A Magical New Holiday Classic

Rating: 9/10 (24 December 2004)

"The Polar Express" is based on the classic picture book by Chris Van Allsburg, and brought to the screen through the magic of computer animation. The movie is a huge spectacle of wondrous imagery. All this surrounds the story of a skeptical young boy who takes a Christmas Eve ride on the Polar Express, in attempt to convince himself that Santa Claus is real. Tom Hanks is the star, providing the performance of several characters, including the stoic Conductor, who plays it strict in one instance, then endearing in the next. Much has been made of the liberties taken with the original story. This is just a case of having to stretch a simple story into feature length. But a lot of added sequences are enjoyable and breathtaking, including the snappy "Hot Chocolate" number. You can expect this to be a new holiday classic that will be remembered for years!