The Polar Express [DVD] [2004]

Product Information

On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas. The Polar Express steam train departs from Spa Valley Railway on a magical journey to the North Pole.

From receiving the Golden Ticket to boarding the train to watching the Polar Express characters, the whole experience is magical. Images Donate icon An illustration of a heart shape Donate Ellipses icon An illustration of text ellipses. If you and your little ones love the Polar Express Movie, you are bound to love this Polar Express experience. What works so well about The Polar Express is that it captures that Dahl feel but makes the story its own: the echoes that we hear of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are positive ones, in the sense that The Polar Express is evoking the same wonder and thrills that Dahl's story did.

There's the same premise of a child suddenly thrust into a strange, magical, slightly surreal world that's controlled by adults; there's the tone of wonder mixed with a slight tinge of fear; there's the fascination with crazy mechanical gadgets and elaborate constructions. When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discover y that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe. In terms of the story arc, the journey is the destination: except for the scene at the heart of the film, the child characters are always moving forward literally as well as figuratively. On arrival at the North Pole, you’ll catch a sighting of Santa’s sleigh, a bag of toys and a giant Christmas tree and, of course, the man himself, Santa who will present each passenger with their very own “First Gift of Christmas”, a silver bell from his sleigh. The boy protagonist has his own personality, to be sure, but it's kept low-key enough that he can be an Everyboy, for any viewer (adult or child) to imagine as himself or herself.

In the end, it's impossible to point to any one thing and say "This is what makes The Polar Express a great film. tracks I've heard with respect to its use of the subwoofer: when the Polar Express roars up, you don't just hear it, you feel its bass rumble right down in your bones. You will be escorted to your seat by the Chefs from the film who will then proceed to sing, dance and serve cookies.Robert Zemeckis directs this festive animated adventure based on the children's book by Chris Van Allsburg.

There are currently 12 locations across the UK where you can find a UK Polar Express Train Experience. The journey lasts around 2 – 2 1/2 hours during which there will be hot chocolate, Christmas carols and a light show once you reach the ‘North Pole’. At the last minute, the boy jumps on the train and finds other young boys and girls going to the North Pole.Perhaps that's the final touch that makes The Polar Express a great film: it's one that will be enjoyed by children, once they've gotten old enough to appreciate it, but fundamentally this is a film for adults to enjoy, with all its depth, texture, and finely crafted magic. There's nothing outstanding here, but there are some short features that are reasonably interesting. As we'd expect, the print is absolutely clean, and the overall visual impression is a highly pleasant one.