The Polar Express (2004)

On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.

Director:

Robert Zemeckis

Writers:

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

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Chris Coppola, Michael Jeter

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 5 wins & 23 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 (voice)
Peter Scolari	...	Billy - Lonely Boy
Brendan King	...	Pastry Chef
Andy Pellick	...	Pastry Chef
Josh Eli	...	Waiter
Mark Mendonca	...	Waiter
Rolondas Hendricks	...	Waiter (as Rolandas Hendricks)
Mark Goodman	...	Waiter
Jon Scott	...	Waiter
Gregory Gast	...	Waiter
Sean Scott	...	Waiter
Gordon Hart	...	Waiter

Storyline

This is the story of a young hero boy on Christmas Eve who boards on a powerful magical train that's headed to the North Pole and Santa Claus's home. What unfolds is an adventure which follows a doubting boy, who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole; during this ride, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery which shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

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Plot Keywords:

santa claus character | christmas movie | male protagonist | based on children's book | train engineer | 

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Taglines:

All Aboard In IMAX 3D this holiday

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hero Boy's real name is never mentioned. However, according to books containing information about The Polar Express, including art books and fact books, Hero Boy's name is Chris, after the novel's author, Chris Van Allsburg.

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Goofs

When the conductor is punching the Hero Boy's ticket, you can see the holes flying out of the puncher and on to Hero Boy's face. If you count the holes that fell out against the holes that were punched on the ticket, they do not match. There are obviously more holes that fell out and on to the Hero Boy's face than were actually punched, most likely for effect.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hero Boy: On Christmas Eve many years ago I laid quietly in my bed. I did not rustle the sheets, I breathed slowly and silently. I was listening for a sound I was afraid I'd never hear: the sound of Santa's sleigh bells.

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Crazy Credits

The production company credits are covered with snow and ice.

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Alternate Versions

The film's IMAX release presented the film cropped to the Univisium 2.00:1 aspect ratio.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Kristen Wiig/Vampire Weekend (2013)

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Soundtracks

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Written by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie
Performed by Frank Sinatra
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

A Christmas Classic

This is really an amazing movie, taking place on christmas eve. Those people who are like "its not realistic" it's a christmas movie for gosh sake. Enjoy it. It gives me flashbacks of how I always used to have christmas. It's very amazing. We watch it every year!

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook The Polar Express Wikia

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 November 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience

Filming Locations:

Arctic Ocean

Box Office

Budget:

$165,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,323,463, 14 November 2004

Gross USA:

$187,935,490

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$314,215,454

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Shangri-La Entertainment, Playtone

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS IMAX 6-Track 12-Track Digital Sound

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1