The Polar Express (2004) is a unique Christmas film that seems to polarize critics and audiences. The reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are 56% and 63% respectively. In my opinion, it's a creative movie that takes a small picture book and makes a successful feature-length adaptation. Read here why!
The story comes from the classic and timeless children's picture book. A young boy awakens in the night to find a train outside his house that's going to the north pole. I played the video game on PS2 which was basically sneaking around the whole time. One of my earliest and favorite childhood memories was going on a mock Polar Express train ride. It was an awesome experience.
Tom Hanks is one of our generation's most prolific actors including voice work in the Toy Story franchise. Did you know he voices 6 characters in The Polar Express? It includes the train conductor, hero boy as an adult, scrooge puppet, hobo guy, Santa Claus, and the father. My personal favorite is the conductor. This character has a lot of screen time and lines that are pivotal to the story. Without him, the train would never make it to the north pole. Specifically, I'd like to mention the hot chocolate song (click here to listen). It's kinda weird, and that's why I like it.
Another part of the movie to mention is the Oscar-nominated song. "Believe" is a great Christmas song that should be played more on the radio during the holidays (Josh Grobins version at the end). It comes during a heartwarming scene at the very back of the train.
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