Thomas & Friends

A British children's television series about Thomas the Tank Engine and other locomotives on the fictional Island of Sodor. It began in 1984 and adapts stories from the Railway Series.

The Railway Series: A children's book series about railway engines on the fictional Island of Sodor, written by the Reverend W. Awdry and later his son Christopher. These books supplied the characters and stories adapted for television.
Model animation: Animation made by filming physical models or puppets in successive poses. The original television episodes brought Sodor to life with filmed miniature locomotives.
Sodor: A fictional island in the Irish Sea that is the setting of the Railway Series and Thomas & Friends. Its railways and communities provide the shared setting for the series.
Thomas the Tank Engine merchandise: Licensed products based on Thomas the Tank Engine and the wider Thomas & Friends franchise. Toys and other products made the television characters familiar beyond the screen.
Wilbert Awdry: An English Anglican clergyman and author who created the Railway Series. His stories about Thomas and other engines became the television series' source material.
Live-action model animation: A production technique combining filmed physical models with animated effects or characters. The series used filmed model trains before shifting to fully computer-generated imagery.
North Western Railway: The fictional railway on Sodor whose engines include Thomas, Edward, Henry, and Gordon. Thomas and his fellow engines work on this railway.
Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go: An animated television series that reimagines Thomas and his friends in a more energetic, child-focused style. This later series substantially changed the franchise's animation and characterization.
Christopher Awdry: An English author who continued the Railway Series after his father, Wilbert Awdry. His books expanded the fictional railway world adapted by later episodes.
Computer-generated imagery: Images created or altered using computer graphics techniques. Later episodes replaced the original physical models with computer-animated engines and settings.

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