Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville On Board Journey Beyond Sodor

British actor Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey) is voicing a new engine in the upcoming special Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor, which will launch on TV screens worldwide and in U.K. theaters this summer.

A film trailer was released today, marking the 72nd anniversary of the first Thomas the Tank Engine book, which was published in 1945. The 70-minute movie will air in more than 70 countries around the world, in addition to premiering in theaters in the U.K. on Friday, August 25. Bonneville is voicing Merlin, a new engine that Thomas befriends when he leaves the Island of Sodor for the first time to travel to the mainland. Journey Beyond Sodor is the 12th feature-length special to be released as part of the Thomas franchise.

Bonneville commented, “I am delighted to be involved in the latest Thomas & Friends movie. Like so many others I enjoyed the books when I was young, so it’s a real honor to be voicing a new character, Merlin. To play an engine in one of Thomas’s adventures is a big thrill for a little boy in a grown-up body! One of the keys to Thomas’s endurance is that young children, who are just beginning to explore their imaginations through storytelling, are drawn into a world they feel they can inhabit and understand. At their heart these are tales of friendship, adventure and lessons learned from mistakes made, all while trying to keep on the railway tracks.”

Ian McCue, the senior producer of Thomas & Friends, said, “When we design engines’ faces it’s really important to us that their character comes across. Merlin is so full of life, energy and enthusiasm and despite being older than Thomas, he also has an innocence to him and he’s a really caring character. Our director worked on a few different sketches, from which we chose the face we felt best fit the character—we chose one which had big, sparkling eyes, and defined cheeks as he’s always laughing. As Merlin tries to make himself invisible, we also wanted to get across a slightly mystical feeling, which we feel his face does well!”

Christopher Keenan, the senior VP of global content and executive producer at Mattel Creations, remarked, “Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor is a shining example of why Thomas continues to enjoy such global success. With its colorful, entertaining new characters and exciting story that takes Thomas off the Island of Sodor for the first time, the new movie stays true to the powerful themes that matter most to children and their parents, especially today: celebrating friendship, embracing differences and working together to achieve common goals. These themes have been the foundation for Thomas & Friends for over 70 years, but this film brings them to life on an epic scale and promises to be a memorable theatrical event for Thomas fans of every age.”

Products that will support the Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor release include brand-new Fisher-Price toy lines featuring four new engines, Hurricane, Merlin, Lexi and a special Steelwork’s edition of Thomas, and more.