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Original title: Polar Express, The Directed by
Robert Zemeckis Written by
Chris Van Allsburg, Robert Zemeckis Cast
Tom Hanks, Leslie Harter Zemeckis, Eddie Deezen, Nona M. Gaye, Peter Scolari [more]
Release Date
• USA: Nov 12, 2004
• UK: 3 Dec 2004
DVD Release Date
• R1: Nov 22, 2005
Budget $150,000,000
BoxOffice: $99.9M
Official Website:
The Polar Express Website
MPAA Rating
G
Running Time
1 hour, 40 minutes
Country USA
Studio Castle Rock Entertainment, Golden Mean, Image Movers, Playtone, Shangri-La Entertainment, Sony Pictures Imageworks
More info on IMDb.com
Other Titles
• The Polar Express (2004)
• The Polar Express: An IMAX 3D Experience
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The Polar Express Reviews |
Forgive me for sounding somewhat hypocritical, but The Polar Express IS all right, a noteworthy achievement that is impossible to scoff at on a technical level and Scrooge-like to humbug at it’s fairy-tale enchantment of hope and wonder. ... Do not miss the opportunity to begin a new family tradition, because with The Polar Express seeing truly is believing. [read review] 
--Erik Childress (eFilmCritic.com)
But "The Polar Express" is about more than eye candy. The train ride is full of thrills, the musical numbers are great and Tom Hanks is a lot of fun, playing five very different characters: the "hero boy", his father, the bald and moustachioed train conductor, a hobo and even Santa himself! [read review] 
--Kevin N. Laforest (Montreal Film Journal)
Little kids might enjoy because it is bright and colorful, but I sense that they might enjoy a reading of the book a lot more. For older viewers, there really isn’t that much to keep them interested and I suspect that if they wind up putting it on year after year, it will be with more of a sense of resignation than genuine excitement. [read review] 
--Peter Sobczynski (eFilmCritic.com)
The Polar Express is a timeless classic in the best sense. It stands up under repeated viewings and best of all, it provides the budding skeptics out there, and not so budding ones, perfectly logical explanations for how Santa takes care of all the children in the world in just one night, and it does it without taking away any of the magic. [read review]
--Andrea Chase (Killer Movie Reviews)
It works tremendously well, functioning as one of the purest and liveliest efforts in cinema in the past decade. There have been better films released over the course of the past year, yes, but when it comes to enjoyableness, The Polar Express closes in on the top of my list. [read review] 
--Danny Baldwin (BucketReviews.com)
Bridging the film’s beautiful opening and closing, though, are 77 minutes of exhaustive, roller coaster-worthy action sequences, death-defying skids across frozen lakes and approximately 15 harrowing occasions where the beloved Polar Express is inches away from jumping its tracks and killing everybody on board. [read review] 
--Sean O'Connell (FilmCritic.com)
The most realistic looking attempt to combine humanity with animation. ... The Polar Express is the first fully animated film from director Robert Zemeckis, so it should come as no surprise that it is one of the most technically ingenious ones ever assembled. [read review] B
--Craig Younkin (Lee's Movie Info)
Chris Van Allsburg’s magical tale of the Christmas Eve re-education of a Santa-doubting adolescent teetering on the brink of disbelief gets a multimillion-dollar makeover via CGI and a revolutionary new filming process that allows Hanks to "act" five different roles. [read review]
--Marc Savlov (Austin Chronicle)
Which is another reason "The Polar Express" doesn't quite work: The stilted animation can't keep up with Hanks' effervescence. The Pixar folks managed it in the "Toy Story" films, but here the medium is too weighty to match the buoyancy in Hanks' performances. Besides, all the vivacity in the world can't help a movie that has no story. [read review] C-
--Eric D. Snider (EricDSnider.com)
This is not the first time Zemeckis has made a movie with no plot... “The Polar Express” makes its audience feel like children again, a feeling all too rare in this moviegoing climate. It’s a film that goes down nicely, like having “Twas the Night BeforeChristmas” read before bedtime. [read review] 
--Collin Souter (eFilmCritic.com)
The Polar Express is cinematic magic - a delightful tale guaranteed to enthrall viewers of all ages. Does that sound like advertising hype, or the words of a publicist? Perhaps, but it's a reflection of how strongly this film pulled me under its spell. [read review]
--James Berardinelli (ReelViews)
At first blush, the special effects are jaw dropping and drool-worthy. For die-hard gamers, the film is like an extended version of those cool video game introduction movies, with the fringe benefit of being stretched across the big screen. Sweeeeet. [read review] 
--Lynda Lin (The Movie Insider)
This creepy animated holiday feature based on the popular children's book -- featuring Tom Hanks as the voice of no less than six characters -- has more padding than a junkie's Santa suit. [read review]
--Stephanie Zacharek (Salon)
Devoid of 21st-century irony, this visually stunning, action-packed yuletide treat is sweet and, yes, magical in a way that will enchant kids and give older viewers a twinge of nostalgia. [read review]
--Megan Lehmann (New York Post)
This season's biggest holiday extravaganza, "The Polar Express," should be subtitled "The Night of the Living Dead." The characters are that frightening. [read review]
--Paul Clinton (CNN Showbiz)
It's a sensation - both a milestone in computer-animation and a likely Christmas classic. [read review]
--Jack Mathews (New York Daily News)
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