one of the best holiday movies made

Rating: Null/10 (21 November 2004)

Get ready for the Holiday season. I've seen this week's movie twice now and it hasn't even come out in theaters. The second Christmas movie to come out this year, after the poorly marketed Ben Affleck movie 'Surviving Christmas,' that came out in October, is the third collaboration between Director Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks; Polar Express. Polar Express is the new animated movie inspired by the book of the same name written by popular children's author, Chris Van Allsburg, the man who also brought us Jumanji.
Polar Express tells the story of a young boy who's struggling in his belief of the big man upstairs. By upstairs, of course, I mean up north, and by the big man, I mean, of course, Santa Clause. On Christmas Eve, this young boy lays awake in his bed, pondering the question of his existence hoping to hear the jingle of his sleigh. He soon hears a noise, not of sleigh bells, but of a train whistle; the Polar Express. After meeting the train's conductor, played by Tom Hanks, the boy goes on an adventure of a lifetime to meet Santa along with several other great characters.
Polar Express is a superb, innovated animated film. They use the technology used for sports video games, attaching sensors to the actors' body to capture their facial features and body movements, making the animated characters look like the actual actor. Now, I, personally, have been getting sick of this computer animated movie fad. However, this movie is completely different from any other animated film. The feel of the entire film is as though it's live action. The animation in this film perfectly captures the soul behind the story and illustrations of author Chris Van Allsburg.
It's safe to say that the acting in this movie is very well done. I know, its weird to say that regarding an animated film, but it actually is acting.
Tom Hanks does a fantastic job lending his voice to, and becoming the character of not just one, but five different characters. I won't ruin the surprise as to the different characters that he plays, because I found it fun trying to figure out which characters are, in fact, Tom Hanks. However, his acting for each character is unique and rather flawless. Look out, also for a cameo by an animated Steven Tyler, lead singer of Aerosmith, as he puts on his daughter's shoes and becomes and elf. The children characters are beautifully created and, while watching, you're really able to remember what it was like to be a child having these grand feeling for the holiday season.
Robert Zemeckis, director of other Tom Hanks films, Forrest Gump and Cast Away, does a fantastic job at turning the popular children's book into a fun, inspiring movie. It is beautiful to see his vision come to life in this movie. The film is animated with gorgeous scenery and awe-inspiring shots. The cinematography is some of the best I've seen in recent films. It is simply beautiful. Zemeckis is able to capture the spirit of the holiday with wonderful vigor. He takes us into the mind and heart of the child and recaptures what if felt like to be a child and have such wonderful excitement about Christmas.
Polar Express is an adventure ride that not only keeps the heart in suspense, but warms it as well. At its heart, Polar Express is a film about believing, as the conductor says, 'Sometimes the most real things in this world are the things we can't see.' This film is beautiful as it warms the heart and inspires us to return to our childhood attitude toward the upcoming season. It truly is a beautiful film, and is one of the best Christmas movies ever made. And, it certainly gets my nod for best animated feature of the year come Oscar season. I can only wonder if Tom and his wife, Rita, are going to argue about who has the better Holiday movie; her Jingle All the Way or his Polar Express. While I love Rita Wilson and the Governator's Jingle All the Way, my vote goes to you, Tom. Please, I beg of you, see Polar Express. It will certainly inspire all who watch it whether you are the youngest of children or oldest of adults. Coming to theaters and to special 3-D Imax theaters this Wednesday, Polar Express gets all 5 bright Christmas stars and three Christmas season 'Ho Ho Ho's!'