The Polar Express (movie) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Polar Express |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Robert Zemeckis |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Starring | |
| Music by | Alan Silvestri |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 21, 2004 (Chicago International Film Festival) November 10, 2004 (United States) |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $165 million |
| Money made | $310.6 million |
The Polar Express is a 2004 American 3D computer-animated movie. It is based on the 1985 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. He also helped make the movie.
Robert Zemeckis directed, co-wrote, and co-produced the film. The movie used a special technique called motion capture. This means actors' movements were recorded and then used to animate the characters. The story is about a young boy who, on Christmas Eve, sees a magical train outside his window. This train is heading to the North Pole.
The train's conductor invites the boy aboard. He joins other children on an amazing journey to visit Santa Claus. They want to see Santa as he gets ready for Christmas. The movie stars Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen. Tom Hanks plays six different characters in the film.
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Story of the Polar Express
The movie starts in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Christmas Eve in the 1950s. A boy is starting to doubt if Santa Claus is real. As he tries to sleep, he sees a steam locomotive pull up outside his house. He quickly puts on his robe to check it out, tearing a pocket as he does.
Outside, the train's conductor introduces the train as the Polar Express. It is heading straight for the North Pole. The boy first says no, but then jumps onto the train just as it starts to leave.
Inside a passenger car, he meets a friendly girl and a boy who thinks he knows everything. The train stops to pick up another child, Billy, who is poor and shy. Billy also doesn't want to get on at first. But he changes his mind, and the first boy pulls the emergency brake to let him board. This gets the conductor's attention.
Billy sits alone in the back dining car. Hot chocolate is served in the main car, and the girl saves some for Billy. As she and the conductor go to the dining car, the boy sees she left her ticket behind. He tries to give it back but loses it between the cars. The ticket flies back into the passenger car. The conductor notices the girl's missing ticket and takes her back to the rear car.
The know-it-all boy says the conductor will throw the girl off the train. The boy finds the ticket and runs to the dining car to find the conductor. He climbs onto the roof from the back of the train. There, he meets a hobo camping on the roof. The hobo offers him coffee and talks about Santa Claus and ghosts.
The hobo skis with the boy along the tops of the cars towards the train's coal tender. Then, the hobo disappears. In the locomotive's cab, the boy finds the girl. She is supervising the train while the engineers, Steamer and Smokey, fix the train's headlight. The boy pulls the brakes, and the train stops.
The conductor sees a herd of caribou blocking the tracks. He pulls Smokey's beard, making him make animal noises, which scares the caribou away. The train starts moving again, but very fast. A small pin breaks, making the train speed out of control down a steep hill and onto a frozen lake.
Smokey uses his hairpin to fix the throttle. The train slides across the ice, getting back onto the tracks just before the ice breaks. The boy gives the girl's ticket back to the conductor to punch. As they return to the passenger car, a puppet of Ebenezer Scrooge starts teasing the boy, calling him a doubter. The hobo is secretly controlling the puppet.
The train finally arrives at the North Pole. The conductor announces that one passenger will get the first gift of Christmas from Santa himself. The girl finds Billy still alone in the back car. She and the boy convince him to come along. But the boy accidentally unhooks their car, sending it back to a railway turntable in Santa's workshop.
The children sneak through an elf control room and a gift sorting office. They accidentally fall into a giant sack full of presents. There, they find the know-it-all kid who had snuck in. Elves lead them out as Santa arrives. A jingle bell falls from the reindeers' reins. At first, the boy cannot hear it ring.
Then, he finds belief within himself, and the bell rings clearly. He shows the bell to Santa. Santa chooses the boy to receive the bell as the first gift of Christmas. The boy asks to keep the jingle bell, and Santa says yes. He puts it in his robe pocket.
The lost car is returned to the train, and the children board to go home. But the boy discovers he lost the bell through the hole in his robe pocket. He returns home and wakes up on Christmas morning to find a present. Inside is the bell! He and his younger sister Sarah ring the bell happily. Their parents, who don't believe in Santa, say the bell is "broken."
As an adult, the boy remembers how his friends and sister stopped hearing the bell as they grew up and lost their belief. But the bell still rings for him, and it will ring for anyone who truly believes.
Meet the Cast
- Tom Hanks played many roles. He was the Hero Boy (using motion-capture), Hero Boy's father, the Conductor, the Hobo, the Scrooge puppet, Santa Claus, and the Narrator.
- Daryl Sabara was the voice of the Hero Boy.
- Josh Hutcherson did extra motion-capture for the Hero Boy.
- Leslie Zemeckis played Sister Sarah (motion-capture) and Hero Boy's mother.
- Isabella Peregrina was the voice of Sister Sarah.
- Eddie Deezen was the Know-It-All boy.
- Nona Gaye was the Hero Girl.
- Tinashe was the motion-capture model for the Hero Girl.
- Peter Scolari played Billy the Lonely Boy (motion-capture).
- Jimmy Bennett was the voice of Billy the Lonely Boy.
- André Sogliuzzo was the voice of Smokey and Steamer.
- Michael Jeter did the motion-capture for Smokey and Steamer. This was his last acting role before he passed away.
Making the Movie
North Pole Buildings
The buildings at the North Pole in the movie look like real places from American railroad history. The main buildings in the city square are based on the Pullman Factory in Chicago. This factory made fancy train cars.
The Polar Express Train
The train in the movie is a type of steam locomotive called a 2-8-4 Berkshire. It looks like the Pere Marquette 1225 train. This real train was on display near Michigan State University. Chris Van Allsburg, who wrote the book, remembered playing on this engine when he was a child.
In 2002, Warner Bros. studied the real Pere Marquette 1225. The movie's train was designed using drawings of the 1225. The sounds in the movie also came from recordings of the real train. However, the train's whistle sound came from a different train, the Sierra Railway #3.
Awards and Recognition
The Polar Express was nominated for three Academy Awards. These awards are also known as the Oscars. It was nominated for Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Song for "Believe."
The movie was also recognized for its amazing visual effects. It was nominated at the Visual Effects Society Awards for "Outstanding Performance by an Animated Character." In 2008, the American Film Institute listed The Polar Express as one of the top animated films.
Real-Life Train Rides
The movie has inspired real-life train rides during the holidays. These "Polar Express" train trips are based on the movie's journey. You can find them at places like the Grand Canyon Railway and Hotel. There are also rides at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.
The Polar Express Experience at Theme Parks
In November 2007, SeaWorld Orlando opened "The Polar Express Experience." This was a motion simulator ride based on the film. It temporarily replaced another attraction called Wild Arctic. The ride building was decorated to look like a train station. The ride vehicles looked like Polar Express passenger cars.
The ride's story was about a trip to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Guests could feel the train moving and swinging on ice. They could even feel the ice cracking beneath them. This attraction is now open every year during the Christmas season.
A special 4D version of the movie has also been shown at other amusement parks. These include the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden and Dollywood.
Video Game
A video game based on the movie was released on November 26, 2004. It was available for GameCube, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 2, and Windows. The game was made by Blue Tongue Entertainment and published by THQ.
The game's story is a bit different from the movie. In the game, the Ebenezer Scrooge puppet is the main bad guy. He tries to stop the children from believing in Santa Claus. He does this by stealing their tickets and trying to prevent them from reaching the North Pole.
See also
In Spanish: The Polar Express para niños
