Doesn't quite get the job done

Rating: 5/10 (11 November 2004)

I didn't really know what to expect when I went to "Polar Express." All I knew of it was what I saw in the trailer. While watching it, I struggled with the urge to ask the people I went with, "What, exactly, is the point of this film?" I struggled, because the point is obvious. It's your basic "faith-in-Santa" story, which is fine. What I later realized was that this was quite a large effort to put forth such a small idea. I would liken it to building a skyscraper to house a newspaper stand. A lot of expense and effort went into the film, but it really didn't make it any better than it would have been had there just been a small cast of actors doing the same story.
The only exceptions to me are the roller-coaster effects of animation when the train is traveling, which is quite nice, but not so over-the-top that it will make your stomach drop. I thought that was well done.
But even the animation was wanting. Having watched "The Incredibles" the night before, I think I prefer my animated characters to act animated - not pretend to move as humans. I honestly found the animation a little creepy because things just weren't right. It got downright sloppy when it came to the boy they picked up on the wrong side of the tracks. When he began chasing the train, and was brought on board, the lengths and movement of his arms was very odd.
Ultimately, I didn't really find the movie or its characters very endearing, or anything close to resembling an instant holiday classic. It was a small story that had a lot of generally superfluous action and other crap tacked on to make it last 90 minutes. It seemed much longer.