How to Create a Magical Polar Express Christmas Party - Fern and Maple (2024)

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What is the summary of the Polar Express? ›

Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis ("Forrest Gump"; "Cast Away") reunite for "Polar Express," an inspiring adventure based on the beloved children's book by Chris Van Allsburg. 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.

The Polar Express / Film synopsis

In the movie, a doubting young boy didn't believe in the spirit of Christmas like everyone else. The Polar Express train saw this as a possibility to change the boy's life to show the true meaning behind this holiday with a train ride to the North Pole.

The Polar Express is based on themes of believing and the magic of Christmas. The boy boards the train as a skeptic and meets other children who have the same feelings. The conductor leads the way for them to get back that childhood view of Santa and finally, Santa in the flesh proves himself to be real.

Although there isn't a ton of information concerning exactly when the film takes place, the Hero Boy has a copy of a Saturday Evening Post magazine from December 29, 1956. Since the film takes place on Christmas Eve, it's safe to say that it's at least set in 1957.

The Polar Express 2 is confirmed as in development, but it's still in the early stages and may not get made. The original film was a technological innovation but initially had mixed reviews and was an expensive flop.

They explain to Hero Boy and Hero Girl that he's actually the ghost of King, a young boy who was killed in Flat Top Tunnel, the very tunnel where he saves Hero Boy's life.

The mother is pregnant. The detail only appears for three seconds when the boy is looking through his keyhole to spy on what his sister is saying to their parents. The next morning, spoiler alert, he opens his presents and finds the bell from Santa that only him and his sister could hear.

Parents need to know that, like the book that inspired it, the The Polar Express has wonderful messages about the importance of believing, the value of friendship, respect for leadership and courage, and the beauty of being kind to others.

As the children board the train to go back home, the boy discovers that he lost the bell through a hole in his pocket. The boy arrives home and the conductor wishes him a Merry Christmas. He wakes up on Christmas morning to find a present containing his lost bell with a note from Santa.

In The Polar Express, by Chris Van Allsburg, the narrator tells the story of himself as a young boy on one special Christmas Eve. He is troubled by a friend's words who doesn't believe in Santa because he's never heard the bells on Santa's sleigh.

Is The Polar Express story a dream? ›

However, the story wasn't a dream, as the main character tells Billy, and the bell at the end proves it. Magic can explain how the train could make that incredible journey in less than a night and survive all those perils.

Despite its flaws, the Polar Express has some neat scenes with a beautiful Christmas message. There are some clever animations with, for its time, eye-pleasing CGI tricks and angles you can't recreate in real life.

The Polar Express was the first feature-length film to be entirely created using motion capture technology. This revolutionary technique allowed the animators to create a highly realistic 3D world without having to draw each frame. The result was a unique and stunning visual style, unlike anything seen before.

“The Polar Express” — based on the picture book from the author and illustrator behind “Jumanji” — came out a year after “Elf,” and tells the story of a train ride to the North Pole that inspires children to keep the spirit of Christmas alive.

Plus another boy explains obliquely that Christmas has 'never worked out' for him. The clear inference is, he's a poor kid with parents who couldn't afford to buy him presents. So he never got any from Santa. Then at the end, they more or less say, obliquely, that Santa doesn't exist.

It is a story of a young boy who is in bed wishing to hear Santa's sleigh bells, when all the sudden he hears a train pull up to his window. He gets up, climbs out his window and onto this magical train that takes him to the North Pole where he gets to pick out the first gift and so asks for a sleigh bell.

The Polar Academy is a charity – set up in 2012 – which identifies a certain type of young adult in Scottish schools and organizations, those who are often overlooked by the education system. The polar academy team trains them over a year and takes them on a truly unbelievable polar expedition.

They return safely to their homes in time for Christmas Day, and the boy finds the Christmas Present from Santa beneath his tree, after which the story concludes.