A chilly, earnest Christmas fantasy with a strong sense of wonder, memorable set pieces, and a divisive digital look that can feel uncanny rather than magical. If you respond to big holiday sentiment, train-ride adventure, and a story about belief, it still lands; if the animation style bothers you, it may be hard… Read more
The Polar Express
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Adventure · Animation
Wed · 1h 40m
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Starring: Tom Hanks, Leslie Zemeckis, Eddie Deezen
Overview
When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary 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.
Director
Robert Zemeckis
Cast
Tom Hanks, Leslie Zemeckis, Eddie Deezen
Curator Review
Verdict
A chilly, earnest Christmas fantasy with a strong sense of wonder, memorable set pieces, and a divisive digital look that can feel uncanny rather than magical. If you respond to big holiday sentiment, train-ride adventure, and a story about belief, it still lands; if the animation style bothers you, it may be hard to enjoy.
Best for
holiday movie marathons
families with younger kids
viewers who like sentimental fantasy
fans of motion-capture animation experiments
people looking for a Christmas Eve comfort watch
Skip if
uncanny or dated CGI bothers you
you prefer sharp comedy over sincerity
you want a more grounded Christmas story
you are sensitive to repetitive or thin plotting
Overview
The Polar Express is one of those movies that has become bigger than its reputation. It is earnest to the point of absurdity, but that sincerity is also its main strength: this is a film that wants to recreate the feeling of childhood belief, not just tell a Christmas story. The train sequence has real momentum, and the North Pole arrival still delivers a sense of pageantry and scale.
Worth noting
At the same time, the motion-capture animation is the elephant in the room. For some viewers it creates a dreamlike, storybook atmosphere; for others it lands in the uncanny valley and never quite recovers. The performances, especially Tom Hanks in multiple roles, are committed, but the characters are often more emblematic than fully lived-in.
Bottom line
Taken on its own terms, it works best as a seasonal ritual movie: less a perfect film than a transportive one. If you want a Christmas title that leans into wonder, melancholy, and a little weirdness, it has a distinct place in the holiday canon.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Patrick Willems (1.5★) · 6466 likes
Stop the Polar Express I want to get off
lauren (5★) · 4881 likes
the hot chocolate song has citizen kane shaking in its boots
gabby! (3★) · 4435 likes
this whole movie feels like an extremely long video game cutscene . like it feels like you should be able to control it but you can’t... you just have to watch the Chaos
Cody (2★) · 4234 likes
I really thought Tom Hanks was gonna toss that little girl off the fucking train
Lucy (3.5★) · 4174 likes
snowpiercer: the animated children's christmas special
Themes
belief and skepticism, childhood wonder, Christmas magic, journey and self-discovery, faith and imagination, holiday ritual, loneliness and connection, dreamlike adventure