Read more about Polar Express at: Wikipedia Official Site: Warner Bros. Pictures The Polar Express is a 2004 American computer-animated fantasy adventure film co-written and directed by Robert Zemeckis, based on the 1985 children's book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg, who also served as one of the executive producer. The film features human characters animated using live-action and motion-capture CGI animation. It tells the story of a young boy who, on Christmas Eve, sees a mysterious train bound for the North Pole stop outside his window and is invited aboard by its conductor. The boy joins several other children as they embark on a journey to visit Santa Claus preparing for Christmas. The film stars Tom Hanks, also one of the film's executive producers, in multiple distinct roles, with Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen in supporting roles. The Polar Express was released in the Chicago International Film Festival on October 13, 2004 and the United States on November 10, 2004. The film originally underperformed at the box office, grossing $286 million against a $165–170 million budget. However, later re-releases helped propel the film's gross to $314 million worldwide. The film 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 the film was thus dedicated to his memory. On Christmas Eve, a passenger train known as the Polar Express stops at the Grand Rapids, Michigan 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 opts to sit alone in the observation car. The children are then served hot chocolate by a platoon of waiters and the girl saves a cup for Billy. When the conductor and the girl go to give Billy his cup, the boy notices that the girl's ticket has not yet been validated. The wind blows out the ticket out into the wilderness, but it soon finds its way back into the train; after the girl discovers that her ticket is missing, the conductor leaves with her. The boy finds the ticket and traverses the rooftops of the train, where he encounters a mysterious ghost hobo that helps him reach the engine. The boy finds that the girl has been put in charge while the engineer and fireman are replacing the engine's headlight. As the train continues, it moves at an extreme speed due to the cotter pin shearing off. Once they reach a frozen lake, the cotter pin is replaced and the driver narrowly gets the train back onto the tracks as the ice breaks.
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Polar Express
