Instead of giving a retread of the story, I will give the impression left by this remarkable achievement. This movie and the animation has a haunting, magical wondrous quality, the stuff of dreams. Even the music is memorably haunting. At least two of the original compositions, the Josh Groban-sung tune and "When Christmas Comes to Town" are as good if not better than any of those overplayed Christmas classics you hear on the radio during the Xmas season. Yes, sections of the film are on the dark side and, based on some of the other reviews, has scared a few young viewers. But this "dark aspect" is true of all family classics, such as The Wizard of Oz, the Disney animated films, i.e. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, etc.
Like life itself, classic literature and film chooses not to be all fluff and happiness. And like life itself, the darkness is necessary to ultimately support the overriding positive themes. The Polar Express' powerful, overwhelming sense of wonder forces adults to recognize what they have sorrily missed since childhood. Children will be left awe-struck, their imagination left stretched to unlimited bounds. The message of the film: the importance of retaining throughout our lives the hope, belief and optimism once sensed at childhood -- even after it all has worn away upon having moved into cynical adulthood --hauntingly lingers long after leaving the theater. These kinds of powerful impressions can only be accomplished by the greatest of movies. To add to the magic, see, as I did, the IMAX version.
Like life itself, classic literature and film chooses not to be all fluff and happiness. And like life itself, the darkness is necessary to ultimately support the overriding positive themes. The Polar Express' powerful, overwhelming sense of wonder forces adults to recognize what they have sorrily missed since childhood. Children will be left awe-struck, their imagination left stretched to unlimited bounds. The message of the film: the importance of retaining throughout our lives the hope, belief and optimism once sensed at childhood -- even after it all has worn away upon having moved into cynical adulthood --hauntingly lingers long after leaving the theater. These kinds of powerful impressions can only be accomplished by the greatest of movies. To add to the magic, see, as I did, the IMAX version.