Directed by Robert Zemeckis
96 minutes
Floor 3 Pink zone 791.4372 POL
It’s fair to say that The Polar Express split critics. Roger Ebert praised the film, giving it a score of four stars out of four; other critics, however, panned the film, describing it as ‘creepy’ and ‘uncanny’, on Rotten Tomatoes the film only has a 56% rating. Yet, Audiences loved it – market research group CinemaScore gave it an A+ rating; only 88 films since 1982 have achieved this feat. Why not give this Christmas classic a watch and see where you fall on the debate?
The reason critics were divided on the film is the animation. The whole picture is filmed using motion capture, where actors have their movement recorded whilst wearing body suits, this movement is then animated using CGI. These characters are not meant to be totally realistic but rather merging human and cartoon, the train engineers prove this with their unrealistic body types – one engineer for instance has a five foot beard. However, with motion capture the movement of the characters attempts to be more human. At times it can look a bit odd and jerky, and the facial animation is at times a bit off – especially the mouth movement. In truth I was reminded several times of early editions of The Sims video games series; when I think of Golem in The Lord of the Rings, which was created using similar technology,I do wonder if the animation could have been done better for The Polar Express. Yet, I disagree with critics who argue that the animation is uncanny or unnerving – to me it is just animation, it is colourful and perfectly fine for the story.
The narrative follows an unnamed ‘Hero Boy’ (voiced by Daryl Sabara and Tom Hanks, motion captured by Tom Hanks and Josh Hutcherson); he stops believing in Santa (Tom Hanks) until a mysterious train appears on his street on Christmas eve where a wise Conductor (Tom Hanks) invites the hero, and other children, on a trip to the North Pole. On the train the Hero makes several friends including a child called Billy (voiced by Jimmy Bennett, singing by Matther Hall, motion capture by Peter Scolari and Hayden McFarland). Billy seemingly has no other friends nor usually has fun Christmases (there are undertones that the child is from a poor family and presents are rare); I think the film is very brave to combat such a character, dealing with inequality at Christmas, maybe more could have been made of this, but you do really feel for Billy as he make friends – it is quite sweat. I will say, however, the ‘Know-it-All Boy’ (Voiced by Eddie Deezen, motion capture by Jax Pinchak) is sadly plain annoying. You may have noticed Tom Hank’s name for a lot of credits in this film, and I have to say why not! He does a fabulous job at all the voice work.
The plot is easy to follow, it is a journey to see Santa whilst the characters learn about friendship. But there are several stand out moments – on the roof of the train the Hero finds a mysterious ‘Hobo’ (Tom Hanks), a sort of Jack Frost figure, who can disappear at will. His character is never fully explained and adds a nice touch of mystery to the narrative. Equally, the film has what can only be described as rollercoaster sequences which are surprisingly good and well-animated, they repeat maybe a little too often but then the film was also released in 3D. Towards the end of the narrative it materialises only characters who believe in Santa can hear his sleigh bells, for a long time we hear only what the Hero hears which is a good narrative technique, resulting in a clever ending that I won’t spoil. I will add that I also loved the elves’ excitement at seeing Santa, I am not too proud to say it made me giggle. The songs maybe don’t stand out as much as other films, but I really liked the up-tempo song as the characters arrive in the North Pole.
I am not normally a Christmassy person, but this film did make me feel Christmassy which is always a good sign for a Christmas film! It is now a very popular film and is still played in cinemas, it is worth a watch.
From all of us at the David Wilson Library, have a Merry Christmas and see you in the New Year!
Why it’s Significant?
The film was hit and miss with the critics, but it tried something new and that should be applauded. Over-time it has become a Christmas classic and has led to actual Polar Express train trips in America and the UK. It is the first all-digital capture film ever made, perhaps it was a little ahead of its time – if done now, one wonders how realistic the CGI could be (think of the projection of Peter Cushing in Rogue One), and whether this realistic CGI is a good or bad thing for cinema?
If You Like This, You May Also Like From the Library:
Who Framed Roger Rabbit, dir. by Robert Zemeckis (20th Century Fox, 2015) – Mixing animation and live action, Who framed Roger Rabbit won several awards for its visual effects. The film helped to reinvigorate audiences’ interest in animation and also triggered the Disney renaissance. Fun fact: this is the first official film that depicts Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny together on screen. (791.4372 WHO).
Forrest Gump, dir. by Robert Zemeckis (Buena Vista Pictures, 1988) – Another Zemeckis and Tom Hanks picture; this is a film classic that every film lover or casual watcher should see. It is an epic narrative that follows Forrest Gump (Hanks), not the most intellectual figure, from the 1950s to the 1980s – it will make you laugh and cry, a perfect all-rounder for everyone. (791.4372 FOR).
Written by Phil Wintle If you want more film reviews, check-out my personal blog: www.philsfilms.movie.blog
