Synopsis

On Christmas Eve, a skeptical young boy boards a mysterious train bound for the North Pole. Along the journey, he encounters fellow children, breathtaking dangers, and unexpected challenges that test his courage and beliefs. As the Polar Express reaches its destination, the boy discovers that wonder depends not only on what can be seen, but also on what one chooses to believe.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was based on Chris Van Allsburg's 1985 Caldecott Medal-winning picture book. Tom Hanks helped secure the film rights after reading the story to his children.

• The Polar Express was the first feature film to use performance capture for every acted role. The process digitally recorded performers' movements and translated them into computer-animated characters.

• The production captured both body movement and facial expressions. Performers wore tight suits fitted with infrared markers, while their faces were tracked with approximately 150 additional markers.

• The locomotive was modeled after the Pere Marquette 1225, a preserved steam engine in Michigan. The filmmakers also used recordings of the real locomotive for many of the train's sounds.

• The movie was Warner Bros.' first computer-animated feature and was produced with an estimated budget of $165 million, unusually large for an animated film at the time.

• The Polar Express received an IMAX 3-D release alongside its standard theatrical presentation, helping make its elaborate digital environments a major part of the film's appeal.

• The song "Believe," written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, received a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media.