The Polar Express

Reviewed by John Gibbon

     Every holiday season, millions of children impatiently wait for “the man with the bag”, yes the head honcho of the North Pole… Santa Claus. And every year the idea of waking up at the crack of dawn to see what Santa brought gets tossed aside by those children who think they know better. This holiday season, Warner Brother’s release of The Polar Express gives youngsters another reason to believe in Santa Claus and the undying spirit of Christmas.

     Beliefs about Santa Claus are slowly fading away for Hero Boy, a young boy who suspects that Santa might indeed be Dad and then discovers that the North Pole is in fact “devoid of life”. But then, in the cold still of night on Christmas Eve, a mysterious train rumbles up to his snow-covered house.  At the request of The Conductor (Tom Hanks), Hero Boy reluctantly boards the train headed to the North Pole to see the big man in red. Hero Boy soon finds there are others like him in search of answers behind the mystery of Santa Claus. He initially meets the sweet affectionate Hero Girl (Nona Gaye) and the overly obnoxious Know-It-All Boy (Eddie Deezen of Grease (1977)) and later befriends the shy Lonely Boy (Peter Scolari).

     But Hero Boy’s adventure of discovery and wonderment is just beginning. He impulsively tries to save Hero Girl after she loses her train ticket, and Hero Boy meets the enigmatic Hobo (Hanks again) who gives him a wise lesson or two. Next the train unsuspectingly gains speed and races perilously towards the magical destination.  Yet through every harrowing turn that comes along, The Conductor stays poised and dispenses noteworthy pieces of information to Hero Boy – philosophical guidance with a deeper purpose.  Although at first reluctant to believe, Hero Boy realizes that a few newfound friendships and good advice from some interesting adults can lead to embracing the Christmas spirit in all it’s unbridled glory.

     What’s amazing is that director Robert Zemeckis (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump) managed to translate a 32 page Caldecott Medal-winning children’s masterpiece by Chris Van Allsburg into an hour and a half long yuletide joyride. There were some liberties taken to add a few characters, however, the movie succeeds in presenting a succinct human dynamic to an animated world, conveying the heartfelt emotions bound in the whimsical story. The Polar Express endures through a simple but elegantly written script by Zemeckis and William Broyles, Jr. and the superb music score of Alan Silvestri. The acting is greatly entertaining too; just watching Eddie Deezen’s portrayal of geekiness is a hoot. Michael Jeter, in his last performance before he died, should hopefully evoke child audience smiles once again as the absurdly funny train engineer Steamer and goofy fireman Smokey. Also, surprisingly, Tom Hanks (in his third Zemeckis movie venture) doesn’t weigh down the movie with his participation on five different roles in the movie playing The Conductor, Hobo, Santa Claus, Hero Boy’s father and Hero Boy. However, it’s not just the adaptation and acting that cleverly succeeds, it’s the overall presentation.

     The look of the film was conjured by Academy Award-winning visual affects whiz Ken Ralston, who had proposed a new bit of digital trickery called “performance capture”, a technique that is a new venture in the CGI process, and the results are absolutely breathtaking. The only noticeable glitch is that some of the animated movements of the humans look a bit stiff from time to time, but let’s give the Warner Brothers creative team the benefit of the doubt. The animators were sure to dress the movie in rich festive tones, luxurious locales and vintage touches that are pleasing to the eyes. The Polar Express encompasses the haunting stillness associated with a perfect snowfall but also depicts the fantastical dreams every youngster possesses during the holiday season. Visually stunning, the film looks a smart amalgamation of Allsburg’s artistic visions complemented with Department 56 holiday dioramas. For example, the town scenes captured the look of soft edged cookie cutter houses aglow with wintry blue hues so well that one can literally feel the coldness of that Christmas Eve long ago. One personal highpoint was the depiction of the North Pole in all of its holiday splendor – a city saturated in 1940’s architecture and modern techno wizardry, and radios blaring Kate Smith and Bing Crosby. Overall the magic, warmth and depth of the book are translated on screen with the greatest sincerity so that the animation becomes as important to the film as the story itself.

     The Polar Express is a true gift, a glorious example of holiday cheer destined to be a Christmastime classic, delighting and exciting audiences young and old as they are taken along an incredible journey to rediscover the true joy and pure spirit of a child at Christmas.