The Polar Express

Voices of: Tom Hanks, Leslie Harter Zemeckis, Eddie Deezen, Nona Gayle, Brendan King, Chris Coppola, Michael Jeter, Peter Scolari, Steven Tyler, Josh Hutcherson
Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Rating: G
Genre: Family, Animated, Fantasy
2004

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: A young boy does not believe in Santa, until the Polar Express pulls up to his house on Christmas Eve and sweeps him up in an adventure to reach the North Pole and discover the importance of Christmas.

Review:

Tim: This is an excellent Christmas movie for kids. I can see this becoming a Holiday tradition for many families, seeing this together each holiday season. It is an excellent story for children (who will just love the movie) and it is entertaining enough for adults to not be bored as they watch it.

The real star of the movie is the mind boggling computer animation. Technology and its recent advancements is on display here in all its glory. The human characters look amazing and startlingly realistic. Even more beautiful are the lush surroundings our characters navigate through. There are a few scenes that will cause your jaw to drop. The train sliding on the ice is superb.

Tom Hanks does an outstanding job voicing a handful of different characters. His signature voice gets the job done and is just fun to listen to. His conductor and his railroad bum are particularly great characters (his Santa isn't too bad, either). I love how Hanks, who is such a cornerstone in Hollywood, manages to be a part of this contemporary Christmas classic.

The most impressive thing about The Polar Express is how quickly it cemented itself as a Christmas staple. It is an "instant classic" if you will. If you are looking for something new to watch around the holidays, and specifically something with action, adventure, and more Christmas spirit than you can shake a stick at, then this is the movie for you. One of the best aspects of the film is that it addresses the issue of children and believing in Santa Claus. It seems that today, too few children hold on to that innocent belief. This movie, with all its charm and magic, just might make you believe again.

*Update- Twenty years later (I first watched the film shortly after its release), I revisited The Polar Express, this time, with my 9 year-old son and 6 year-old daughter. My daughter's friends took a ride on the "real" Polar Express and she really wanted to go, too. So, my wife bought tickets for the four of us to go. To get ready for the event, we watched the first half of this film, then finished the movie a day or so later. It was an interesting experience to see this movie again, and also, through the eyes of my kids.

First off, it was startling to see how much the computer animated graphics became dated over the past two decades. My early review praised them highly- today, they look quaint and a bit discomfiting. It's a nice reminder of how amazing computer graphics have gotten in the last two decades. Watching this movie now, though, it's impressive to see the first fully-digital capture movie ever made. Robert Zemeckis has long been a boundary-pusher. The people definitely look the worst now- the environments are still beautifully rendered.

Watching the movie this time, I was struck by how relentless it is. It's a fairly nonstop adventure story. The kids are thrust into one crazy situation after another, without a lot of downtime. This makes for a fast-paced Christmas movie that really holds kids' attention. Both my kids had seen this movie before at school, but they were as riveted the second time. The movie definitely crafts an exciting, memorable story.

It's funny, with the passage of time, my initial review really held up. The Polar Express did indeed become a Christmas classic. As I mentioned, there's multiple trains around the United States that do "Polar Express" rides- you have live entertainers, they deliver hot chocolate and cookies, and travel to the "North Pole". Santa enters the train and speaks to the kids. It's definitely for younger kids, but I loved the experience of being "on" the Polar Express as a connection to this movie. In two decades, this film hasn't faded from the collective consciousness. It's no longer new, but it's a film that families watch around the holidays. I had fun watching this movie with my kids and reminding them of all the characters play and how he's still my all-time favorite actor.

I still feel the same way about this film- it's good, great for kids. I never really loved the film, but I acknowledge it's a good movie and worth seeing.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story