Cinemagic

Rating: 10/10 (29 December 2012)

The Polar Express is a rare exercise in pure cinemagic, where everything is dreamlike and exists in a world run on the motor of whimsy. It's a beautiful looking film, with every shot so mindbogglingly detailed and every action sequence so paralyzing in its charm and excitement. I can only imagine the everlasting impact an IMAX experience would've had on me as a longtime cinema-goer.
I have major sympathy for the parents of America, who year after year, are likely subjected to the lowest common denominator of family entertainment at home and at the cinema. When rating a family film, I ask the question, "is it fun for the kids?" and then ask, "is it fun for the adults?" They pay the ticket price; don't you feel they should share the enjoyment of what is being on screen and not just hope to see something resembling the beginning of a long line of end credits? Bless the fact that Pixar films have begun to take the attention of anxious kids and parents, and at least during the Christmastime in 2004, The Polar Express lurked in theaters for weeks so that the masses could be treated to the beautiful qualities imaginative cinema had to offer.
I'm positive everyone knows the story to the beloved children's book, penned in 1985. On the night of Christmas Eve, a young boy, skeptical about the idea of Santa Claus, is taken on a journey after seeing an enormous train pull up to his front yard with the train conductor (one of the five characters Tom Hanks voices in the film, not including the narrator) proudly shouting, "all abooooooard," before taking the young boy and several other nearby children on the ride of their life. Their destination is obviously the North Pole, where the kids can hopefully meet Santa Claus and receive a present for their good behavior this year. During the long ride, the young boy (who remains nameless, along with most of the others on board) meets a young black girl and a young boy named Billy, and the three children wind up having the ride of their life, as they not only avoid several scenes of uncertainty, but challenge the perilous conditions brought on to them by using quick and wise judgment. Not to mention, these three kids are just absolutely lovable. You're Scrooge if the children's beautiful song at the back of the train doesn't summon a tear to your eye.
The film exercises our unalienable right to imagine and dream. What kind wouldn't have wanted to take a ride on The Polar Express at age eight or nine? When I was small, my town held a little "Polar Express" event where children go board a train and cruise through nearby towns. It was a less than memorable experience. The singing was mild, the people weren't as fun, and the rule about hot chocolate wasn't in place because it was already broken by the time we received it.
If I would've seen something like The Polar Express in IMAX theaters, say, nine years ago, I would've been delighted. The kids who appreciate the most will be between seven and ten because the film gears itself to more mature children, who are still possibly clinging to that last bit of childhood innocence that is believing in Santa Claus. This picture shows that magic continues to exist long after your beliefs are over, and paints the most lavish and awe-inspiring portrait of the holidays that I have ever seen.
Director Robert Zemeckis, the laudable visionary of Back to the Future, provides us with one of cinema's many landmark, this one being for the digital age. This is the first film in history to utilize the motion-capture style of animation for the entire length. Motion-capture animation is when actors are fitted for special suits and proceed to act out the motions of their character, which will be converted to digital animation using computers. In recent times, let's take for example, Mars Needs Moms, a later picture by Zemeckis that left loads to be desired, the medium was gimmicky and unnecessary. Here, it's extremely enchanting. The inherent zombification of the human characters isn't explicitly found like in other motion-capture animation films, and it provides for nothing but smoothness in the sequences when The Polar Express flies off the train tracks and on to a bed of ice. Even the scenes with Santa's sleigh, zipping and zooming past a crowd of thousands looks beautifully enhanced thanks to this medium. This is one of the most detailed and great looking films ever made.
The Polar Express is a magnificent cinematic achievement in terms of look and feel. The action sequences are brilliantly staged, offering up the feeling of placement and depth instead of giving us indistinct location shots and messy editing skills. Everything is clear, broad, and vivid, and the characters are innocent and easy to love. The film has been compared to a roller coaster ride in a derogative manner, but turning that around to fit a positive connotation, the picture gives us one of the most fun cinematic rides in recent history, visually and emotionally.
Voiced by: Tom Hanks. Directed by: Robert Zemeckis.