Review of The Polar Express (2004) by Magnus K — 07 Dec 2011

The Polar Express is one of the best, and most important, holiday movies of Hollywood's modern era. So many studios today throw together holiday movies and toss them onto dvd/blu-ray and television just to put them out there. Those studios don't really seem to care much about what they're really making. And it shows in the final product, too. The Polar Express is the exact opposite of those flicks. It's a family friendly holiday movie with an original story, and a simple, yet deep philosophical and theological message. And while so many other "animated" movies have looked like shameless clones of each since about 2000, this work took the road less traveled. Instead it opted for a different style of cg. Given, that style isn't entirely original in itself. But it's still different from what so many other studios were doing, and are still doing.

Every child dreams of catching Santa Claus. Every child also dreams of actually getting a mere glimpse of Santa's famed North Pole headquarters, too. Typically, audiences have seen people get to Santa's legendary headquarters with the jolly fat man, in his sleigh. But in The Polar Express, a group of kids take a totally different trip up "North". They take a magical train. The train is helmed by a white rabbit-esuqe train conductor (voiced by Tom Hanks) who is obsessed with staying on schedule. Hanks' constant worrying about staying on schedule makes for moments that are at times funny, and at others, heartwarming. Those moments also help to move along the story of the kids' journey to see Santa.

The story of the kids' journey is an original one. The addition of the story's moral messages makes the story that much more enjoyable. Behind the whole story is a message of the importance of blind faith. Hanks' tells the children that the most real things in the world are those things that we can't see. It's a message that could be applied both in the secular and non-secular sense. it could, in turn, lead to some very deep philosophical and theological discussions.

The Polar Express has a lot going for it. It has an original storyline, and a simple, yet deep, message that keeps it relevant nearly a decade after its debut. But they can only go so far in making the movie the success that it is. Being that it's computer based, the movie could ahve gone the route of so many other cg movies. Instead, it went for a more realistic look. given the look used in this movie had already been used by EA Sports for many of its video games. But in terms of movies, no other studio had done that at the time. And that being noted, it's still a groundbreaker among animated movies, today. Other "animated" movies have followed suit--very few, though, so far.

The Polar Express is a near perfect combination of factors for a great holiday movie. Sure there are changes between the original book on which it was based, and the movie itself. But that practice has been happening since Hollywood's golden age. So it can be forgiven for that. It can be forgiven, too, for its animation style. While its animation style may not be entirely original, it's original in comparison to other "animated" movies. It has a simple message, that can lead to some very deep conversations. And that message stems from the story behind the movie. That story is one that few other movies tackles today. And that, combined with all other factors, makes The Polar Express one of the greatest Christmas movies not only of the modern era, but of all time.