Along for the ride of 'The Polar Express'

By Stephanie H. Olsen

All aboard! The Polar Express is on its way to become a holiday favorite, and people of all ages are invited along for the ride.

The Polar Express, a Warner Brothers production, takes place Christmas Eve, when a young boy is struggling to believe in the magic of Christmas. He is afraid he will never hear a sound he longs to hear -- the ringing bells of Santa's sleigh.

Just as the boy is somewhere between reality and dreaming, he is awakened by the sound of a steam train that stops right in front of his house. Scared but curious, the young boy makes his way outside. The conductor invites him to come along to the North Pole.

The young boy joins the other children on the train and the adventure begins.

As the group makes its way to the North Pole, obstacles get in the way, but what the unsuspecting children don't understand is that as they are overcome ice-covered tracks, lost tickets and wandering in Santa's workshop, they are discovering things about themselves. It is this underlying moral theme that makes this movie enjoyable for adult audiences as well. One leaves the film feeling inspired and full of the true spirit of Christmas.

The film stays true to the enchanting children's book written by Chris Van Alsburg. Since the book was published in 1985, it has sold millions of copies, making it a holiday favorite with many families including the starring actor, Tom Hanks.

Hanks outdoes himself in this film, and once again is a part of groundbreaking film history. He plays the main boy, the boy's father, the conductor, a hobo and Santa Claus.

The unique thing however, is not only does Hanks supply the voices, he also acted out the parts through a new innovative technology called Performance Capture, where no film was used in making the movie. Props were used to help create the scenes and the actors were left to their talent to create the moment.

This technology allows the emotions and movements of the actors to be duplicated though their digital character. And Hanks compares the experience to acting on the theater stage again. In addition to the Performance Capture, the film is being shown as an IMAX film, allowing the audience to experience the film.

The show is opening in theaters Wednesday across the country, and is scheduled to stay until January 2005. So when looking for family activities this holiday season, don't let The Polar Express pass by.

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