The Polar Express (2004)
6.719 /10
5850 Reviews
Rate This Movie:
When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.
Videos & Photos
cast
... Hero Boy / Father / Conductor / Hobo / Scrooge / Santa Claus
... Sister Sarah / Mother
... Know-It-All
... Hero Girl (voice)
... Billy - Lonely Boy
User reviews
***Some kids with creepy dead eyes take a dreamlike trip to the North Pole on The Polar Express***
A boy from Grand Rapids, Michigan, is at the age where he no longer believes in Christmas, as far as Santa, his elves and flying reindeer go, but a magical train appears in front of his home on Christmas Eve and whisks him away on an adventurous trip to the North Pole with several other kids.
“The Polar Express” (2004) was based on the 1985 Christmas book and was the first mainline movie to use motion capture animation for all its characters beginning to end (think Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy). Some people think the animation is weak, but I feel it creates its own world and has its own charm. It holds up as long as you can adapt to those creepy dead eyes of the characters.
Some people love this movie while others think it’s weird, like a Twilight Zone Christmas flick. Roger Ebert, for instance, loved it and gave it a perfect grade. I’m sorta in the middle. I see its good points and appreciate them, like the haunting winter ambiance, parts of the trip to the North Pole (e.g. the quasi-rollercoaster ride) and the kids’ investigation of the Christmas factory. But there are some meh parts and dubious sections like the whole last act with the multitude of elves and the towering Santa who looked like he was modeled after 6’5” Christopher Lee with a pillow strapped to his mid-section.
The movie’s interesting in some ways but also quaint in a cheesy way, as well as peculiar and lifeless.
The film runs 1 hour, 40 minutes.
GRADE: C
Director:
Writer:
Robert Zemeckis (Screenplay)
William Broyles Jr. (Screenplay)
Chris Van Allsburg (Book)
Enfys Dickinson (Creative Producer)
Maureen Beatty (Storyboard)
Release Date:
2004-11-10
Run Time:
100 min
MMPA Rating:
G
Reviews of
The Polar Express
***Some kids with creepy dead eyes take a dreamlike trip to the North Pole on The Polar Express***
A boy from Grand Rapids, Michigan, is at the age where he no longer believes in Christmas, as far as Santa, his elves and flying reindeer go, but a magical train appears in front of his home on Christmas Eve and whisks him away on an adventurous trip to the North Pole with several other kids.
“The Polar Express” (2004) was based on the 1985 Christmas book and was the first mainline movie to use motion capture animation for all its characters beginning to end (think Gollum from “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy). Some people think the animation is weak, but I feel it creates its own world and has its own charm. It holds up as long as you can adapt to those creepy dead eyes of the characters.
Some people love this movie while others think it’s weird, like a Twilight Zone Christmas flick. Roger Ebert, for instance, loved it and gave it a perfect grade. I’m sorta in the middle. I see its good points and appreciate them, like the haunting winter ambiance, parts of the trip to the North Pole (e.g. the quasi-rollercoaster ride) and the kids’ investigation of the Christmas factory. But there are some meh parts and dubious sections like the whole last act with the multitude of elves and the towering Santa who looked like he was modeled after 6’5” Christopher Lee with a pillow strapped to his mid-section.
The movie’s interesting in some ways but also quaint in a cheesy way, as well as peculiar and lifeless.
The film runs 1 hour, 40 minutes.
GRADE: C
No matter how many times I watch this, it always brought me to tears!
I only wish that I got to see it in 3D at the cinema.
Watching The Polar Express is not an annual event for me, but I believe I have seen it three times and would not nix the idea if someone were to suggest watching it again. I feel a connection to it for an odd reason: my wife and I volunteered one Christmas season to be elves serving cocoa and dancing for an actual Polar Express narrow gauge train ride when we lived in Maine. (Though I can assure you our dancing was not as acrobatic as what you see in this movie.)
The animation feels a little odd at first, but I stop noticing it each time I watch it. The story turns the train trip to the North Pole into a real thrill ride for the children on board, especially for our hero boy, voiced by Tom Hanks. In fact, if you are a Hanks fan, settle in, because he does multiple voices here, including one that sounds remarkably like Gilbert Godfrey to me.
I try to avoid punching holes in the plots of Christmas movies. Half the point is that they will include unlikely events all leading to the miracle of Christmas ending. You want logic; pull out the old algebra textbook!
A young man is all excited as he heads to bed on Christmas eve. His sleep is disturbed though, when his house starts to shake. He bounds to the window whereupon he sees the arrival of a great train, one he quickly discovers is heading on to the North Pole. Safely aboard he encounters other children and adventure beckons as they learn that one child will get to meet Santa Claus himself before he embarks on his global deliveries! I didn't love this film. I found the rather sharp, linear, facial animations a bit too sterile and there is way too much chatter with not enough going on. I can play chase the ticket once, but after a while that became little better than a clunky conduit for the rather episodic nature of the narrative. I'm sure that technically it is a masterpiece of CGI and human interaction, but somehow it all just left me feeling that the cheesy sentiment overwhelmed it with it's messages of teamwork and the Christmas spirit well and truly over-egged. Alan Silvestri has provided a nice score, and when the animation scenes focus on the actual train then it does liven up a bit, but sorry - for the most part I wasn't sold.
Cast & Crew of
The Polar Express
Cast
... Hero Boy / Father / Conductor / Hobo / Scrooge / Santa Claus
... Sister Sarah / Mother
... Know-It-All
... Hero Girl (voice)
... Billy - Lonely Boy
... Smokey / Steamer
... Hero Boy
... Hero Boy (voice)
... Lonely Boy (voice)
... Pastry Chef
... Pastry Chef
... Waiter
... Waiter
... Waiter
... Waiter
... Waiter
... Waiter
... Waiter
... Waiter
... Toothless Boy / Elf
... Red Head Girl / Elf
... Elf General
... Elf Lieutenant / Elf Singer
... Elf
... Elf
... Elf
... Elf
... Little Boy
... Smokey / Steamer (voice)
... Sister Sarah (voice)
... Acrobatic Elf
... Acrobatic Elf
... Acrobatic Elf
... Acrobatic Elf
... Acrobatic Elf
... Acrobatic Elf
... Acrobatic Elf
... Acrobatic Elf
... Acrobatic Elf
... Acrobatic Elf
... Acrobatic Elf
... Sister Sarah
... Know-It-All
... Hero Girl
... Lonely Boy
... Toothless Boy
... Young Boy
... Wolves (uncredited)
... Wolves (uncredited)
... Boy (voice) (uncredited)
... Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
... (uncredited)
... Hero Girl (motion capture)
Crew
... Original Music Composer
... Songs
... Conductor
... Screenplay
... Director
... Producer
... Producer
... Second Unit Director
... Executive Producer
... Director of Photography
... Screenplay
... Production Design
... Costume Design
... Casting
... Chief Lighting Technician
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Boom Operator
... Set Decoration
... Art Direction
... Unit Production Manager
... Associate Producer
... First Assistant Director
... Foley
... Foley
... Production Illustrator
... Foley Artist
... Visual Effects Supervisor
... Orchestrator
... Supervising Sound Editor
... Art Direction
... Post Production Assistant
... Makeup Artist
... Property Master
... Executive Producer
... Director of Photography
... Editor
... Production Design
... Makeup Artist
... Makeup Artist
... Key Makeup Artist
... Senior Visual Effects Supervisor
... Songs
... Associate Producer
... Sound Designer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Associate Producer
... VFX Supervisor
... Digital Effects Supervisor
... Digital Producer
... Visual Effects Art Director
... Assistant Art Director
... Producer
... Makeup Artist
... Executive Producer
... Book
... Producer
... Co-Producer
... Editor
... Casting
... Orchestrator
... Orchestrator
... Executive In Charge Of Production
... Production Executive
... Sound Mixer
... Production Sound Mixer
... ADR Recordist
... Set Dresser
... Sound Recordist
... Special Effects Coordinator
... Propmaker
... Dialogue Editor
... ADR Editor
... Driver
... Motion Capture Artist
... Head of Layout
... Storyboard Artist
... Set Designer
... Art Direction
... Modeling
... Animation
... Musician
... Stunts
... Production Accountant
... Creative Producer
... 3D Artist
... Still Photographer
... Production Office Coordinator
... Production Coordinator
... Stunts
... Makeup Artist
... Script Supervisor
... Assistant Art Director
... Unit Publicist
... Assistant Art Director
... Hairstylist
... Layout
... Costume Supervisor
... Additional Casting
... Set Costumer
... Musician
... Makeup Artist
... Art Direction
... Color Timer
... Assistant Art Director
... Construction Coordinator
... Sound Design Assistant
... Stunts
... Set Designer
... Assistant Art Director
... Music Editor
... Visual Effects Producer
... Sound Effects Editor
... Dolby Consultant
... Visual Effects Assistant Editor
... Visual Effects Producer
... Camera Operator
... Hair Designer
... Leadman
... Makeup Artist
... Key Hair Stylist
... Set Designer
... Sound Re-Recording Mixer
... Foley Editor
... Digital Intermediate Producer
... Sound Effects Editor
... Makeup Artist
... Foley Editor
... Video Assist Operator
... Visual Effects Art Director
... Digital Compositors
... Senior Animator
... Set Designer
... Driver
... Animation
... Visual Effects Editor
... Hairstylist
... Layout
... Key Hair Stylist
... Animation
... Casting Assistant
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Key Hair Stylist
... Animation
... Animation
... Animation
... Animation
... Animation
... Camera Operator
... Modeling
... Layout
... Set Designer
... First Assistant Editor
... Stunts
... Makeup Artist
... ADR Mixer
... Visual Effects Editor
... Assistant Editor
... Makeup Artist
... Concept Artist
... VFX Editor
... Visual Effects
... Transportation Coordinator
... Executive In Charge Of Production
... Foley Mixer
... Costume Illustrator
... Assistant Dialogue Editor
... Digital Effects Supervisor
... Construction Foreman
... Assistant Camera
... Makeup Artist
... Stunt Double
... Choreographer
... Key Set Production Assistant
... Key Grip
... Motion Capture Artist
... Sequence Supervisor
... Art Department Coordinator
... Art Department Coordinator
... Casting Associate
... Animation Supervisor
... Digital Effects Supervisor
... Digital Effects Supervisor
... Digital Effects Supervisor
... Sequence Supervisor
... Sequence Supervisor
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... Visual Effects Coordinator
... First Assistant Editor
... Negative Cutter
... Negative Cutter
... Art Department Assistant
... Musician
... Second Assistant Director
... Character Designer
... Set Designer
... Set Designer
... Set Designer
... Assistant Editor
... Layout
... Layout
... Layout
... Rigging Gaffer
... Grip
... Musician
... Best Boy Electric
... Visual Effects
... Stunts
... Rigging Grip
... Musician
... Animation
... Musician
... Set Production Assistant
... Musician
... Key Costumer
... Set Dressing Artist
... Driver
... Software Engineer
... Stunt Coordinator
... Stunts
... Digital Intermediate Colorist
... Lighting Artist
... Production Supervisor
... Storyboard
... Animation
... Makeup Artist
... Makeup Artist
... Character Modelling Supervisor
... Matte Painter
... Sequence Supervisor
... Lighting Artist
... Visual Effects Technical Director
... Visual Effects
... Visual Effects Technical Director
... Makeup Artist
... Lighting Artist
... Musician
... Software Engineer
... Modeling
... Additional Editing
... Animation
... Animation
... Animation
... Camera Operator
... Digital Producer
... Grip
... Grip
... Lighting Artist
... Makeup Artist
... Modeling
... Modeling
... Modeling
... Modeling
... Motion Capture Artist
... Musician
... Musician
... Software Engineer
... Software Engineer
... Special Effects
... VFX Artist
... VFX Artist
... Visual Effects
... Visual Effects
... Visual Effects
... Visual Effects
... Visual Effects
... Foley Recordist
... Special Effects Technician
... Digital Compositor
... First Assistant Accountant
... Second Assistant Accountant
... Best Boy Grip
... Colorist
... Set Buyer
... Payroll Accountant
... Sound Recordist
... Visual Effects Production Assistant
... Second Assistant Camera
... Layout Supervisor
... CG Artist
... Compositing Lead
... Production Assistant
... Motion Capture Artist
... Hairstylist
Videos & Photos of
The Polar Express
Videos (3)
Photos 26
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