Polar Express (3D Blu-ray) (2004)

Editor's Note Director Robert Zemeckis revolutionized the art of animated film in 1998's WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT by dropping cartoon characters into the same frame with flesh-and-blood actors. In THE POLAR EXPRESS, live action and animation have merged seamlessly, resulting in sparkling super-realism. A landmark technique Zemeckis and his Sony Pictures Imageworks team call "Performance Capture" perfectly suits the tenor of this wondrous children's Christmas story by Chris Van Allsburg. A disillusioned little boy, just old enough to doubt the existence of Santa Claus, has the adventure of a lifetime one fateful Christmas Eve. Clad in his pajamas, he climbs aboard a magic train to the North Pole, driven by a kindly train conductor (voiced by Tom Hanks who starred in both of Zemeckis's Academy-Award winning films FORREST GUMP and CASTAWAY). Among myriad jaw-dropping moments, the train plummets brakeless through crystalline mountains in a simulated roller coaster ride. Going off the rails, skidding sideways, and snaking violently across a frozen lake, the train arrives at the North Pole (a vast, glowing city of brick buildings). At that moment, the car carrying the kids detaches and they're sent tumbling down never-ending chutes and slides until they land in the middle of Santa's Workshop. With its fascinating tale and impressive technical frolics, THE POLAR EXPRESS is destined to become both a holiday classic and a new turning point in the art of animated cinema.

	Peter Scolari
	Nona Gaye
	Eddie Deezen
	Charles Fleischer
	Tom Hanks
	Daryl Sabara
	Michael Jeter
	Doug Chiang - Production Designer
	William Teitler - Producer
	Rick Carter - Production Designer
	Glen Ballard - Music Supervisor
	Jeremiah O'Driscoll - Editor
	Don Burgess - Director of Photography
	Joanna Johnston - Costume Designer
	Alan Silvestri - Composer
	William Broyles Jr. - Screenwriter
	R. Orlando Duenas - Editor
	Jack Rapke - Executive Producer
	Robert Zemeckis - Screenwriter
	Robert Zemeckis - Producer
	Gary Goetzman - Producer
	Steve Starkey - Producer
	Robert Zemeckis - Director

Los Angeles Times
"[T}here is wonder for us to cherish, courtesy of a spectacular visual sense....It does nicely with its quieter moments, especially in the emotional scenes that close the story." 11/10/2004 p.E1

Ultimate DVD
3 stars out of 5 -- "It's a technical masterpiece that is made primarily for kids..." 04/01/2008 p.64