Ahead of the debut of The Railway Children Return later this summer, StudioCanal has announced it will be re-releasing the original film for one day only in early July.
The Railway Children will play in over 200 cinemas nationwide on Sunday 3rd July, with the studio saying it will give audiences “a rare opportunity to watch one of the most beloved British family films of all time on the big screen”.
Originally released more than half a century ago in 1970, the film is based on Edith Nesbit’s novel of the same name and was directed by Lionel Jeffries, with Call the Midwife’s Jenny Agutter and Doctor Who’s Bernard Cribbins among the cast.
It follows events after siblings Bobbie (Agutter), Phyllis (Sally Thomsett) and Peter (Gary Warren) move to the countryside with their mother (Dinah Sheridan) and develop a fascination with the local railway – leading to some daring antics later down the line.
The full synopsis reads: “When Father is mysteriously taken away by the police one night, Bobbie, Phyllis and Peter move to the country with Mother to start a new, more modest life.
“The children while away the summer days playing on the local railway, where they make the acquaintance of station porter Mr. Perks (Cribbins), and the Old Gentleman (William Mervyn), who waves to them from his 1st Class carriage every morning.
“In awe of the great steam locomotives that thunder down the track, the children’s resourcefulness is put to great use: one day preventing a derailment, the next saving an injured cross-country runner; all whilst they await the return of their beloved Father.”
Speaking about the re-release, StudioCanal UK’s CEO Alex Hamilton said: “We’re delighted to be able to bring such a quintessentially British classic back to cinemas once more. With a new chapter in the story, The Railway Children Return set to arrive on 15th July, it’s fantastic to be able to give audiences the opportunity to watch the original on the big screen first.”
The sequel, set during the Second World War, will be released on Friday 15th July and sees Agutter reprise her iconic role alongside new cast members Sheridan Smith, Tom Courtenay, John Bradley and a new generation of Railway Children.
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