The Little Engine That Could (film)
Encyclopedia
The Little Engine that Could is a 1991 animated film
directed by Dave Edwards and co-produced by Edwards and Mike Young
, animated at Kalato Animation in Wales
and co-financed by Universal Studios
through their MCA/Universal Home Video arm and S4C
, Wales' dedicated Welsh-language channel. It was released on VHS by MCA. The film features the voice talents of Kath Soucie
and Frank Welker
. It is based on the book of the same name
, by Watty Piper.
In Wales the film was joint-released in both English and Welsh, under the title Yr Injan Fach Fentrus (The Adventurous Little Engine) and was broadcast on television in both languages. As a native production it was widely available on VHS in Wales and thus achieved a degree of cult status during its time, though never touching on the level of other iconic characters such as Fireman Sam
and Superted
, both of which featured production staff members who worked on The Little Engine That Could.
wakes up and in the roundhouse
, Tillie, a young switcher engine, along with her bird
friend, Chip, wakes up four other trains: Georgia, a kind all-purpose engine, Farnsworth, a stuck-up express engine, Jebediah, a worn-out old engine, and Pete, a gruff, burly freight engine. After the tower assigns Farnsworth and Pete their jobs, Tillie tries to help with the milk train assigned to Jebediah, but the tower insists that she is too small for the job. Georgia is assigned to pull the birthday
train. A clown named Rollo leads the toys into the train, including Stretch, a basketball player; Missy, a ballerina; a Handy Pandy, a panda; Perky, an elephant; and Grumpella, a stuffed bird.
During her journey, Georgia breaks down and is taken back to the roundhouse by Doc. Left behind, Rollo eventually takes Doc's advice of flagging down one of the other engines returning from their daily runs over the mountain. Farnsworth and Pete turn down their offers to pull the train. Meanwhile, Tillie asks the tower to rescue the stranded train, but he insists that Tillie will never do the job. Jebediah turns down his offer to pull the train because of his age, and returns to the roundhouse. Chip and Tillie sneak past the sleeping tower and pulls the birthday train up a mountain. Despite being ridiculed by the animals along the way, Tillie manages to reach the summit.
However, an avalanche
knocks Tillie unconscious. Eric is woken up by a thunderstorm and is worried about Tillie and the birthday train. After Tillie regains consciousness, she pulls the train out of the snow using a cowcatcher and down the mountain before they reach the town, much to Eric and Jill's happiness. The film ends with Tillie, who although very tired, is proud and happy and tells Chip that she did what she could.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
directed by Dave Edwards and co-produced by Edwards and Mike Young
Mike Young (producer)
Michael "Mike" Young , is a Welsh born, US domiciled, Emmy and BAFTA Award-winning animation producer, he is founder of two animation companies in both UK and US. Young is the current COO of MoonScoop.-Biography:...
, animated at Kalato Animation in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and co-financed by Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
through their MCA/Universal Home Video arm and S4C
S4C
S4C , currently branded as S4/C, is a Welsh television channel broadcast from the capital, Cardiff. The first television channel to be aimed specifically at a Welsh-speaking audience, it is the fifth oldest British television channel .The channel - initially broadcast on...
, Wales' dedicated Welsh-language channel. It was released on VHS by MCA. The film features the voice talents of Kath Soucie
Kath Soucie
Katherine Elaine Soucie is an American voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Kath Soucie, Katherine Soucie, Kath Souci, Kath E...
and Frank Welker
Frank Welker
Franklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
. It is based on the book of the same name
The Little Engine That Could
The Little Engine that Could is a children's story that appeared in the United States of America. The book is used to teach children the value of optimism and hard work...
, by Watty Piper.
In Wales the film was joint-released in both English and Welsh, under the title Yr Injan Fach Fentrus (The Adventurous Little Engine) and was broadcast on television in both languages. As a native production it was widely available on VHS in Wales and thus achieved a degree of cult status during its time, though never touching on the level of other iconic characters such as Fireman Sam
Fireman Sam
Fireman Sam is a Welsh animated children's television series about a fireman called Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other townspeople in the Welsh town of Pontypandy . The original idea for the show came from two ex-firemen from Kent...
and Superted
SuperTed
SuperTed is a Welsh teddy bear who has magical super powers. He along with his friend Spotty try to do good. SuperTed was a series of stories created by Mike Young who eventually created a television series based on those stories.-Creation:...
, both of which featured production staff members who worked on The Little Engine That Could.
Plot
Eric, a young boy, is excited about his birthday after reading a book and believes that a train will come for him, despite his sister Jill's disbelief. A few hours later, the train station's control towerControl tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
wakes up and in the roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
, Tillie, a young switcher engine, along with her bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
friend, Chip, wakes up four other trains: Georgia, a kind all-purpose engine, Farnsworth, a stuck-up express engine, Jebediah, a worn-out old engine, and Pete, a gruff, burly freight engine. After the tower assigns Farnsworth and Pete their jobs, Tillie tries to help with the milk train assigned to Jebediah, but the tower insists that she is too small for the job. Georgia is assigned to pull the birthday
Birthday
A birthday is a day or anniversary where a person celebrates his or her date of birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party or rite of passage. Although the major religions celebrate the birth of their founders , Christmas – which is celebrated widely by...
train. A clown named Rollo leads the toys into the train, including Stretch, a basketball player; Missy, a ballerina; a Handy Pandy, a panda; Perky, an elephant; and Grumpella, a stuffed bird.
During her journey, Georgia breaks down and is taken back to the roundhouse by Doc. Left behind, Rollo eventually takes Doc's advice of flagging down one of the other engines returning from their daily runs over the mountain. Farnsworth and Pete turn down their offers to pull the train. Meanwhile, Tillie asks the tower to rescue the stranded train, but he insists that Tillie will never do the job. Jebediah turns down his offer to pull the train because of his age, and returns to the roundhouse. Chip and Tillie sneak past the sleeping tower and pulls the birthday train up a mountain. Despite being ridiculed by the animals along the way, Tillie manages to reach the summit.
However, an avalanche
Avalanche
An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the...
knocks Tillie unconscious. Eric is woken up by a thunderstorm and is worried about Tillie and the birthday train. After Tillie regains consciousness, she pulls the train out of the snow using a cowcatcher and down the mountain before they reach the town, much to Eric and Jill's happiness. The film ends with Tillie, who although very tired, is proud and happy and tells Chip that she did what she could.
Cast
- Kath SoucieKath SoucieKatherine Elaine Soucie is an American voice actress. She is sometimes credited as Kath Soucie, Katherine Soucie, Kath Souci, Kath E...
as Tillie and Missy - Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
as Perky, Eagle, Farnsworth, Jebediah and Rollo - B.J. Ward as Grumpella
- Neil RossNeil RossTheodoric Neilson "Neil" Ross is an English voice actor and announcer, born in London, England and now resident and working in Los Angeles, in the United States. He has provided voices for in many American cartoons, particularly those based on Hasbro products and Marvel Comics, and numerous...
as Doc, Tower and Panda - Bever-Leigh Banfield as Georgia
- Peter CullenPeter CullenPeter Claver Cullen is a Canadian voice actor, known as the voice of Eeyore in the Winnie-the-Pooh franchise, Optimus Prime and Ironhide in the original Transformers series, and the narrator in both of the original American Voltron series...
as Pete and the cave's voice - Scott MenvilleScott MenvilleScott David Menville is primarily an American voice actor, actor, musician, and comedian.-Early life and career:The son of Chuck Menville, he was bassist for the Southern California rock band Boy Hits Car, which released three albums until he left the band in 2006. He was with the group since...
as Chip and Stretch - Billy O'SullivanBilly O'SullivanBilly O'Sullivan is an Irish sportsman. He played hurling with his local club Ballygunner and with the Waterford senior inter-county team.-Early life:...
as Eric - Dina Sherman as Jill
Trivia
- Tillie's narrative story embellishes Piper's original narrative with elements of the earliest Thomas the Tank EngineThomas the Tank EngineThomas the Tank Engine is a fictional steam locomotive in The Railway Series books by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher. He became the most popular character in the series, and the accompanying television spin-off series, Thomas and Friends.Thomas is a tank engine, painted blue...
stories; Tillie like Thomas is cast as a shunting engine seeking to expand her horizons beyond the world of the yard she is assigned to. - Stretch (the basketball player) and Jeepers (the monkey) only have one line in the whole movie.
- Jill is never referred to by name by her brother, and her name is not revealed until the end credits.
- Technically speaking, the birthday train arrives one day late.
Differences between book and film
- The narrative in the book is very linear, being told solely from the perspective of the toys.
- In the film, the train is birthday themed, delivering toys and food to celebrate a child's birthday on the other side of the mountain. In the book, it is simply a train delivering toys and food to children on the other side of the mountain.
- There is not an anthropomorphic control tower in the book, or a character resembling Doc.
- The movie featured a more detailed adventure to the other side of the mountain including the deterring animals, collapsing trestle, intimidating snowstorm and avalanche, unlike the book which simply featured the protagonist chanting her famous line, "I think I can" over the pass.
- In the book, the blue engine chants "I thought I could" as she goes down the mountain. In the movie, she only says it once after she reaches the town.
- The engine on the toy-train in the book usually has a 4-4-24-4-2 (locomotive)Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
wheel arrangement and a number 7. Georgia is a 2-4-2. - The shiny new engine in the book usually has a 4-6-04-6-0Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular...
wheel arrangement and a number 9. Farnsworth is a diesel. - The strong engine in the book usually has a 4-8-04-8-0Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels. The type was nicknamed the Mastodon or Twelve-wheeler in North America....
wheel arrangement and a number 6. Pete is a 2-4-2. - The rusty old engine in the book usually has a 4-4-2 wheel arrangement that has a face on the smokebox and a number 10. Jebediah is a 4-2-2 and has a face on the smokestack.
- The little blue engine in the book usually has a 4-2-4 wheel arrangement. Tillie is a 4-2-2.
- In the book, the rusty old engine is too tired to pull the train over the mountain, and wants to rest. In the movie, he would be happy to pull it, but is too old, and to go over the mountain is considered too much for him due to his age.
- The clown in the movie, named Rollo, is very different from the clown in the book.
- In the book, the blue engine had no idea about the birthday train until she encountered the stranded toys and had some doubt about her ability to pull them as she was just a switch engine. In the movie, Tillie knew about the toy train all along since the Tower told Georgia about it. Tillie had a significant desire to pull the train as shown when she watched Georgia pull the train from the station, tearfully saying, "I can do that."
- The line "He's not the only engine in the world" was spoken by the clown in the book, after the shiny new engine leaves. In the movie, it was said after Farnsworth left, but this time, the elephant says it.
- In the book, the shiny new engine, the strong engine, the toy-train and the rusty old engine are numbered. In the movie, Farnsworth, Pete, Georgia and Jebediah are not numbered.
See also
- The Little Engine That CouldThe Little Engine That CouldThe Little Engine that Could is a children's story that appeared in the United States of America. The book is used to teach children the value of optimism and hard work...
- The book upon which it is based. - The Little Engine That Could (2011 film)The Little Engine That Could (2011 film)The Little Engine That Could is a 2011 CGI film based on the story by Watty Piper. The film was released direct to DVD in the United States on March 22, 2011.-Cast:...
- The 2011 CGI film starring Alyson StonerAlyson StonerAlyson Rae Stoner is an American actress, dancer and singer. Stoner is known for her roles in The Suite Life of Zack & Cody , Cheaper By The Dozen and Cheaper By The Dozen 2 , Step Up and Step Up 3 , and Camp Rock and Camp Rock 2...
.