The Polar Express (2004)

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Upon first seeing 'The Polar Express' back when it was released just over twenty years ago, I thought it was something pretty special. The animation, though creepy to some, was pretty amazing to me. The whole "uncanny valley" aspect people attach to it nowadays is understandable. Yet, at the time, this was on par with the fantastic animation of 'Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within,' which was about as lifelike as one could get, far before today's AI. More importantly, however, it managed to bring back some of that "magic" I had been missing for years.

With all of that said, I can honestly say that over the years, 'The Polar Express' has become one of those holiday movies that, while effective at the time, has waned in its overall quality for me, and has since been bumped down my list of solid turn-of-the-century Christmas films, replaced by several others that have left a bigger impact. I don't think this is something I would label "bad," and it still makes for a decent family-friendly adventure. Still, time hasn't been entirely kind to it, given how far CG animation has come since then.

The story centers on an unnamed kid, credited as "Hero Boy" (Daryl Sabara), who lies awake on Christmas Eve, listening for Santa's sleigh bells, but ultimately is disappointed and fights with the belief in Santa, as well as the waning of Christmas magic altogether. This struggle is one many of us have had to go through in our childhoods, so it's ultimately relatable. Despite not hearing Santa's sleigh bells that night, he hears something even crazier: a steam train pulls in right in front of this kid's house, causing quite the disturbance, but somehow his family remains unawakened.

When the kid runs out to see what all the ruckus is about, a conductor (Tom Hanks) invites him to board the train, which will take him to the North Pole to see Santa Claus (also Hanks) in person, thus reviving the Christmas magic that seems lost on him. When the kid backs off (as any kid probably should when a stranger invites them to a far-off land), the conductor says, "Suit yourself," and hops back on the train. The train begins to pull away without him, and he's struck by some reverse psychology, suddenly deciding he wants to go after all.

On his trip, he meets a few other kids, "Hero Girl" (Nona Gaye), a cheery girl who loves everything about Christmas; an insufferable "Know-It-All" (Eddie Deezen), mostly there for comedy relief; and a "Lonely Boy" (Peter Scolari) who seems to be in a similar mindset as our "Hero Boy," but perhaps with good reason to be, as he comes across as a financially poor boy as well. All seemingly representing some stage in a child's Christmas-related mind, together, they travel to the North Pole, enjoying things like dance numbers while being served hot chocolate, until "Hero Girl" loses her yet-to-be-punched ticket.

The first half of this movie involves "Hero Boy" chasing after "Hero Girl's" ticket and getting into shenanigans along the way. In contrast, the second half of the film involves their arrival at the North Pole and the lengths these kids go to find Santa, or other magical whatnot. When it's all said and done, you have to wonder if these kids really needed to go through all the frankly dangerous stuff that they do. A lot of it lends itself to the still quite beautiful animation, which, aside from the characters themselves, still totally holds up.

I've personally found that over the last twenty years or so, this somewhat new classic isn't quite what it was when it first came out. Though bits are relatable in recalling specific childhood memories these kids are going through, it's pretty easy to tell nowadays that the best parts of the movie showcase the groundbreaking animation for the time. It's otherwise okay, but as I've mentioned, there are many better titles to choose from. I'd recommend checking it out at least once to give it a shot and try to get past the "uncanny valley" aspect, but it's also not a "must-see."

3/5

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