Tom Hanks Movie:

Editorial Review:
When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

Description of The Polar Express (Widescreen Edition):
Destined to become a holiday perennial, The Polar Express also heralded a brave new world of all-digital filmmaking. Critics and audiences were divided between those who hailed it as an instant classic that captures the visual splendor and evocative innocence of Chris Van Allsburg's popular children's book, and those who felt that the innovative use of "performance capture"--to accurately translate live performances into all-digital characters--was an eerie and not-quite-lifelike distraction from the story's epic-scale North Pole adventure. In any case it's a benign, kind-hearted celebration of the yuletide spirit, especially for kids who have almost grown out of their need to believe in Santa Claus. Tom Hanks is the nominal "star" who performs five different computer-generated characters, but it's the visuals that steal this show, as director Robert Zemeckis indulges his tireless pursuit of technological innovation. No matter how you respond to the many wonders on display, it's clear that The Polar Express represents a significant milestone in the digital revolution of cinema. If it also fills you with the joy of Christmas (in spite of its Nuremberg-like rally of frantic elves), so much the better. --Jeff Shannon

The World of The Polar Express

The book by Chris Van Allsburg

The Soundtrack

The Magic Journey (Polar Express the Movie) (book)

Stills from Polar Express (click for larger image)

The Polar Express (Widescreen Edition) Reviews:
Great movie! POOR 3-D Version!
2009-12-01 - This movie is a hit and will become a classic to future generations. Well done to those that teamed-up to make it. HOWEVER: the 3-D version does not work. We waited for days after purchasing this version to see it on thanksgiving day as a family. What a disappointment! My husband and I got an instant headache just by watching it for a few minutes with the 3-D glasses on. We tried the blue ray dvd player and even real 3-D glasses from the theater... nothing worked. To their credit, a few scenes were OK, (we skipped the movie to the most visually stimulating scenes), but generally speaking is not worth to hurt your family's eyes when the original version is almost 3-D by itself! I very rarely review an item online, but once cd's or dvd's are opened they are not exchangeable (unless is the same item),or allowed for returns. I hope this info is useful.

Fantastic 3D!!! Must see!
2009-11-30 - The 3D in this movie is fantastic. I think what would help most people would be to invest in a pair of the plastic glasses rather than the cardboard ones and you will have an entirely different experience with this 3D movie and others as well. I am a huge fan of 3D movies- and this one DOES NOT disappoint. Love it!!!

3D Polar Express DVD review
2009-11-29 - DO NOT BUY THE 3D VERSION OF THIS FILM.
Yes, I like the movie, but the 3D version is awful!! The 3D version should not be available for purchase.
It is the worst thing I have seen. The 3D imaging is blurry and there is very little of it.
Stick with the regular DVD version.
Please, please don't waste your money!

Souless Gimmick
2009-11-29 - Souless is what describes this product. So much talent and money just wasted because it lacks soul. It' lack of soul is total and complete. It is painful from the moment it opens to the closing. Absolute disaster. People who put their name of this product should be so very ashamed of that fact.

I just could not find any redeeming quality at all of this thing and that's a shame because it was supposed to be that special something even I wished hard it was.

worst 3D ever
2009-11-23 - Love, Love, Love this movie, so I decided to buy the 3D version for my kids this year! This was the biggest waste of money ever!! The movie picture and color are distorted and the 3D is almost non-existent! I couldn't watch with the "glasses", it gave me a headache. After a while even my 4 and 6 year gave up on the glasses! They wanted to use the glasses they got when they saw Toy Story 3d, but unfortunately, they did not work!! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS IN 3D!!!!!!!!