The Polar Express

Rating: 8/10 (7 December 2015)

This is certain to be a yuletide classic (if it isn't already) and the magic of digital facial recognition technology along with its startling animation (the train ride, ticket journey carried about by wind, eagle, wolves, and snow, and visit to the North Pole) will undoubtedly lead to a special stature for Polar Express in years to come.
The story isn't too bad, either. A child disenchanted with the holiday, losing his belief in Santa needs reassurance and might just get that when a train headed to the North Pole stops by at his house on Christmas Eve. Each kid on this Polar Express have a golden ticket a certain conductor (voiced and is facially recognized by Tom Hanks) will check before when they board the train. An African American girl leaves behind her ticket to take a cup of hot cocoa to a melancholy kid who almost didn't board the train (without the lead kid's pulling the train brake in order to stop the train which was well on its way), and our lead kid loses it...the journey of the ticket is just one of several dazzling highlights of this nicely realized Christmas film. The train's major stop due to caribou and a derailment on ice (not to mention the lead boy's difficult journey on top of the train as the speed brings snow and wind making it hard to see, a hobo helping him along the way, following the conductor and girl to the front of the train) are thrilling, and the whole visit to the North Pole (which includes the elves making sure all the presents are wrapped in a massive red bag and ballooned to a towering Christmas tree to meet up with Santa Claus) is quite a visual dynamo.
This is all about dazzling you. It is an experience I imagine needs to be truly seen in a theater in the IMAX format to truly appreciate it. Still on the small screen, Polar Express is nonetheless impressive as a visual feast for the eyes. The sleigh bell is a nice touch in its importance to the lead kid and his newfound respect and belief in the holiday season. I think ultimately, the film is at its best when establishing the theme of embracing the holiday during your youth because eventually you lose it to adulthood.