It is one of the most watched cartoons across the Channel. The series “Thomas and his friends” will welcome an autistic character voiced by a child himself with ASD. To see from September 21, 2022 on Channel 5 in Great Britain.
Great first in the world of cartoons: the television series for children Thomas and his friends will welcome in its 26e season one” character with Autism Spectrum Disorder (TSA). Her name ? ” Bruno the Brake Car “, a strange wagon which ensures the braking of old trains. Broadcast since 1984 in the United Kingdom and then internationally, this programme, owned by the group Mattelfollows the adventures of Thomas, a blue locomotive with a human head. Bruno the Brake Car will debut the series on September 21, 2022 on the UK channel Channel 5. This character is the result of a collaboration between the Mattel group and the associative fabric, in particular the National autistic society (NAS) of the United Kingdom.
References to the autistic dyad
It was thought of in reference to the autistic dyad. For example, the NAS specifies that ” Bruno is great at his job and keeps heavy and bulky cargo stable with his powerful brakes “. A description that is reminiscent of one of the particularities of this neurodevelopmental disorder, namely high concentration and a sense of detail. Another singularity, Bruno has an intolerance to change and the unexpected, as the NAS points out: “ He likes fixed schedules and when everything goes according to plan “. Finally, he has a lantern to indicate his emotional state to his fellow creatures, while his hearing protectors can also ” blow steam if he feels sensitive to loud noises ».
An autistic actor to dub the series
To double the character of Bruno, the production chose Elliott Garcia, a nine-year-old actor, himself a carrier of ASD. The young boy told the BBC his pride in having had this role with which he identifies: I have to think of new strategies all the time, like Bruno. He can feel really overwhelmed but he always uses comedy to overcome situations “. For his part, Tom Purser, member of the NAS, stresses the importance of bringing characters like Bruno to the screen ” because there are 160,000 children with autism in the UK and they want to see their stories told “. To see or review the last season of the British series in French version, go to the website of “ MyTf1 (link below).
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