The Polar Express

The Polar Express is a 2004 American animated Christmas musical fantasy film directed by Robert Zemeckis, who co-wrote the screenplay with William Broyles Jr., based on the 1985 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. It stars Tom Hanks in multiple roles, with Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen in supporting roles. The film features human characters animated using live action and motion capture computer animation, with sequences for the latter taking place from June 2003 to May 2004. Set on Christmas Eve in the 1950s, it tells the story of a young boy who sees a mysterious train bound for the North Pole stop outside his window and is invited aboard by its conductor. He joins other children as they embark on a journey to visit Santa Claus preparing for Christmas. The Polar Express was released in the United States on November 10, 2004 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received generally positive reviews from critics and initially the film had grossed $286 million against a record-breaking $165–170 million budget, the biggest sum for an animated feature at the time; later re-releases helped propel the film's gross to $314 million worldwide. It was later listed in the 2006 Guinness World Records as the first all-digital capture film. The film also marks Michael Jeter's last acting role before his death, and was thus dedicated to his memory. Plot In a suburban neighborhood of Grand Rapids, Michigan, on the night of Christmas Eve in the late 1950s, a passenger train known as the Polar Express stops at the house of a boy who is growing skeptical about the existence of Santa Claus. The conductor says the train is traveling to the North Pole, and the boy, although reluctant at first, climbs aboard and meets a spirited girl and a know-it-all boy. The train then stops to pick up a boy named Billy, who initially declines to board, but changes his mind as the train is leaving. The boy applies the emergency brake, and Billy is allowed on, but he has to sit alone in the observation car. The children are then served hot chocolate by a platoon of dancing waiters, and the girl saves a cup for Billy.