Details

Release year: 2004

Storyline

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.

Top credits

Directors

Robert Zemeckis

Writers

Cast

Tom Hanks — Hero Boy, Father, Conductor, Hobo, Scrooge, Santa Claus
Chris Coppola — Toothless Boy, Elf
Michael Jeter — Smokey, Steamer
Leslie Zemeckis — Sister Sarah, Mother

See all 52 credits →

Awards

0 wins & 3 nominations

See all awards →

Did you know

• The film is listed in the 2006 Guinness Book of World Records as the "first all-digital capture" film, where all acted parts were done in digital capture.

• In the North Pole City communications room, an elf describes a bad little boy in New Jersey named Steven, who is terrorizing his two little sisters. This line is a nod to Robert Zemeckis' friend and mentor, Steven Spielberg. Spielberg grew up in New Jersey and has admitted many times that he frequently terrorized his two younger sisters.

• Before Hero Boy boards the Polar Express, the clock says 11:55. The time doesn't change until the first gift of Christmas is given, near the end of the film, and when the Hero Boy gets home, the clock over his fireplace still reads midnight. Some have speculated that time travel is involved, and a flux capacitor can be spotted in the train's engine room. The origin of the flux capacitor, the Back to the Future trilogy, was also directed by Robert Zemeckis and even includes a train time machine.