The Polar Express (2004)

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers (WGA):

Chris Van Allsburg (book)
Robert Zemeckis (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 November 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Family | Fantasy

Tagline:

Journey Beyond Your Imagination

Plot:

On Christmas Eve, a doubting boy boards a magical train that's headed to the North Pole and Santa Claus's home.

Plot Keywords:

North Pole | Christmas Eve | Train | Christmas | Sleigh

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Tom Hanks	...	Hero Boy / Father / Conductor / Hobo / Scrooge / Santa Claus
Leslie Zemeckis	...	Sister Sarah / Mother
Eddie Deezen	...	Know-It-All
Nona Gaye	...	Hero Girl
Peter Scolari	...	Lonely Boy
Andy Pellick	...	Pastry Chef
Josh Eli	...	Waiter
Mark Mendonca	...	Waiter
Rolandas Hendricks	...	Waiter
Mark Goodman	...	Waiter
Jon Scott	...	Waiter
Gregory Gast	...	Waiter
Sean Scott	...	Waiter
Gordon Hart	...	Waiter
Michael Jeter	...	Smokey / Steamer

Also Known As:

The Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience (USA) (IMAX version)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS | IMAX 6-Track

Certification:

Indonesia:SU | South Korea:All | Portugal:M/4 | Canada:G (all jurisdictions) | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | USA:PG (Special Edition DVD) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | USA:G (certificate #41220) | New Zealand:G | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Brazil:Livre | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:U | Finland:S | Germany:6 | Ireland:G | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Peru:PT | Philippines:G | Singapore:G | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:8 (canton of Zurich) | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Castle Rock Entertainment

Trivia:

The real name of the Hero Boy is never mentioned.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the Hero Girl's ticket has blown outside the train and comes back in and rests on an air intake, in the following shots it disappears and reappears.

Quotes:

The Conductor: [singing] Here we only got one rule / Never, ever let it cool / Keep it cooking in the pot / Soon we got hot chocolate!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "30 Rock: Succession (#2.13)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Winter Wonderland

wonderful holiday film

So it was with much trepidation and even utter fear in my heart that I went to see this movie. After all, the last time I went to see a full-length adaptation of a favorite Christmas story, what I got was Ron Howard's absolutely God-awful "The Grinch". Having grown up with the book "The Polar Express" (according to my mom, I cited it as my favorite Christmas present when I was seven), I did not want to see this story bastardized in any way. Honestly, I was prepared for "Polar Express" to be a complete wreck. But instead…

It soared. Completely. What makes the film such a success is not so much even the story itself, but an execution which somehow manages to inject every frame of the film with a feeling of childlike wonder and exuberance. In addition, there are so many clever touches and details added throughout that a feeling of mystery and excitement just fills the viewer. Among these are the waiters dancing and singing while serving hot chocolate to the kids on the train (a very funny scene, as well), the factory where the presents are prepared, and a ghost-like hobo who is never really explained, but is incredibly crucial to the feel of the film. At one point, three of the children wander lost through the empty streets of Santa's North Pole town. As they wander, various old Christmas recordings are heard playing on phonographs throughout the town. The music provides a pleasant and nostalgic ambiance to the scene. It's touches like this that absolutely make the film.

I'll never understand why films seem to be required to be at least 90 minutes long. I would pay money to see a 40-minute film, as long as it were good. And even if it sucked, I would have at least wasted less time. What I'm getting at is I have no idea why a 32-page picture book needed to be a 99-minute movie. What this means is that the original story is VASTLY expanded upon. However, what is added in actually fits quite well with the essence and spirit of the book. Some of it is just sheer entertainment; the train track is like a roller coaster, characters ski on top of the cars, danger lurks around every step of the journey to the North Pole (but admittedly fun danger). Other aspects further illuminate and expand upon the book's basic theme of the virtue of belief in the implausible. So I have no idea why this was made into a full-length, but in the end, I'm glad it was. It didn't even feel too long (and I think everything is too long).

Much criticism has fallen on the look of the characters in the movie. I can agree to a point. While there is incredible visual detail in the faces, they usually seem void of expression. In general, a lot of the motion seems rather wooden, as well. The scenery, on the other hand, is gorgeous. Overall, the minor problems in animation (which really boil down to a matter of taste anyway) are certainly not enough to diminish what is an overwhelmingly successful movie. Score: 8/10