THE POLAR EXPRESS

Rated G. 100 minutes. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Ok for kids of all ages.

Having trouble believing in Santa lately? Then climb aboard The Polar Express, my friend, for a magical mystery tour where “sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.”

Our story begins with Hero Boy (Daryl Sabara), who’s at the age where he could go either way on the “is Santa real” question. But lying awake in bed, he hears a rumble in the street outside and sees a huge train lumber into view. He runs outside in his bathrobe and slippers, and the no-nonsense conductor (a digitized Tom Hanks) advises him to get on board.

Once there, he meets several other pajama-clad youngsters, including Hero Girl, a gentle African American girl (Nona Gaye), and Know-It-All (Eddie Deezen), an obnoxious kid who always has an answer for everything. The train makes one last stop – on the wrong side of the tracks – to pick up Lonely Boy (Peter Scolari, voiced by Jimmy Bennett), a child scarred by a lifetime of Christmas disappointments.

The train then speeds off, navigating dark tunnels, roller-coaster climbs, and a lake of dangerously thin ice before delivering the youngsters to the North Pole, where they’re greeted by Santa (Hanks again – he plays five parts).

Based on the 1986 Caldecott Award-winning book by Chris Van Allsburg, this movie uses a process called “performance capture,” which merges live action with animation. Human actors perform the movements, which are translated into lifelike animation. They’re not real, and yet, they’re not unreal either. Even the graceful Polar Express seems alive.

It’s hard to define this movie in a few paragraphs, but trust me when I say you should check it out. I was completely hypnotized by the movements, expressions, and gestures of the characters. It’s a little creepy, but also beautiful.

Some of the more captivating scenes include a herd of caribou that won’t budge from the middle of the train’s path; and Hero Girl’s ticket, which flutters out of the train, gets stuck under the wheels, swoops down through a frozen landscape, and gets stuck in a bird’s nest before being sucked back into the train. And of course, the subject matter – is St. Nick real or not? – never goes out of style.

THE LOW-DOWN: Remember how it feels to believe! People of all ages will enjoy this fun, magical movie, and maybe it’ll even restore some of those childhood fantasies that disappeared into the black hole of life’s struggles.

SCORE: 3 out of 4 Reels.

Jane's Reel Rating System:

One Reel – Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it.

Two Reels – Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.

Three Reels – Pleasant. Something to talk about.

Four Reels – Wow! The stuff dreams are made of.

E-chat with me at jane@reellifewithjane.com - I LOVE to talk about movies!

Read my other reviews here.