Review: The Polar Express

Posted by: Tom Milroy  •  November 9, 2004 @ 11:59am

Filed under: Reviews

Make no mistake, The Polar Express is a Tom Hanks movie. He's one of the executive producers and he provides the voices for the conductor, the central boy, the boy's father, the hobo, Scrooge, and Santa Claus. Hanks has such control, he even got his pal Peter Scolari a part. Hanks and Scolari starred together in the early-80s TV show Bosom Buddies.

This is a wonderful movie for several reasons â€" it got me in the Christmas mood, it's a great story, and the animation is fantastic. When my two sons were young, I remember reading "The Polar Express" to them. The book was nothing like this. Having said that, the movie is a lot like taking a holiday â€" sometimes the voyage to the destination is the best part. Once The Polar Express arrives at the North Pole, most of the excitement is gone. But what a ride! The train contains children who for one reason or another aren't sure about the existence of Santa Claus. By the time the train pulls into the North Pole and the kids get to see Santa, they are believers.

The movie is directed by Robert Zemeckis, who worked with Hanks on Forrest Gump and Cast Away. Zemeckis also helmed the Back to the Future trilogy and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?. He's no stranger to big movies and believe me, this is a big movie. It's also nice to see a children's movie without all the irritating pop-culure references, (I'm talking to you Shark Tale).

I guarantee The Polar Express will put a smile on your face, warm your heart, and by the end, you'll be hearing Christmas bells.