Plans for an original "Thomas & Friends" film started with Paramount Pictures, but were not carried through. Shortly afterward, Destination Films began funding the project and production started in 1998. Filming took place at the Strasburg Rail Road, in Pennsylvania, in Toronto, Canada, and on the Isle of Man. The film underwent numerous alterations in post-production following test screenings, including the removal of Doug Lennox's character P.T. Boomer — who was originally intended to be the story's primary antagonist — and the recasting of several voice actors.