Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesels

Thomas & Friends: Day of the Diesels is a 2011 animated adventure film and feature-length special of the British television series Thomas & Friends. It is the first (and only) special to be a spin-off around a character from the series; so the star is Thomas' best friend Percy. The film is produced by HIT Entertainment and animated by Nitrogen Studios.

Plot
New engine, Belle extinguishes a fire, but runs out of water. Thomas and Percy take her to the Steamworks where Sir Topham Hatt congratulates her and says they need another fire engine. Belle suggests a road/rail hybrid fire engine she knows named Flynn and arrangements are made to bring him over from the Mainland. Thomas starts to spend more time with Belle and later Flynn when he arrives. Percy feels left out, as well as from everyone else, and is convinced by Diesel, to visit Diesel's friend: Diesel 10, at the rundown Dieselworks. Diesel 10 will be Percy's mentor and new best friend. Diesel 10 informs Percy that Sir Topham Hatt does not care about the state of the Dieselworks and Percy says he will ask Thomas.

Percy finds Thomas by the time Flynn arrives on the island, and tries to tell him about the Dieselworks, but Thomas disregards this as Sir Topham Hatt asked him to show Flynn around. Feeling left out again, Percy goes back to the Dieselworks the next day and finds out that they lack a working crane. So, Percy goes to the Steamworks to tell Kevin about his dilemma and convinces Kevin to be the Dieselworks’ crane. However, Thomas breaks the conversation to tell Percy that Flynn’s hose is missing and that he must find it. While searching for it, Percy sees Flynn in his birth at Tidmouth Sheds next to Thomas, which makes Percy feel even more left out and sad. Forgetting about the hose, Percy takes Kevin to the Dieselworks while Victor is asleep, and Diesel 10 is happy to have a new crane.

Diesel 10 tells Percy to bring Thomas to the Dieselworks so he can pay full attention. Percy goes to Knapford the next day. Gordon informs everyone that Kevin is missing, and Thomas tells Percy to inform Victor about moving Kevin. Percy has Thomas go to the Dieselworks himself to get Kevin, and Victor informs Sir Topham Hatt. Percy returns to the Dieselworks followed by Thomas. Diesel 10 puts Thomas in the back shed and the diesels go to the Steamworks so they can take it over. Percy is horrified to learn that Diesel 10 has been using him the whole time, and that Thomas is his best friend and not Diesel 10. Percy goes back to the Dieselworks and finds a fire in the main shed; he races to the Rescue Centre for Belle and Flynn, though Flynn does not have his hose. They return to the Dieselworks where Thomas and Kevin are being held hostage.

Percy frees Thomas and Kevin, and Belle and Flynn successfully put out the fire. Thomas, Percy, and Kevin rally the other engines to take back the Steamworks, where the diesels wreak havoc there. The steam engines promise Diesel 10 that they will help him fix the Dieselworks. Sir Topham Hatt arrives, and orders Diesel 10 to fix the damage. Percy, Thomas, and Kevin tell Sir Topham Hatt about the Dieselworks, and he says he had already been planning to fix it. The steam engines and diesel engines work together to fix the Dieselworks, and Sir Topham Hatt reopens it.

Voice cast

 * Rupert Degas as Flynn and Dart
 * Matt Wilkinson as Diesel 10
 * Teresa Gallagher as Belle
 * Keith Wickham as Den, Salty, Paxton, Norman, and Dowager Hatt
 * Kerry Shale as 'Arry, Bert and Sidney

UK dub

 * Keith Wickham as Percy, James, Gordon, Henry, Edward, Dowager Hatt and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Ben Small as Thomas and Toby
 * Matt Wilkinson as Kevin, Stanley, Victor, Rocky, Cranky and Farmer McColl
 * Teresa Gallagher as Belle, Emily, Mavis and Lady Hatt
 * Kerry Shale as Diesel
 * Michael Angelis as the Narrator

US dub

 * Martin Sherman as Thomas and Percy
 * Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, James, Stanley, Kevin and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily, Mavis and Lady Hatt
 * William Hope as Edward, Toby, Rocky and Farmer McColl
 * David Bedella as Victor
 * Glenn Wrage as Cranky
 * Michael Brandon as Diesel and the Narrator

Reception
Renee Longstreet of Common Sense Media gave the film 3 stars out of 5, stating the film "offers standard Thomas fare".