22x26 - Hunt the Truck

[bunniefuu]

[whistle toots]

children: ♪ James, Percy ♪

♪ Nia and Gordon ♪

♪ Rebecca and Emily ♪

♪ And Thomas, number ♪

man: ♪ Let's go, go, go ♪

♪ On a big-world adventure ♪

♪ Let's go, go, go explore ♪

♪ With Thomas

and his friends ♪

♪ Let's go, go, go ♪

♪ And meet

new friendly faces ♪

♪ The world's

just a train ride away ♪

all: ♪ Big world,

big, big adventures ♪

♪ "Thomas & Friends

Big World! Big Adventures!" ♪

[laughter]

- Whoo-hoo!

[cheer echoes]

[engine chugging slows]

♪ ♪

Hi, everyone.

It's great having Nia

here on the island of Sodor.

She's hardworking and helpful.

And she knows so much.

But even very clever engines

can learn new things.

[whistle toots]

All aboard for a big adventure!

♪ ♪

[upbeat music]

[Thomas narrating]

♪ ♪

Nia is a really clever engine.

She's good at finding

her way around Sodor.

And she knows

the names of all the stations.

Nia's also great

at solving problems.

[men clamoring]

[bell dings]

♪ ♪

- There.

Problem solved.

- Oh!

Thank you, Nia.

[whistle toots]

[laughs]

[cheers and applause]

[whistle toots]

- Come on, come on!

Move, will you?

- It's no use

blowing your whistle, Gordon.

That won't make her move.

- But I'm pulling The Express,

and I can't be late.

[cow moos]

- Wait.

I have an idea.

Your driver could pick some of

that long grass over there,

and use it to guide her

away from the tracks.

[cow moos]

There.

- Thank you, Nia.

That was, uh, very clever.

[whistle toots]

- Yes, Nia certainly is

a very clever engine.

[whistle toots]

- Good morning, sir.

- Oh, Nia.

How would you like to work

with Annie and Clarabel today?

- Oh, yes, please.

This is so exciting!

- Then it's settled.

You can pick up your passengers

from Platform .

- Platform ?

Uh, yes, sir.

Right away, sir.

[whistle toots]

[playful music]

- Not Platform , Nia.

- [gasps]

- Platform .

- Oh, uh, of course.

[soft laugh]

[whistle toots]

[indistinct PA announcements]

- This is Platform .

- Oops.

Sorry.

[whistle toots]

Huh?

- Whoopsie!

- Oops.

- That's Platform , Nia.

The one with

the man in a funny hat.

- Uh, sorry, everyone.

Uh, I'm just so excited

to be carrying passengers.

[upbeat music]

♪ ♪

- Um, Clarabel?

Was that a speed limit sign?

- I think it was.

[gasps]

And that was another one.

We need to--

[gasps]

slow down!

- Nia, watch out!

- You're going too fast!

- Oh, no!

[brakes screeching]

[metal clanks]

- [grunting]

[crane clanks, whirrs]

- There you go.

You're back on track again.

- Oh, dear.

Oh, dear, Nia.

Didn't you see

the speed limit signs?

- Yes, sir,

I, uh, did see some signs, sir.

- Then you should have

taken notice of what they said,

and slowed down.

- I'm very sorry, sir.

[somber music]

♪ ♪

- Nia?

Wait, where are we going?

- This isn't the way

back to Knapford.

- Nia, what are you doing?

- Why are we here?

- I've let Sir Topham Hatt

down.

And now everyone

will think I'm silly.

- Silly?

Why?

You're one of

the cleverest engines we know.

Isn't she, Clarabel?

- Oh, yes.

Carly told us

how you sorted out

all the trucks when they were

in a muddle at the docks.

- And Thomas told us

about your idea

of making

a funnel out of leaves

to catch rainwater, when

you got stuck in the Amazon.

[together] You're

a very clever engine, Nia.

- But I'll never be

a really useful engine

if I don't know numbers.

- You don't know numbers?

- I can count all right.

One, two, three, four, five.

And I know that there are

three birds on

that branch over there.

But I can't read

those squiggles

that people call "numbers."

- Oh!

You mean know what a " "

a " ," and a " " look like.

- So that's why

you didn't slow down

for the speed limit signs.

Oh, you should have

told us sooner.

It's okay to ask for help.

- We can teach you

to read numbers, Nia.

[harp glissando]

The number " "

is tall and straight.

- Oh, like a tree?

- Yes, exactly!

- And a " " is curved

with a straight line.

- Like a swan.

- " " is rounded on one side.

- Oh, a butterfly.

- Number " " crisscrosses.

- Like Marion's crane.

- And " "

is straight and curly.

- Oh, a squirrel.

- " " curls up like a--

- I know, an ostrich.

- And " " is two sharp lines.

- Like an axe.

And " "?

- It has two circles.

- Oh, a snowman.

- And " " curls downward.

- Like a drooping flower.

[together]

And don't forget " ."

- It's a circle!

- Like my wheels!

[laughs]

So my number is a " "

and the shape

that looks like a snowman,

which is the number " ."

That's !

[laughter]

- Hooray!

[both laugh]

- Nia was

a very quick learner.

Before long, she was

recognizing numbers

everywhere.

- Hi there, number engine.

Good afternoon, number .

Hey there, number .

- [scoffs] She's already

forgotten our names.

- No, she hasn't, Gordon.

- She's just practicing

her numbers.

[whistle toots]

- Hi, Nia!

[horn beeps]

Uh, what's my number?

- Hmm.

and ...

[gasps]

!

- Always ready, never late!

- Hooray!

Oh, well done, Nia.

- Oh, very good, Nia!

[cheering and laughter]

[bell clanging]

[whistle toots]

- Learning new things is fun,

but sometimes we all need

a little bit of help

to understand something new.

When Dowager had

tried to run the railway,

she kept on making mistakes

and caused a lot

of confusion and delay

before Emily helped her learn

which engines

were the right ones

for each job.

Nia didn't know

how to read numbers,

so Annie and Clarabel

taught her.

Nia is a very clever engine.

She learned very quickly.

Sometimes everybody needs help

and everybody should be given

the chance to learn new things.

Maybe you'll learn

something new today too.

It could be reading or singing

or learning about numbers,

or even how to move a cow

when she's blocking the line!

[giggles]

- Come on, Thomas!

- It's time to go.

- See you next time!

[whistle toots]

[gentle woodwind music]

♪ ♪

Children singing:

[whistle blasts]

[whistle toots]

[upbeat music]

man: ♪ Let's go, go, go ♪

♪ On a big-world adventure ♪

♪ The world's

just a train ride away ♪

all: ♪ Big world,

big, big adventures ♪

♪ "Thomas & Friends

Big World! Big Adventures!" ♪

[laughter]

[whistle toots]