HIT Entertainment, a subsidiary of Mattel, is planning a new CGI feature-length Thomas & Friends special that will provide a new track for the brand’s licensing partners.
Tale of The Brave is set for release on DVD this September in the U.K. and U.S. The 60-minute movie will introduce a host of new characters including an unusual engine with sloping boilers, called Gator.
Fisher-Price, Mega Bloks and many of the brand’s other global licensees around including Ravensburger, Random House and Egmont will create 27 tie-in Tale of the Brave-themed consumer products across toys, books, games, engines, construction sets, apparel, bedding and accessories. Tale of the Brave will also be featured in issues of the Thomas & Friends magazines in the U.K. and U.S., with a special themed issue to release in September.
The film will release on DVD Sept. 1 in the U.K., on digital HD on Sept. 9 and on Blu-ray combo pack on Sept. 16 in the U.S. and Canada. It will launch across other international territories including Australia, Germany, Benelux, Mexico and Brazil by the end of the year.
A dedicated Tale of the Brave microsite is set to launch globally in August and will feature new games, printable activities, video previews and character reveals. The movie will also be profiled in themed activity sheets at more than 250 Day Out with Thomas events across the U.K.
Screenings of the movie will take place in 80-plus Vue cinemas in the U.K. and Ireland in the lead up to the DVD release. There will also be a celebrity filled blue carpet launch event in London’s Leicester Square.
The U.S. broadcast premiere of Tale of the Brave will be on PBS KIDS; while in Mexico, the film will be premiered at a Thomas & Friends-themed kids and family event, with cinema screenings to follow in Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara. The movie will also be broadcast on Televisa in November, and in Brazil on SBT and TV Cultura.
“We are extremely excited to introduce Tale of the Brave this September,” says Kate Schlomann, vice president, global brands, HIT Entertainment. “With new direction from Michael Carrington, the movie lifts the bar, offering viewers engaging storytelling with more dynamic and compelling animation. Together with HIT partners, we look forward to offering an array of themed consumer products and events across all channels including retail, live events, broadcast, digital and social media.”
