Product Description

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.Running Time: 100 min.System Requirements:Running Time 100 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: G UPC: 012569699854

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2676 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2005-12-26
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Animated, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 100 minutes

Amazon.com
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)

From The New Yorker
Chris Van Allsburg's twenty-nine-page picture book about a young boy's travels to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus gets an expanded, expensive telling in Robert Zemeckis's Christmas bauble. The film is a hybrid of sorts-a computer-animated movie filmed with live actors in a process called "performance capture." This technique makes for a gorgeous holiday card (the digital backgrounds twinkle and shine), but the look of the "captured" characters is something of a disappointment. Tom Hanks (in a number of roles) and the other actors do a nice job of voicing their parts, but the waxy animated faces they've been given are off-putting. It's a bit like watching mannequins act. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

The Polar Express on Blu-ray
Not only is this a great movie for all ages, but owning it on Blu-ray is fantastic. I have had the standard DVD for a few years but the Blu-ray DVD is truly several steps up in picture quality. The colors are more vivid and sound is outstanding!

Fabulous
I love this movie. It makes you feel like you are there or would like to be there. I don't need to just watch this at Christmas time any time is good if you need a pick me up.

Great movie
Children and adults love this movie. I have a, 2 and 4 year old who love to watch it. We also purchased the soundtrack and we all love it. Wonderful movie!