Too Much, yet not Enough, of a Good Thing

Rating: 5/10 (24 November 2005)

In 1985 sculptor Chris Van Allsburg published his first children's book, THE POLAR EXPRESS, which became an instant classic, especially appropriate for family reading during the holidays. The beauty of the book was not only a simple story about a lad's discovery of the real meaning of Christmas, but also the power of Allburg's glorious art - which was awarded with the Caldecott Medal in 1986.
Some of that book is retained and some of that is lost in this grossly overproduced, extravagantly expensive, film transition of the book. For reasons only known to director Robert Zemeckis, who also adapted the story for his film, and to his long time friend Tom Hanks, the decision was made to make not just an animated feature and not a computer enhanced film using actors, but a strange amalgamation of the two. We are seeing puppet-like characters morphed to resemble real people - and that must have caused the animators headaches but earned big money! But despite the bigger than life extravaganza version of basically an intimate story, the theme comes through and the message is sweet. Whether the 'fillers' heavily frosted on this version are additive is up to the taste of the viewer. But it is a tour de force for Hanks who plays almost everyone in the film, and it is evident that the film's heart is in the right place. Grady Harp