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The Polar Express
The Polar Express
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The Polar Express

The Polar Express

2004
Family/Kids, Fantasy
1h 40m
When a doubting young boy takes a 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.

The Polar Express

2004
Family/Kids, Fantasy
1h 40m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 34.68% from 4637 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(4667)
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Rated 10 Dec 2015
78
39th
For all the bellyaching about the creaky animation, this movie's greatest weakness is actually the script, which attempts to stretch a 30-page picture book into a two-hour film. We have a LOT of padding here, both on the train (the songs, the caribou, the hobo ghost) and at the North Pole (the slides, the extended sleigh takeoff). It's not without some charm, but it would have been better as a half-hour TV special.
Rated 19 Feb 2024
45
15th
Well, this should make for a pleasant Holiday distraDEAR GOD THEIR FACES! WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? NO! NO! Oh, this is fun following the ticket fly around. It's like a rollercoaster riNO! HOBO HANKS IS SCARING THE CHILDREN! THIS IS A NIGHTMARE! GOD NO! ... btw I think the superior Christmas movie score is Edward Scissorhands which this appears to be aping quite a bit even though this is Silvestri and Edward is Elfman.
Rated 25 Dec 2021
20
7th
Pretty darn awful. I can’t believe I made it through with that nerdy kid talking so much with possibly the most annoying voice I’ve ever heard in a film.
Rated 24 Dec 2014
2
11th
too fucking magical, jesus. i imagine the bell still rings for him as an adult because of all that brain damage he sustained during the train trip's unending action sequences. y'know, it does seem sort of wrong to me that children's movies have just as much violence as R-rated stuff, but without any of the bloody consequences. so punching and smashing people becomes a hilarious game that little kiddies can play. basically what i'm saying is 5-year olds should be exposed to [only god forgives].
Rated 25 Dec 2012
55
27th
zzz
Rated 16 Aug 2012
65
19th
I found it became a lot less interesting and appealing after the train ride.
Rated 24 Oct 2011
77
22nd
Oh come on, of course I loved it. It's not the best Christmas classic and it's briskly paced but The Polar Express should entertain all ages who are interested.
Rated 26 Aug 2011
85
54th
Ignoring the at-times unsettling mo-cap animation, Zemeckis' train indeed chugs away as a modern Christmas favorite.
Rated 12 Oct 2009
5
1st
If I get diagnosed with either cancer or diabetes within the next couple of years, I'll blame this movie...
Rated 26 Dec 2008
66
41st
Really well done, given the sufficient lack of source material. How they turned such an average short story into a beautiful film like this I'll never know, but it's defenitely worth seeing on at least one Christmas in your life.
Rated 16 Dec 2023
53
62nd
I don't like to be a predictable crowd follower so I'll just say, this was the canniest valley I've seen in years.
Rated 11 Dec 2020
70
17th
Hire Hanks. Hire Zemeckis. Creepily animate people. Throw in a little bit of good ol' gift buying euphoria of the west (and now sadly east). Put in action scenes. Result is emotionless movie. No amount of propaganda will justify never-ending consumerism and gift-hyping. It's probably fun for younger folks. If they don't develop intense panic attack from all the creepy faces.
Rated 26 Jan 2020
50
11th
Why is every character Tom Hanks?
Rated 05 Jun 2017
3
15th
The perfect example of the uncanny valley. Creepy and bland at the same time.
Rated 27 Dec 2016
5
24th
The compelling atmosphere on the train-a mix of thrilling action (see the ice ride), mystery (see the hobo by the fire on top of the car), fun (see the hot chocolate song and dance), and magic (see Hanks' mysterious conductor)-makes it by far the best part of the film, as the latter half at the North Pole shrinks all the surrealism into a basic "belief in Santa" message-though that little kid sure is precious. The animation, meanwhile, is inconsistent (the faces often look a little funny).
Rated 26 Dec 2015
9
2nd
This is the worst kind of 3D wank. It has no plot. What it has are people acting stupid and/or clumsy as a pretext for showing scene after scene with roller-coasters or things falling towards the screen in slow-mo. And I could have lived with that, if the movie was actually visually impressive. But the scenery has less atmosphere than outer space, the character animations are lifeless, creepy and straight out of uncanny valley and the musical numbers are not even bad, just instantly forgettable.
Rated 23 Aug 2015
65
39th
Not very good actually!
Rated 24 Jun 2014
7
2nd
This is a much loved holiday favorite but I really despise it. I'm not 100% sure why, it just really rubs me the wrong way. I hate looking at it.
Rated 19 Jul 2013
77
32nd
This movie was pretty good.It wasn't the best Christmas movie i have ever seen, but it does have some value.I mean i think people of all ages would love this movie.It has laughs,sad moments,and very unique.This is definitely a Christmas classic.
Rated 19 Dec 2012
50
21st
I liked the book but the animation was too creepy/uncanny to even finish watching the movie
Rated 11 Dec 2012
45
8th
I fail to see why they felt the need for motion capture as it's quite clear the technology was not ready for this. Characters barely emote and it looks like something shot with The Sims' game engine. They also take a simple story and compound it with the most contrived Hollywood cliches as they can fill the running time with. By the end you just want it all to stop so that you can pull out the book and read that instead.
Rated 26 Nov 2012
40
17th
God, I hate this kind of animation. Tom Hanks has never been so terrifying.
Rated 30 Sep 2012
62
18th
The way the film animated people scared me as a child and gave me nightmares.
Rated 27 Aug 2012
45
11th
Not that bad, but not what one should expect from Zemeckis, I guess... It is just boring. Maybe it was just my moment that wasn't proper for this kind of stuff.
Rated 12 Jul 2012
60
4th
This movies reflects the problems that most of the recent Robert Zemickis movies suffer with. Although made with noble intentions, the story seems to drag and add to that the awful motion-captured faces which just do not emote.
Rated 20 Nov 2010
45
16th
I thought the animation was creepy.
Rated 18 Oct 2010
70
89th
What are some of the key ingredients in order to make a great Christmas film? You'd need a bit of fantasy, a scoop of adventure, a sprinkle of marvel and a dash of wonderment. Combine them in a bowl, stir them together and pour them onto film and you'd wind up with Robert Zemeckis's The Polar Express. The film stars Tom Hanks as just about everyone, from the boy himself, to the narrator, conductor, hobo-angel, Santa Claus and I believe he also played the part of the train.
Rated 09 Jul 2010
85
78th
You can almost feel the magic from this movie.
Rated 03 Jul 2010
48
39th
Mistakes - 1) When the boy runs out of his house, as the train is arriving, they make a point of showing his footprints in the snow along with his sliding leaving long marks. However, when they pan back it is his footprints that are gone. 2) During the scene when the Polar Express slides across the ice and the conductor is telling the train controllers to head for the tracks, the distance between the train and the tracks keeps changing.
Rated 06 Jan 2010
39
26th
Not as much of a story as it is a 3D roller coaster down hills, into tunnels, through the uncanny valley, and around Santa's workshop. There's not much here, but it's kind of endearing to listen to Tom Hanks do weird voices over mediocre Christmas CGI for an entire film.
Rated 31 Jul 2009
51
40th
There is no doubt that "The Polar Express" does have a certain amount of festive spirit about it. Purely as a Christmas film, it's pretty good, and in many ways is exactly what a childrens Christmas film should be. It is a shame much of the voice acting is below par, and the animation shifts between sublime to clumsy, to down right creepy. None the less it still does a pretty good job of turning its very simple story into something that is relatively enjoyable around Christmas time.
Rated 11 May 2009
79
55th
A charming piece of Christmas animation that is filled with festive spirit. This has a great story, animation and voice casting and shows how Christmas is though the eyes of a child. It is ideal for watching on Christmas Eve. I would be surprised if this doen't become a Christmas Classic
Rated 14 Mar 2009
70
56th
I read the book "The Polar Express" a lot when I was very young, and the film adaptation doesn't quite live up to the book, but it's decent. They could have done better than Tom Hanks for the leading role, but his performance was good. Not something I'd watch often, but good for one or two viewings.
Rated 17 Sep 2008
45
16th
Bland and un-engaging.
Rated 18 May 2008
50
33rd
A kids' movie in which the only smart kid is a pedantic nerd and the message is, "Forget the facts, believe whatever you want to believe". If I had kids I'd take them to see _Dawn of the Dead_ before this
Rated 18 Jan 2008
40
27th
Good visuals, but the story is somewhat boring, and overall the Holiday-ish atmosphere is somewhat lacking.
Rated 06 Jan 2008
60
23rd
The CGI is weird and creepy in this film. Some characters, like Tom Hanks' slew of roles, all look pretty good, but many of the children are foul looking, which makes the filmaking seem lazy. The biggest problem is really in the voice acting. Aside from Tom Hanks, it's downright bad. The adults that do voices for kids and elves seem way out of place. As far as the target audience, well, I'm far too old for this film, and smarter kids might consider it a bit boring. Ugh!
Rated 15 Aug 2007
63
33rd
Not exactly the kind of book you make into a movie. It's not necessarily bad, just ill-conceived. Children's books should just stay books, honestly.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
61
20th
Cool-looking animation, but such a drowsy pace.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
20
10th
This film seems to want me to go, "Wow! That's so magical." Unfortunately, my childlike sensibilities seem to be dead or something and the film's plot carried it a few inches before it dropped. ALSO: Know-it-all kid was way too annoying.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
52
17th
It's an okay film. My kids like it. I thought it could have been better. I'd rather see Elf or the Santa Clause at Christmastime.
Rated 06 Aug 2007
50
25th
North Pole? More like Uncanny Valley.
Rated 02 Mar 2007
60
62nd
Excellent animation,Shame about the story more old old christmas propaganda.Guess I can't hear the bell then,aw well.
Rated 28 Dec 2006
60
24th
It had its moments, but for the most part this film didn't really keep my attention.
Rated 26 Dec 2006
70
52nd
Not as bad as many folks make it out to be. The IMAX 3D version certainly makes it a more enjoyable experience, but the film itself has qualities that make a good family film. It's slightly creepy, the parents are out of the picture, and there're plenty of whimsical elements. Some of the bits at the North Pole aren't as interesting as everything that comes before it, but in the end it's an enjoyable film. Pretty to look at, too.
Rated 31 Oct 2024
42
27th
I saw the middle part of this (no exposition, no resolution) at about five years of age during Christmas season through a shopping window (no sound), giving it an aura of mystery it probably doesn’t deserve.
Rated 26 Dec 2023
15
2nd
As unsettling as the animation is at times, the greatest technical minds of today would not have been enough to save this fundamentally flawed movie.
Rated 25 Dec 2023
40
10th
This looks awful
Rated 10 Dec 2023
65
52nd
This motion-capture tech/animation doesnt really work here. Movement is unnatural and characters look very ugly. With the money spent, one would expect better outcome. Story it itself is lovely and typical family movie.
Rated 09 Dec 2023
79
87th
Beautifully animated (for the time), endlessly imaginative and tenderly resonant. It speaks of joy and childhood wonder.
Rated 16 Mar 2023
60
45th
This movie was kind of trippy as a kid.
Rated 19 Dec 2022
60
23rd
Felt like a fever dream, and I'm not talking about the weird faces.
Rated 13 Nov 2022
80
50th
A very good story with a pure message that magic is in what we believe. Solid visually, well acted Christmas tale. My kids loved it and that's all I can really ask for. It is as good as I can remember it being.
Rated 15 Sep 2022
50
20th
The eyes are.... wrong
Rated 18 Dec 2021
65
29th
The motion captures doesn’t hold up, it especially fails in portraying facial emotions. The plot luckily is a constant succession of predicaments; keeping the pace up and able to hold my attention. Because it’s a Christmas movie I’m willing to let its moralistic messaging and sentimental moments slide.
Rated 08 Dec 2021
1
4th
Still some of the ugliest and most unsettling animation shown in a movie theatre. What saves this from being in the worst ever twice is I did enjoy the 5 minute scene on top of the train.
Rated 06 Aug 2021
70
45th
7??????????
Rated 06 Jul 2021
18
3rd
I think I have seen it but I remember next to nothing
Rated 30 Jun 2021
50
4th
Eh.
Rated 05 Jun 2021
50
30th
credits for entertaining around 50 year 3-4
Rated 28 Feb 2021
77
50th
Legendary Christmas movie. Perfect blend of childhood trauma and Christmas spirit.
Rated 23 Dec 2020
62
30th
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Rated 08 Dec 2020
64
80th
I've been avoiding Zemeckis' animations and it's a shame that he spent 10 years focusing on them. I saw this with our kids and I have to say that it's a good Christmas family film. The technology is put to good use in order to create an exciting world which even has shades of Verne/steampunk that I enjoyed. It has a real sense of wonder and is not afraid to take it's time exploring it instead of providing non-stop action like most of it's peers. The story is not too special but does the job.
Rated 20 Dec 2019
78
73rd
Ilovetrains+lolyetomhankslooksweird+ebrakeforkid:)+lostherticketcuzretardlol-magiclyback-adventuretoheretc+crazyshitkepthappening+hadtobelievetohearbell-getsfirstgift+rentscanthearbell-friendscanteventually-sistoo-butstillformeandallwhotrulybelieve
Rated 01 Dec 2019
75
68th
More Tom Hanks than anyone could ask for. Also I realize how cultish the elves come off at the end of the movie with the ceremony they hold for Santa. It's funny. Pleasant Christmas film.
Rated 15 Jun 2019
47
16th
S
Rated 28 Jan 2019
40
7th
Impressive tech demo of 2004 CGI, yet a disturbing and exhausting movie.
Rated 26 Dec 2018
55
21st
Zemeckis certainly knows how to capture the spirit of Christmas in his films, but even with the talents of Tom Hanks, this proves to be an overcomplicated, and sometimes quite ridiculous, way to adapt a children's book.
Rated 21 Sep 2018
31
28th
Uncanny valley: the movie. As it turns out, stretching a 20 page children's book into a full-length feature has some fundamental flaws: many of the plot elements seem either contrived or completely unnecessary.
Rated 11 Apr 2018
66
34th
Polar Express can certainly stir up some holiday emotions in the Christmas lovers among us. There is a decent lesson to be learned and some fine voice work from Tom Hanks. However, the motion capture animation may prove a little to wooden and creepy to be accepted sometimes. As well as the story remaining in almost constant chaos until the final few minutes.
Rated 04 Jan 2018
60
69th
Seemed pretty good. Was sleepy though. Will have to try again next year.
Rated 29 Dec 2016
89
81st
very beautiful, animated but very real touch in human characters
Rated 24 Dec 2016
69
45th
Watch it during the festive season and you will get a kick out of it, otherwise it's just Zemeckis schlock. That don't make it bad though.
Rated 18 Dec 2016
10
2nd
Worst animation ever? 10 points for b/c it reminds me of my grandmother.
Rated 21 Nov 2016
53
7th
Unintentionally Uncanny. Dozens of other Christmas movies to watch instead.
Rated 17 Apr 2016
75
32nd
So much Tom Hanks.
Rated 28 Dec 2015
79
49th
B+
Rated 12 Dec 2015
60
13th
One of those feel-good Tom Hanks movies ;). Pretty boring story though.
Rated 25 Oct 2015
65
33rd
So this film was so 2D even Tom Hanks in his many forms in this film couldn't save it.
Rated 24 Feb 2015
60
8th
Wait, this isn't a horror movie?
Rated 11 Feb 2015
60
35th
I put off watching this for a long time because I thought I'd hate it. I was wrong, there are some charming moments, but it still definitely has its problems. Eddie Deezen is annoying as all hell, and there are too many random chase scenes and tangents to make the whole thing engaging. Not to mention the uncanny valley, which gets really creepy at times. Still, any time Tom Hanks is on screen as the conductor, it's pretty mesmerizing.
Rated 19 Dec 2014
70
28th
Family friendly classic holiday movie.
Rated 04 Dec 2014
45
40th
Robert Zemeckis must be taking some awesome drugs.
Rated 22 Jan 2014
6
42nd
Tom Hanks
Rated 27 Dec 2013
75
40th
Express train to a fun time with a dash of Holiday creepiness and cheer!
Rated 25 Dec 2013
50
38th
Quality production, and an overall great atmosphere, but it's a bit much at times, with wacky train hijinks and golden tickets blowing in the wind that just won't stop.
Rated 07 Oct 2013
64
29th
63.500
Rated 24 Sep 2013
36
82nd
Good Christmas movie
Rated 01 Mar 2013
40
7th
I haven't really watched this from beginning to end, but I've seen enough to feel I can fairly judge it. The animation is just too weird looking for me, and the acting is all very bleh. There is really very little here for anybody but the youngest of children.
Rated 20 Feb 2013
40
16th
Animation can be pretty nifty, but it's so much of a jump from the original book. How can this be a thing?
Rated 19 Jan 2013
46
23rd
Looks weird.
Rated 12 Jan 2013
70
47th
Not a great film but it does capture a few moments of magic and adventure.
Rated 03 Jan 2013
40
40th
I'm really not into Zemeckis latest run of animated movies. Unfortunately he's been spending his talents on this lately.
Rated 25 Dec 2012
71
90th
perfect Christmas family viewing
Rated 24 Nov 2012
85
48th
It is so moving! When this came out, I was still a primary school student, and I recall asking my parents to go to the cinema twice. I watch it every year at christmas, and I still feel like a 10-year-old, waiting for presents :')
Rated 17 Apr 2012
65
23rd
Only an average Christmas story. The bit with the ghosts on the train was pointless.
Rated 27 Dec 2011
81
18th
2-3
Rated 08 Dec 2011
80
76th
A really impressive film, wonderful graphics and animation, so much so every little movement is emphasised creatively, there are some really great characters here. The Polar Express is a truly magical Christmas film, that kids (and adults) will really love.
Rated 27 Oct 2011
60
39th
Far better than I suspected it to be. The motion capture animation is not up to Zemeckis later works, but the movie has heart and the action sequences actually works pretty well.
Rated 08 Sep 2011
32
29th
While I enjoy this film (given the years of watching crap at Christmas I've become fairly charitable to such films and can forgive them if I can imagine them bringing a spark of magic to a child's imagination) I think the animation isn't great, and the characters are lacking in depth. Aside from Tom Hanks (well, mostly), it's all a bit plastic really.

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