The Polar Express (film)
The Polar Express is a 2004 American computer animated musical fantasy film based on the 1985 children's book of the same title by Chris Van Allsburg. Written, produced, and directed by Robert Zemeckis, the film features human characters animated using the live action performance capture technique.
The film stars Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen, with Tom Hanks in six distinct roles. The film also included a performance by Tinashe at age 9, who later gained exposure as a pop singer in 2010, as the CGI-model for the female protagonist. Castle Rock Entertainment produced the film in association with Shangri-La Entertainment, ImageMovers, Playtone and Golden Mean, for Warner Bros. Pictures. The visual effects and performance capture were done at Sony Pictures Imageworks. The film was made at a budget of $165 million, a record breaking sum for an animated feature at the time. The studio first released the film in both conventional and IMAX 3D theaters November 10, 2004. It grossed $307 million worldwide.
The Polar Express
The Polar Express is a children's book written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985. The book is now widely considered to be a classic Christmas story for young children although the point has been challenged. It was praised for its detailed illustrations and calm, relaxing storyline. For the work Van Allsburg won the annual Caldecott Medal for illustration of an American children's picture book in 1986, his second. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association named the book one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children." It was one of the "Top 100 Picture Books" of all time in a 2012 poll by School Library Journal.
The book is set partially in Grand Rapids, Michigan (where the steam engine of the Coopersville & Marne railway once traveled- featuring the same line of steam engine as the 1225), the author's home town. It was adapted as an Oscar-nominated motion-capture film in 2004 starring Tom Hanks and directed by Robert Zemeckis with Van Allsburg serving as an executive producer on the film. At the premier of the movie, Van Allsburg stated that Pere Marquette 1225, formerly owned by Michigan State University and now owned by the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, Michigan, was the inspiration for the story line. He played on the engine as a child when it was on display and was inspired by the number 1225, which to him was 12/25, Christmas Day. The real 1225 was used to create the animated image of the engine and all the locomotive sounds were recorded from the 1225.
The Polar Express (soundtrack)
The Polar Express: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the animated film of the same name, released in 2004 through Warner Sunset Records.
The song, "Believe", written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, was nominated for Best Original Song at the 77th Academy Awards. It was sung at the 77th Academy Awards show by original performer Josh Groban with Beyoncé Knowles. It gained a Grammy Award in 2006.
The album was certified Gold by the RIAA in November 2007. Having sold 724,000 copies in the United States, it is the best-selling film soundtrack/holiday album hybrid since Nielsen SoundScan started tracking music sales in 1991.
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The Polar Express (video game)
The Polar Express is an adventure video game released in 2004 by Blue Tongue. Based on the film of the same name, the game follows the same plot as the film.
Gameplay and Premise
The Polar Express is a platform game which follows the main plot as the film, except that unlike the original film, it has the Ebeneezer Scrooge puppet as the main villain who plans to keep the children from believing in Santa Claus by stealing their tickets and having them thrown off the train so they would never reach the North Pole. The game is broken down into six different chapters, giving the player the opportunity to explore areas like the train itself, the North Pole, and more. The player controls a young boy in each of the 6 chapters. The game also contains puzzle-solving as well as some minigame-styled elements.
Development
THQ first unveiled the game to the public at the E3 convention in 2004. The PS2 version contains EyeToy support, though specifics were unavailable at the time. A portable version of the game was also in development for the Game Boy Advance, with experienced portable developer Tantalus at the helm.
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