Sonny/Behind the Scenes

Television Series
Sonny is a fictional tank engine created by Ian McCue, Laura Beaumont and Paul Larson.

In 2020, Sonny made his debut in the twenty-fourth series of Thomas & Friends in the special, A New Arrival.

Sonny is voiced by Joe Swash (UK/US) in the CGI version of the series on both sides of the Atlantic, respectively. The character is voiced with a matching accent to his home country, mainly a British accent like many existing characters in the television series, though his voice also displays a slight Cockney accent.

Sonny is based upon the Haydock Foundry well-tank locomotive Bellerophon, built in 1874 and designed by Josiah Evans. The locomotive is currently preserved by the Vintage Carriages Trust.

CGI Model
In 2009, the series introduced Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) as a replacement for the show's long-standing live-action models. In 2019, Sonny was created from scratch in CGI by Jam Filled Toronto for the twenty-fourth series. The model was "hand-sculpted" in Maya, a 3D animation and modelling software.

Voice Actors

 * Joe Swash
 * Manuel Campuzano
 * Caio Guarnieri
 * Junpei Gotô
 * Tamaki Orie