Chris Van Allsburg (born June 18, 1949) is an American illustrator and writer of children's books.
 He has won two Caldecott Medals for U.S. picture book illustration, for "Jumanji" (1981) and "The Polar Express" (1985), both of which he also wrote; both were later adapted as successful motion pictures.
 He was also a Caldecott runner-up in 1980 for "The Garden of Abdul Gasazi".
 For his contribution as a children's illustrator he was 1986 U.S. nominee for the biennial, international Hans Christian Andersen Award, the highest international recognition for creators of children's books.
 He received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Michigan in April 2012.
The Polar Express is a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985.
 The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children although the point has been challenged.
 It was praised for its detailed illustrations and calm, relaxing storyline.
 For the work Van Allsburg won the annual Caldecott Medal for illustration of an American children's picture book in 1986, his second.
Closer Tour was the first tour by American singer Josh Groban supporting his second studio album "Closer" (2003).
 The Tour began in Boise January 22, 2004 and concluded in Sioux City March 24, 2005.
 During the Tour in December 2004 Josh Groban visited South Africa which would have an influence on his next album which he would begin recording after this tour and also recorded the song Believe for the film The Polar Express which was released in November, 2004.
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker.
 He is known for his various comedic and dramatic film roles, including "Splash" (1984), "Big" (1988), "Turner & Hooch" (1989), "A League of Their Own" (1992), "Sleepless in Seattle" (1993), "Philadelphia" (1993), "Forrest Gump" (1994), "Apollo 13" (1995), "Saving Private Ryan" (1998), "You've Got Mail" (1998), "The Green Mile" (1999), "Cast Away" (2000), "Road to Perdition" (2002), and "The Da Vinci Code" (2006), as well as for his voice work in the animated films "The Polar Express" (2004) and the "Toy Story" series.
The Polar Express is a 2004 American 3D computer-animated Christmas musical fantasy film based on the 1985 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg, who served as one of the executive producers on the film.
 Written, produced, and directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film features human characters animated using live action motion capture animation.
 The film stars Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen, with Tom Hanks in six distinct roles.
 The film also included a performance by Tinashe at age 9, who later gained exposure as a pop singer in 2010, as the CGI-model for the female protagonist.
Toshiaki Karasawa (唐沢 寿明 , Karasawa Toshiaki , born June 3, 1963) (real name Kiyoshi Karasawa (唐澤 潔 "Karasawa Kiyoshi")) is a Japanese theatre and film actor.
 He made his theatrical debut in the play "Boy's Revue Stay Gold" (ボーイズレビュー・ステイゴールド "Bōizu Rebyū Sutei Gōrudo") in 1987.
 He specialises in theatrical action sequences such as swordplay and fighting.
 He dubbed over the roles of Tom Hanks in the "Toy Story" series, and "The Polar Express".
Basil Glen Ballard, Jr. (born May 1, 1953) is an American songwriter, lyricist, and record producer.
 He is best known for co-writing and producing Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill" (1995), which won Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album", and "Album of the Year" , and was ranked by the "Rolling Stone" "as one of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".
 He is also well known for his collaborations with composer Alan Silvestri.
 He was involved in the recording and writing of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and "Bad".
 As a writer he co-wrote songs including "Man in the Mirror" (1987) and "Hand in My Pocket" (1995).
 He is the founder of Java Records.
 He won the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture for the song "Believe" ("The Polar Express").
 In 2011, he founded his own production company known as Augury, a Hollywood atelier focused on developing music-driven projects in film, television, and theatre.
Daryl Christopher Sabara (born June 14, 1992) is an American actor, perhaps best known for playing Juni Cortez in the "Spy Kids" film series, as well as for a variety of television and film appearances, including "Generator Rex", "Wizards of Waverly Place", "Father of the Pride", "The Polar Express", "Keeping Up with the Steins", "Halloween", and "America's Most Talented Kids" (on which he was a judge).
The polar highs are areas of high atmospheric pressure around the north and south poles; the north polar high being the stronger one because land gains and loses heat more effectively than sea.
 The cold temperatures in the polar regions cause air to descend to create the high pressure (a process called subsidence), just as the warm temperatures around the equator cause air to rise to create the low pressure intertropical convergence zone.
 Rising air also occurs along bands of low pressure situated just below the polar highs around the 50th parallels of latitude.
 These extratropical convergence zones are occupied by the polar fronts where air masses of polar origin meet and clash with those of tropical or subtropical origin.
 This convergence of rising air completes the vertical cycle around the polar cell in each latitudinal hemisphere.
 Closely related to this concept is the polar vortex.
John Carrafa is an American theater and film director/choreographer best known as the two-time Tony Award nominated choreographer of the Broadway musicals "Urinetown" and "Into The Woods" and the Media Choreography Honors Award winner for the Robert Zemeckis film "The Polar Express".

Question: What country of origin does The Polar Express and Daryl Sabarahave in common?
Answer: American