The Polar Express
Rent & Buy
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.
What critics thought
The Polar Express split critics almost down the middle at release, with the central dispute being whether the motion-capture animation created something magical and dreamlike or something deeply unsettling — the 'uncanny valley' problem with human characters looking like animated corpses undermined the film for a significant portion of reviewers. Audiences, especially families, responded far more warmly than critics, and its reputation as a holiday staple has grown considerably in the years since.
“deeper, shivery tone, instead of the mindless jolliness of the usual Christmas movie”
Roger Ebert·Roger Ebert Reviews
“an enchanting, beautiful and brilliantly imagined film that constitutes a technological breakthrough”
Mick LaSalle·San Francisco Chronicle
“For all the fairy-lit wonder, some will rail at the idea of Back to the Future's director dabbling with such a schmaltzy tale. Cynics will sneeze in shock; children will cuddle up and dream along.”
Ian Nathan·Empire
“a failed and lifeless experiment in which everything goes wrong”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“There's no way of knowing whether they drank the company Kool-Aid. Still, from the looks of The Polar Express it's clear that, together with Mr. Zemeckis, this talented gang has on some fundamental level lost touch with the human aspect of film.”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
Accolades
Parents guide
- Violence
- none
- Sex
- none
- Profanity
- none
- Substances
- none
- Intensity
- mild
Genres
Animation, Family, Fantasy, Adventure
Cast & Crew
Robert ZemeckisDirector
Tom HanksHero Boy (Adult)/ Father / Conductor / Hobo / Scrooge / Santa Claus
Leslie ZemeckisSister Sarah / Mother
Eddie DeezenKnow-It-All
Nona GayeHero Girl (voice)
Peter ScolariBilly / Lonely Boy
Michael JeterSmokey / Steamer
Josh HutchersonHero Boy (motion capture)
Daryl SabaraHero Boy (voice)
Jimmy BennettLonely Boy (voice)
TinasheHero Girl (motion capture)
Alan SilvestriComposer
William Broyles Jr.Writer
Don BurgessCinematographyThe Polar Express
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.
What critics thought
The Polar Express split critics almost down the middle at release, with the central dispute being whether the motion-capture animation created something magical and dreamlike or something deeply unsettling — the 'uncanny valley' problem with human characters looking like animated corpses undermined the film for a significant portion of reviewers. Audiences, especially families, responded far more warmly than critics, and its reputation as a holiday staple has grown considerably in the years since.
“deeper, shivery tone, instead of the mindless jolliness of the usual Christmas movie”
Roger Ebert·Roger Ebert Reviews
“an enchanting, beautiful and brilliantly imagined film that constitutes a technological breakthrough”
Mick LaSalle·San Francisco Chronicle
“For all the fairy-lit wonder, some will rail at the idea of Back to the Future's director dabbling with such a schmaltzy tale. Cynics will sneeze in shock; children will cuddle up and dream along.”
Ian Nathan·Empire
“a failed and lifeless experiment in which everything goes wrong”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“There's no way of knowing whether they drank the company Kool-Aid. Still, from the looks of The Polar Express it's clear that, together with Mr. Zemeckis, this talented gang has on some fundamental level lost touch with the human aspect of film.”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
Accolades
Parents guide
- Violence
- none
- Sex
- none
- Profanity
- none
- Substances
- none
- Intensity
- mild
Genres
Animation, Family, Fantasy, Adventure
Cast & Crew
Robert ZemeckisDirectorTom HanksHero Boy (Adult)/ Father / Conductor / Hobo / Scrooge / Santa ClausLeslie ZemeckisSister Sarah / MotherEddie DeezenKnow-It-AllNona GayeHero Girl (voice)Peter ScolariBilly / Lonely BoyMichael JeterSmokey / SteamerJosh HutchersonHero Boy (motion capture)Daryl SabaraHero Boy (voice)Jimmy BennettLonely Boy (voice)TinasheHero Girl (motion capture)Alan SilvestriComposerWilliam Broyles Jr.WriterDon BurgessCinematographyRent & Buy