Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
- 3/23/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- "Bob the Builder" and "Barney" franchise owner HIT Entertainment said Tuesday that Britt Allcroft has resigned from the company as a nonexecutive director to pursue increased work commitments. Los Angeles-based Allcroft, who sold the "Thomas" franchise to HIT's rival Gullane Entertainment three years ago, played a significant role in HIT's subsequent hostile acquisition of Gullane in July. HIT CEO Rob Lawes paid tribute to Allcroft's contribution to HIT and said she is leaving the board effective at month's end in order to focus on her "much increased" media commitments. She will remain a creative consultant on the "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends" television show. "The board would like to thank Britt for her contribution," Lawes said in a statement. "As the creator of the television series 'Thomas the Tank Engine, ' she has been responsible for developing one of the most enduring international children's television characters."...
- 5/21/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
LONDON -- Aiming at an audience whose appreciation is slightly above "Teletubbies" and slightly below "Pokemon", "Thomas and the Magic Railroad" is pure, old-fashioned, sentimental kiddie fun. It may leave adults squirming in their seats with boredom, but for the target audience -- probably ages 3-5 -- it is on target. It will probably pack a modest theatrical punch, but its video life will be massive.
A "Thomas" fact: More than 15 million videos of the television show have been sold worldwide since 1985. Born from a series of British children's books written during the 1940s by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry, the film -- which opened last week in the United Kingdom through Icon Distribution -- was written and directed by Britt Allcroft, who has overseen "Thomas'" development from the page to the television screen since 1983.
The quirky casting of such known Hollywood talent as Alec Baldwin and Peter Fonda may seem a little bizarre, but Baldwin, for one, totally engages with the story and offers a great deal of charm and fun.
The film combines animation with live action, but it makes little effort to change things drastically from the television series. The story of "Thomas" is set in two worlds -- on the island of Sodor, where Thomas and his train buddies happily chug away in a land of innocence, and in Shining Time Station, the human world. Straddling the worlds is Mr. Conductor (Baldwin), whose magic gold-dust sparkle allows him to travel between the worlds.
Trouble comes in the form of the naughty diesel engines, who plan to close the route between the worlds in their search for a lost steam engine named Lady. This magical engine is cared for by Grandpa Burnett Stone (Fonda), but he is no longer able to get her to travel between the worlds. Add to the mix Stone's feisty daughter Lily (Mara Wilson) and apprentice conductor Junior (Michael E. Rodgers), and you have what passes for adventure in the world of "Thomas".
The endearing thing about "Thomas" is that the trains have changed little from their television incarnations. The mouths still don't move when they talk, and they still look like toy trains. The film does an excellent job of putting the live-action characters into the animated world.
Baldwin relishes having a bit of fun as Mr. Conductor. But Fonda seems out of place among the kiddie fun, and he doesn't seem at ease talking to steam engines.
Wilson is an old hand at this sort of role ("Matilda", "Mrs. Doubtfire"). But the distinguished Russell Means, as train driver Billy Twofeathers, is given nothing to do but drive a steam train in a few scenes.
Allcroft's direction is by the numbers, but she has such knowledge and control of the characters that she is completely at ease in her theatrical debut.
THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD
Destination Films
Destination Films, Gullane Pictures,
Barry London/Brent Baum in association
with the Isle of Man Film Commission
Producers: Britt Allcroft, Phil Fehrle
Director-screenwriter: Britt Allcroft
Executive producers: Charles Falzon,
Nancy Chapelle, Barry London,
Brent Baum, John Bertolli
Director of photography: Paul Ryan
Production designer: Oleg Savytski
Editor: Ron Wisman
Costume designer: Luis M. Sequeira
Music: Hummie Mann
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mr. Conductor: Alec Baldwin
Grandpa Burnett Stone: Peter Fonda
Lily: Mara Wilson
Billy Twofeathers: Russell Means
Stacy: Didi Conn
Junior: Michael E. Rodgers
Patch: Cody McMains
Voice of Thomas the Tank Engine: Edward Glen
Running time - 85 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
A "Thomas" fact: More than 15 million videos of the television show have been sold worldwide since 1985. Born from a series of British children's books written during the 1940s by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry, the film -- which opened last week in the United Kingdom through Icon Distribution -- was written and directed by Britt Allcroft, who has overseen "Thomas'" development from the page to the television screen since 1983.
The quirky casting of such known Hollywood talent as Alec Baldwin and Peter Fonda may seem a little bizarre, but Baldwin, for one, totally engages with the story and offers a great deal of charm and fun.
The film combines animation with live action, but it makes little effort to change things drastically from the television series. The story of "Thomas" is set in two worlds -- on the island of Sodor, where Thomas and his train buddies happily chug away in a land of innocence, and in Shining Time Station, the human world. Straddling the worlds is Mr. Conductor (Baldwin), whose magic gold-dust sparkle allows him to travel between the worlds.
Trouble comes in the form of the naughty diesel engines, who plan to close the route between the worlds in their search for a lost steam engine named Lady. This magical engine is cared for by Grandpa Burnett Stone (Fonda), but he is no longer able to get her to travel between the worlds. Add to the mix Stone's feisty daughter Lily (Mara Wilson) and apprentice conductor Junior (Michael E. Rodgers), and you have what passes for adventure in the world of "Thomas".
The endearing thing about "Thomas" is that the trains have changed little from their television incarnations. The mouths still don't move when they talk, and they still look like toy trains. The film does an excellent job of putting the live-action characters into the animated world.
Baldwin relishes having a bit of fun as Mr. Conductor. But Fonda seems out of place among the kiddie fun, and he doesn't seem at ease talking to steam engines.
Wilson is an old hand at this sort of role ("Matilda", "Mrs. Doubtfire"). But the distinguished Russell Means, as train driver Billy Twofeathers, is given nothing to do but drive a steam train in a few scenes.
Allcroft's direction is by the numbers, but she has such knowledge and control of the characters that she is completely at ease in her theatrical debut.
THOMAS AND THE MAGIC RAILROAD
Destination Films
Destination Films, Gullane Pictures,
Barry London/Brent Baum in association
with the Isle of Man Film Commission
Producers: Britt Allcroft, Phil Fehrle
Director-screenwriter: Britt Allcroft
Executive producers: Charles Falzon,
Nancy Chapelle, Barry London,
Brent Baum, John Bertolli
Director of photography: Paul Ryan
Production designer: Oleg Savytski
Editor: Ron Wisman
Costume designer: Luis M. Sequeira
Music: Hummie Mann
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mr. Conductor: Alec Baldwin
Grandpa Burnett Stone: Peter Fonda
Lily: Mara Wilson
Billy Twofeathers: Russell Means
Stacy: Didi Conn
Junior: Michael E. Rodgers
Patch: Cody McMains
Voice of Thomas the Tank Engine: Edward Glen
Running time - 85 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
- 7/19/2000
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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