Christmas Movies: The Polar Express

So during holiday season of 2006 I was in my 8th grade language arts class which was taught by my teachers Ms. Hough and Ms.Craddock. Around about November I’d say they told us we were going to watch The Polar Express (2004). Now up to that point I had never seen The Polar Express. I honestly had no interest in seeing it, even though I am a big Tom Hanks fan, it really just looked like a typical holiday kids movie so I had no desire to see it, but what I never could’ve imagined after watching it was that The Polar Express would become one of my favorite Christmas movies ever.

Taking place in the 1950’s, The Polar Express tells the story of a young boy portrayed by Daryl Sabara, who is visited in the middle of the night by a mysteriously magical train known as the Polar Express. The train is full with young children and is on a set course for the North Pole. The train’s conductor and charismatic leader of the journey is portrayed by The legendary Tom Hanks. After boarding the train the little boy becomes acquainted with several other children and mysterious figures aboard the train including a friendly little girl, a know it all little boy, a lonely little boy and Smokey and Steamer voices by Michael Jeter in what was his final film role before his death.

When I first watched this movie I honestly thought I was about to see a basic Christmas movie for kids, but when it was over I was honestly blown away. This movie was an utter masterpiece in both storytelling and characters. The Polar Express is hands down one of the most cinematic animated films I have ever seen. One of the first unique qualities I noticed about this movie was its sense of character development. Right off the bat the audience is introduced to all of these colorful characters with a creative mix of well developed personalities.

The most interesting and creative detail about the characters in this story is we don’t even know any of their names. Throughout the entirety of the film the movie deliberately withholds all of the characters names. We also don’t know any personal details about any of the characters other than their activities during the voyage of the Polar Express. The characters also take part in a very limited range of dialogue. For me, this was a creative way to put the audience in a first person point of view for the main character’s Christmas experience.

The journey of the Polar Express was also just as intriguing as its characters. Here we see these characters on this Christmas journey to the North Pole to visit Santa Claus. Along the way these characters enjoy the innocence of youth’s purity while sticking up for one another in challenging situations and finding it in their hearts to believe in the spirit of Santa Claus among skepticism and disbelief of his existence.

What makes The Polar Express such a beautiful film is its real life symbolism and messaging about believing in the beauty of the holiday spirit. This movie perfectly taps into the imagination of who all of us were when we were kids. Imaginative, open minded and accepting of all who come our way, no matter how rambunctious they may be. There is no way you could watch this movie and not be in tune with that pure spirit of youth that was in your heart as a child. Every time I watch this movie I feel like I’m back in the late 90’s or early 2000’s. It’s very unlikely that you haven’t seen this movie, but if by chance you haven’t, go give it a watch. The Polar Express is one of my favorite Christmas movies and one of the greatest Christmas films ever.