OK...I know this came out a few years ago, but I never got to it then. So I was interested in seeing if The Polar Express (2004) was the holiday classic that it was hailed as when it came out.
You know, it is!
Tom Hanks did great voice work here, as many different characters, including the conductor of the Polar Express, a train (imaginary?) that takes kids to the North Pole to see Santa. This is a wonderfully made piece of animation. The movie is about as good as it gets in that realm.
The great part of the movie is not the animation though, but the story. It is not sickeningly sweet like many holiday confections...but offers some mysticism, and a lot of angst. It is a tale of a young boy growing up, and learning the cynicism of the world. And just as he about to lose his belief in the magical, the Polar Express takes him for a ride.
This is a holiday movie that stands on its own legs, does not need the artifice of the Christmas season to be enjoyed. That is what makes it a classic first, and a holiday classic second.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment