The Polar Express (film)

The Polar Express
File:Movie poster the polar express.jpg
Directed by	Robert Zemeckis
Written by	Chris Van Allsburg Robert Zemeckis William Broyles, Jr.
Starring	Tom Hanks Leslie Harter Zemeckis Eddie Deezen Nona Gaye Jimmy Bennett
Cinematography	Don Burgess
Music by	Alan Silvestri
Distributed by	Warner Brothers
Release dates	November 10, 2004 (USA)
Running time	99 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$150,000,000

The Polar Express is a 2004 feature film based on the children's book of the same title by Chris Van Allsburg.

The story

Story to film

The film expands a story that can be read in under three minutes into a ninety-nine-minute movie, while remaining true to the visual style of the original. The "Hot Chocolate" production number was derived from a single sentence and a single illustration. The "Hobo," "Lonely Boy," and "Know-it-All" characters, the scenes on rooftops and on the locomotive, and the runaway observation car sequence were all new to the film.

Summary

The Polar Express tells the story of a young boy on Christmas Eve who is hoping for belief in the true spirit of Christmas. Somehow, a magical train called the Polar Express pulls up in front of his house and he is invited to journey to the North Pole. After reaching the North Pole, the boy is handpicked by Santa Claus to receive the first present of Christmas. He chooses a bright silver bell from Santa's sleigh which makes a beautiful sound. As the years go by, people around him notice that they can no longer hear the beautiful sound, even his parents and sister. But there are those who still can, those who still truly believe.

Detailed plot

The film, directed by Robert Zemeckis, is entirely computer animated using a novel technology called performance capture to provide natural movement and expressions for the characters. It stars actor Tom Hanks in six distinct roles, including that of the 12-year-old protagonist.

A 12-year-old boy is supposed to be sleeping on Christmas Eve, but is still awake; waiting and listening to hear Santa Claus downstairs. All year, scientific fact (Santa would have to move at the speed of light, the North Pole is barren etc) and news of fake Santas has been reported, whether in malls or on the streets, and the boy is beginning to wonder whether his faith in Santa is worthwhile. Suddenly he hears a loud noise outside as a bright light floods his room. He goes outside (ripping his right pocket in the process), and to his astonishment sees a giant train. A conductor tells him it is called the "Polar Express" and its destination is the North Pole. He tells him that Santa is aware of the boy's dwindling faith and this is the crucial year (as it may be the last year he believes in Santa), and tells him he should get on. The Boy is hesitant at first, but eventually boards the train at the last minute. Inside, he meets two other characters: "Hero Girl" and "Know-It-All". The Conductor comes to mark their tickets, but Hero Boy realizes that he was never given one. However, to his amazement, he reaches into his left pocket and finds the beautiful golden ticket. The Conductor takes it and marks the letter "B" on one end, and "E" on the other; the "Know-It-All" has "LE" on his (jested as initials for Loser Extraordinare). The train continues on and crosses the tracks to the poor side of town, stopping in front of a small broken house as a little boy curiously walks out (very similar to Hero Boy earlier). "Lonely Boy" is unsure as well, though his indecision costs him his chance to board the "Polar Express". "Hero Boy" swiftly pulls the emergency brake lever, stopping the train, and encourages "Lonely Boy" to get on. "Lonely Boy" warily gets on, but his shyness and insecurity causes him to stay in the rear compartment, alone. "Hero Boy" explains what happened to the Conductor, and to the amazement of the passengers, a group of butlers deliver hot chocolate to them (literally dancing and singing perfectly as they do so). The Conductor and "Hero Girl" take a cup to the "Lonely Boy" in the back, but she has forgotten her ticket which has not yet been marked. "Hero Boy" attempts to take it to them, but it flies out of his hand, and miraculously (flying through the air, getting trampled by wolves, and picked and chewed by a baby bird) makes its way back to the train. The Conductor takes "Hero Girl" away when she can't find it, even after "Hero Boy" admits to losing it, but he spots it and attempts to follow, worried she'll get thrown off the train.

Making it to the top of the train, he finds a "Hobo". At first glance, he appears to be crazy, sneaking on board and claiming to be "King of the North Pole". "Hero boy" asks if Santa is the king, but "Hobo" shoves it off and asks him what he thinks of Santa. "Hero Boy" merely says that he wants to believe but isn't sure and dosen't want too be tricked. "Hobo" tells him 'seeing is believing'. "Hero Boy" asks him if this whole experience is nothing more than a dream, but "Hobo" tells him that "Hero Boy" is the one who said it, not him. "Hobo" asks him if he believes in ghosts, but "Hero Boy" answers that he doesn't, to which "Hobo" merely replies 'interesting...'. "Hobo" disappears, and "Hero Boy", convinced he must be dreaming, attempts to wake himself, but to no avail. "Hobo" comes back with skis and they literally slide down into the engine room, before reaching Flat-Top Tunnel (there is only one inch of clearance between the roof of the train and the roof of the tunnel). "Hero Boy" makes it inside right before they reach the entrance, but "Hobo" magically dissolves into snow. "Hero Girl" is inside, and tells him that she wasn't thrown off and she's actually driving the train while the engineers are fixing the light at the front of the locomotive. The Engineer sees something on the tracks and yells to "Hero Girl" to stop the train. After a tense moment where she forgets how to slow down, they pull the brake just in time to avoid hitting a large group of caribou crossing the track. When the Conductor sees the caribou, he pulls on one of the engineers' long beards, whose screams cause the caribou crossing to dash away.

The train speeds up but the braking is jammed and "Hero Boy", "Hero Girl", and the Conductor hold on as they fly down Glacier Gulch (the world's steepest downhill track) and they eventually slow as they end up on a frozen lake. Regaining control, they manage to get back onto the tracks as the ice begins to crack. At last, "Hero Boy" hands the conductor "Hero Girl"'s ticket, and it too is marked with "LE". On their way back, the Conductor reveals that on his first christmas run, he nearly fell off the train but saved by an unknown figure (Hero Boy think's it was "Hobo"). Hero Boy asks what he looks like and the Conductor tells him that sometimes "seeing is believing" and other times "the most real things in this world are the things we can't see". The three prepare to join the others, passing the toy compartment, full of old misused toys. A Scrooge puppet apparently comes to life and terrorizes "Hero Boy", telling him that they are similar, as they both think that Santa, and by default Christmas, are nothing but humbug. The puppet is taken away by the "Hobo" and "Hero Boy" gets out. "Hero Boy" and "Hero Girl" visit "Lonely Boy" who is still by himself in the back. They then sing a song about faith. The Northern Lights (aurora borealis) illuminate the sky, marking that the train has entered the Arctic Circle, and they have at last made it to the North Pole (with five minutes until Christmas to spare!). The Conductor tells them that the elves are in the center of the city and that Santa will pick one of the children to choose the first gift of Christmas. They all disembark, except "Lonely Boy". "Hero Boy" and "Hero Girl" return to convince him, but he states that Christmas has never worked out for him. He's lived for years in a poor home and the Christmas spirit does not necessarily reach very high in his family. He finally agrees as the rear car of the train (the one they are in) disengages and flies back down the tracks. They jump off and make their way through the city, passing by rooms such as the 'naughty/nice' rooms which monitors all the children by their respective behavior. They sneak into a tube-like machine which shoots them to a conveyor-belt where they follow a gift box. Falling through a hole, they end up where all of the presents are being gathered in Santa's big red bag. The bag, with the children inside, is lifted up by a giant balloon ("Know-It-All" was also a stowaway), and "Lonely Boy" finds a present for him (his name is Billy), and is compelled to open it, when he notices it is marked 'do not open till Christmas'. The giant bag knocks over the star on the giant Christmas tree, but it is returned to its proper place by a group of bungee jumping elves.

Everyone cheers as the reindeer are being pulled together, and the bells ring but for some reason, "Hero Boy" cannot hear them. Santa himself finally comes, but "Hero Boy" strangely cannot see or hear him, as if he were invisible. A silver bell rolls to "Hero Boy"'s feet, and he picks it up but it makes no sound. He realizes that only those who truly believe can hear the bells, and accepting everything that has been shown to him he whispers, "I believe", after which he is able to hear them. Santa Claus comes up to "Hero Boy" and asks him what he just did and "Hero Boy" boldly answers, returning the bell that rolled to his feet. "Know-It-All" rudely asks Santa to pick him (to receive the first present of Christmas), but Santa tells him to be patient and that some humility might do him some good. He tells "Hero Girl" how brave she has been, confident and full of spirit (including Christmas spirit), and encourages her to continue thusly. He tells Billy how lucky he is and acknowledges how he has made friends this night, and how there is no greater gift than friendship. At last, he chooses "Hero Boy" to pick the first present. "Hero Boy" picks the silver bell from before, and Santa tells him that the bell represents the spirit of Christmas as is in him and that the real spirit of Christmas lies in his heart. With a whip of light, all the bells ring and the sleigh rides into the air and the giant star lets off beautiful fireworks as Santa zooms away.

The children prepare to leave, and the Conductor is once again marking their tickets. He marks the remaining letters on their tickets, stamping the words "LEARN" on "Know-It-All"'s ticket, reminding him to learn from his mistakes. The words "DEPEND ON" are on Billy's ticket, and as he flips it over, "RELY ON" and "COUNT ON" are on it. The Conductor asks if Billy will be more trusting and allow them to get him home safely, to which he agrees. The Conductor marks "LEAD" on "Hero Girl"'s ticket, acknowledging her leadership skills. Finally, The Conductor writes the remaining letters on "Hero Boy"'s ticket: "BELIEVE". Inside, "Hero Boy" seems to have lost the bell because of the hole in his pocket. "Lonely Boy" gets off the train, and thanks "Hero Boy" for his altruistic action of stopping the train earlier. To his astonishment, his house looks beautiful and the present for him is already there. The train reaches "Hero Boy"'s house, and he thanks the Conductor, but the Conductor merely returns the thanks and tells him that, "The thing about trains-it doesn't matter where you're going, what matters is deciding to get on," finishing with a wink. With a final Merry Christmas (the children and "Hobo" wave goodbye), "Hero Boy" returns to his bed and drifts off to sleep (he notices that Santa has not yet been to his house).

"Hero Boy" wakes up Christmas morning, unsure as to whether the prior events were a dream or reality. As he walks out he rips the same pocket that was torn earlier; as though it had been mended, and finds an assortment of toys delivered (including a toy train). A small present is addressed to "Hero Boy": the silver bell. With it is a small message from Santa telling him that he found the bell in his sleigh and reminding him to fix that hole in his pocket. He rings the bell, but his parents can't hear the sound, however he and his sister can. They prepare to leave as the movie ends with a final message:

At one time most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as for all who truly believe.

Characters

Other than Santa Claus and the Lonely Boy (Billy), the names of the characters are not revealed. The names below are taken from the crap.

Hero Boy is the main 12-year-old boy who is searching for the true meaning of Christmas. He gets a trip on the Polar Express, avoiding danger and all the while having his faith tested, whether by the Hobo or one of the children. He quickly makes friends with Hero Girl and Lonely Boy and he eventually has his faith restored and meets Santa. He is picked to have to first gift and he picks the silver bell. His ticket has the word 'BELIEVE" on it, and since that trip, his faith in Santa and the true spirit of Christmas has never failed. Acted (through motion capture) by Tom Hanks, but voiced by Daryl Sabara.

Hero Girl is a girl who quickly becomes friends with Hero Boy. After 'losing' her ticket (it was lost by Hero Boy), she gets to drive the train. She has exceptional leadership abilities and bravery, both acknowledged by Santa and the Conductor. Santa calls her the decisions girl. Her ticket was marked "LEAD". Voiced by Nona Gaye.

Lonely Boy (Billy) is a small shy boy who grows in a poor family on the other side of the town. Because of his shyness and his lack of trust, he stays in the rear compartment of the train by himself. However, Hero Boy and Hero Girl make friends with him and they travel to the North Pole together. Santa tells him how lucky he is, and that friendship is the greatest gift someone could ask for. His ticket said "DEPEND ON", and as he flips it over, "COUNT ON" and "RELY ON". As he returns home, his house is beautiful and he receives his gift which was the thing he always wanted (this is unknown). It is revealed that his real name is Billy. Acted by Peter Scolari and voiced by Jimmy Bennett.

Know-it-all is a small nerdy boy with glasses. Although he is smart, he lets his intelligence get the better of him, and is very impatient. He stows away on Santa's big red bag in hope of getting all the presents himself. He rudely asks Santa if he can get the first present, to which Santa replies 'Patience, and a bit of humility might do you some good'. When his ticket receives the final markings, he snatches it out of the conductor's hand to read it. He accidentally holds the ticket in a way that blocks a letter, taking the word to be "LEAN". The conductor corrects him, saying he punched five letters, but the Know-it-all, still thinking that he is right, takes the ticket back, replying, "Hey, do you think I don't know how to read...oh, it says LEARN, my mistake." He is finally dealt "a smidgen of humility" and apologizes, promising to behave better.

If there is one thing his knowledge has gotten him, it is that he noticed something important while in the north pole: 'It was five minutes to midnight four minutes ago' to which the Conductor replies 'Exactly!'. Later he says "Don't worry, It's been five minutes to midnight for the last hour!". In fact, for most of the movie it's been that time: An early segment shows the ticking of a clock slowly stopping. Although this strange time delay is confusing, it may explain how Santa gets to all the houses on one night. Voiced by Eddie Deezen.

The Conductor is the conductor of the Polar Express, the magical train that takes all the not-so-faithful children to the North Pole. He takes his job very seriously and, like the Hobo, subtly tests the children's faith. He marks all their tickets ( which they magically find they're already carrying), with a few letters, and at the end of the trip, marks the remaining letters; giving them a message regarding what they should do. He is also strict and does not take it kindly when there is a delay, especially when someone applies the emergency brake. His greatest fear is arriving late at places eg. North Pole on Christmas Eve. He is sometimes irresponsible, he once gave the young passengers on the train each a glass of Johnnie Walker Red Label. Voiced by Tom Hanks. This is the only one of Hanks' characters that physically resembles the actor.

The Hobo is a strange man who calls himself the "King" of the North Pole and appears to live on the top of the train. He apparently doesn't believe in Santa or Christmas, but all his negativity is secretly testing Hero Boy's faith. He actually isn't human, as he manages to appear and disappear into snow. He also helps Hero Boy many times, one time grabbing him from falling off the train, another time tapping the manual brake wheel on the speeding runaway observation car with his cup before disappearing. (Eventually Hero Boy realizes the wheel slows down the car). Voiced by Tom Hanks, although it has been noted that the character physically resembles actor Willem Dafoe and the host of the stop-motion animated cartoon Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

The Engineers are the drivers of the Polar Express. One of them is a bald fat man, the other has ridiculously long red hair, which the Conductor pulls to send away the Caribou blocking the way. They later sing at a party after Santa leaves. The special features section of the DVD reveals their names as Steamer and Smokey, but does not distinguish who is whom. They were both acted by Michael Jeter who died soon after production; a musical number featuring the Engineers was cut from the film before release but is included as a special feature on the DVD. Voiced by André Sogliuzzo.

The Elves are the official helpers of Santa. A few of them decide which kids are naughty and which are nice, and because it's Christmas, allow a boy named Steven to have presents that year.

Santa Claus Kris Kringle himself appears to all at the North Pole. When Hero Boy can finally see him face to face, Santa picks him to have the first present of Christmas. Santa gives him the silver bell and rides off. Later, Santa returns the silver bell to Hero Boy when he notices he dropped it. Voiced by Tom Hanks.

The IMAX 3D version

In addition to standard theatrical 35mm format, a 3D version for IMAX was also released, generated from the same 3D digital models used for the standard version. It was the first animated feature not specially made for IMAX to be presented in this format, and the first to open in IMAX 3D at the same time as main flat release. The financial results were stunning. The 3D version out-performed the 2D version by about 14 to 1. The 3D IMAX version was released again for the 2005 Holiday season in 66 IMAX theaters and amazingly made another $7.5 million prior to Christmas. Due to its financial success, the IMAX version will be re-released in 2006 and onward and become an annual Christmas movie.

File:Polar express 1.jpg

The Polar Express screenshot

Trivia

• The locomotive sounds and image for the movie are from a preserved Pere Marquette Railroad engine, a 2-8-4. The locomotive number, 1225, fits with the theme of the movie, as Christmas falls on December 25. The locomotive was photographed and its sound recorded as it moved in order to provide a realistic feel to the movie. This locomotive is owned by the Michigan State Trust for Railway Preservationand is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• The Pere Marquette 1225 was to have traveled to Grand Rapids, MI for the Polar Express premiere to be used as a fund raiser for the Children's Pediatric Hospice. Just days before the event, CSX Railway withdrew permission for the train to use its lines, citing interference with existing rail traffic.
• The movie contains references to author Van Allsburg's former hometown. The boy hero identifies Grand Rapids, Michigan as the city he lives in, and the train passes Herpolsheimer's department store (a former city landmark) on its way out of town. The film premiered in Grand Rapids.
• A video game also titled The Polar Express was released for the Sony PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo Game Boy Advance. The game is based on the plot of the film. It was developed by Australian software company Blue Tongue Entertainment.
• The film's tagline is "This Holiday Season...Believe.".
• It was released in theaters in 2004 and came out on DVD one year later.
• During some times when the three wander around, Christmas music from popular singers can be heard.
• When the train is preparing to leave, the elves begin to sing "Rockin' On Top of the World". The lead singer is an elf who bears a striking resemblance to Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, who actually sings the song. There is also a scarf tied onto the microphone stand, which is now synonymous with Tyler.
  • During the same sequence, the elves are playing Fender Stratocaster guitars. The so called 'spaghetti logo' is also visible upon very close inspection.
• Other familiar artists playing over the North Pole's loudspeakers include Bing Crosby ("White Christmas"); Kate Smith ("Silver Bells"); The Andrews Sisters ("Winter Wonderland"); Frank Sinatra ("Santa Claus is Coming to Town"); and Perry Como ("It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"). Bing Crosby and The Andrews Sisters also sing "Here Comes Santa Claus" together over the loudspeakers.
• The Grand Canyon Railway and the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad "become" The Polar Express during the Christmas season.
• This is the second film starring Tom Hanks to be produced by Castle Rock Entertainment, the first being The Green Mile.
• In the "Santa" skit on the Daft Enterprises website, the film is spoofed. The Polar Express appears at two in the morning, waking a young boy, and his parents, who both have work in the morning. The Conductor relentlessly tries to persuade the boy to get on the train, but the boy is uninterested, and his parents are iritated. Eventually the boy is abducted by the Conductor, as the shocked parents scramble to call the Police.
• In the final scene, the toy train resembles the Polar Express. Also, it appears that the "Hero Boy" is playing with one of the refurbished dolls from the train.
• The film contains multiple references to the Back to the Future series of films, also directed by Zemeckis.
  • According to the film's Junior Novel "Trip to the North Pole" by Ellen Weiss the year the film is set in is 1955, the same year that Robert Zemeckis' character Marty McFly travels back in time to in Back to the Future
  • When Santa leaves to go about his normal route, the sleigh moves about similar to the time-traveling train and warps out of sight in a similar fashion to all the movies' time machines.
  • Hero Boy, after blowing the Polar Express' whistle, says "I've wanted to do that all my life!" Doc Brown quotes the line after blowing a train whistle in Back to the Future Part III.
  • While Smokey and Steamer are floating in the engine cabin while trying to capture the cotter pin, the Flux Capacitor from Back to the Future can be seen flickering to the left. This was deliberately added as an in-joke between the two Zemeckis films.
  • In the scene where Hero Boy, Billy and Hero Girl are trying to find their way to the center of North Pole City, Hero Boy asks "Are you sure?". After he says this there is a dramatic music cue and she turns and says, "Absolutely." This is a reference to Back to the Future Part II and Back to the Future Part III whenever someone calls Marty McFly a "chicken."

See also

• Polar Express (soundtrack)

External links

• Official US site
• Official UK site
• The Polar Express at IMDb