“The Polar Express” 20-Year Anniversary: An Unforgettable Classic That Stands the Test of Time
On November 10th of this year, “The Polar Express” turned 20. This spectacular Christmas film blends gorgeous animation, edge-of-your-seat action sequences, and great music to create an unforgettable classic, nothing short of magical. I’d go so far as to say it ranks with the best-animated films by Disney, Pixar, and Dreamworks.
The movie stars Tom Hanks as the conductor of the titular Polar Express, who helps an unnamed young boy rediscover his faith in Santa Claus and Christmas. Robert Zemeckis directed the movie, known for many films, including such live-action Tom Hanks films as “Castaway” and “Forrest Gump,” as well as Disney’s 2009 stop-motion Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey, also an excellent Christmas film.
The movie is certainly nothing groundbreaking in terms of story. In fact, much like “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” The Rankin/Bass specials, The Grinch cartoon, etc., Christmas is clearly what’s at the forefront here more than character and story development. There are so many great things about it, though, that this is easy to overlook.
The animation, for starters, is excellent. You really feel the magic of Christmas with this animation! The voice casting is also great, with Tom Hanks as the conductor and Eddie Deezen as a know-it-all kid in particular standing out. We even get an appearance by a mysterious hobo, and it’s unclear if he is even real or not, which makes for an intriguing scene that leaves it up to the audience’s imagination. This truly is a fascinating character.
While not a musical, there are a few songs throughout that are fun and catchy. “When Christmas Comes to Town” is my personal favorite because it truly captures the magic of Christmas as a child. The action scenes are truly breathtaking! The train going down Glacier Gulch, “the steepest downhill slope in the world,” in the conductor’s words, followed immediately by encountering the track covered by ice and the ice melting, is an absolute blast! I saw this movie in 4-D as a kid, and this was pretty terrifying for me (in a good way).
There’s no villain at all, but this is one of those animated films that could tell a compelling story without one, breaking away from the typical good versus evil formula. The main conflict comes down to the boy’s inner struggles with wanting to believe in Santa Claus but feeling like it might be a hoax.
Also of note is that, like all the best Christmas films, the religious aspect of Christmas is hinted at (the little girl the boy meets at one point mentions it’s possible an angel saved the conductor), but it’s never too in-your-face with it, making for an entertaining experience for people of all faiths.
This film remains a yearly holiday favorite that doesn’t totally ignore the Christian meaning of Christmas, but neither shoves it in your face so those of other faiths can enjoy it too. Dazzling animation, breathtaking action scenes, great voice acting, great music, and a heartwarming story, albeit nothing that new, make for, in my opinion, what is one of the best non-Disney animated films.
