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THOMAS & FRIENDS: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS CHUGGA-CHUG-CHUGS TO DISNEY JUNIOR ON MAY 23

ONE-HOUR SPECIAL PRECEDES SERIES LAUNCH ON MAY 24

Toronto, May 7, 2015 – All aboard! A smiling blue steam engine is pulling into Disney Junior this spring with the premiere of the animated special Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins. Debuting Saturday, May 23 at 6:40 p.m. ET, the hour-long adventure reveals Thomas’ origins as he arrives at his new home, the beautiful Island of Sodor, and encounters a fantastic fleet of new friends. The special airs prior to the official network launch of the series, Thomas & Friends, which begins on Sunday, May 24 at 10:30 a.m. ET, and serves as the caboose to an exciting evening of family programming, beginning at 5 p.m. ET with the feature film Finding Nemo.

Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins takes viewers on a journey to where it all began, chronicling how Thomas first arrived on the Island of Sodor and how he became the “Number 1” engine. The one-hour escapade follows Thomas as he explores his new home, meets some “Really Useful” new friends and discovers the true blue meaning of hard work and friendship.

Based on the classic books, “The Railroad Series,” Thomas & Friends follows the daily adventures of friendly and loyal engines Thomas, James, Percy, Emily, Henry and Gordon, and their firm but friendly conductor boss, Sir Topham Hatt. The engines help each other overcome obstacles with perseverance and bravery as they strive to keep the Island of Sodor running smoothly. Each episode features two animated stories, a live-action segment and a music video – all designed to delight children with timeless life lessons about the importance of discovery, cooperation and friendship. New episodes of Thomas & Friends will air regularly Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. ET. Disney Junior OnDemand will also offer new episodes as they become available beginning June 1.

The voyage continues at DisneyJunior.ca, where parents and kids can discover hours of fun on the brand new Thomas & Friends supersite. Activities include fun colouring sheets, crafty cutouts and the magical new game “Tangled Rail Tales,” where Thomas fans can put a series of scrambled story scenes in the correct order to create an exciting adventure.

Thomas & Friends: The Adventure Begins features the voice talents of Joseph May (Episodes) as Thomas; Kerry Shale (The Trip) as Henry and Gordon; William Hope (Dark Shadows) as Edward; Teresa Gallagher (Cars 2) as Annie, Clarabel and Judy; Rob Rackstraw (Bob The Builder) as James; Tim Whitnall (Henry Hugglemonster) as Jerome; Christopher Ragland (Inside Out) as the Troublesome Trucks; Keith Wickham (Jungle Junction) as Glynn, Sir Topham Hatt, and the other human characters; and Mark Moraghan as The Narrator. The series was created by Britt Allcroft and is produced by HIT Entertainment.

Disney Junior is a commercial-free channel available in English and French to subscribers across Canada. Committed to offering the best in engaging and development-based programming for younger children, Disney Junior showcases series with a focus on magical, musical and heartfelt stories that feature beloved classic and contemporary characters. Presenting exclusive, first-run programs from Disney together with celebrated Canadian series, Disney Junior is also available through Disney Junior OnDemand and Disney Junior OnLine.

About DHX Television

DHX Television is comprised of Family Channel, Disney XD and Disney Junior (English & French) and is part of DHX Media Ltd., a leading creator, producer, marketer and broadcaster of family entertainment. DHX Media Ltd. markets and distributes its library of more than 11,000 half-hours of entertainment programming worldwide, and licenses its owned properties through its dedicated consumer products business. DHX Media Ltd.’s full-service international licensing agency, Copyright Promotions Licensing Group Ltd. (CPLG), represents numerous entertainment, sport and design brands. DHX Media Ltd. has offices in Toronto, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Halifax, London, Paris, Barcelona, Milan, Munich and Amsterdam and is traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.