The Polar Express is a famous novel written by children's author Chris Van Allsburg. This book later on went on to become one of the most-loved Christmas Classics as well. After The Polar Express was published in the year 1985, director Robert Zemeckis decided to make a film on the book. He decided to do it with a new animation technique known as “ performance capture”.
When Chris Van Allsburg decided to write the book The Polar Express, he wanted it to be a children's book. His aim was to make simplicity the main element of the book. Other than this, in order to attract the children, he introduced gorgeous pictures accompanied with eye catching and bright colors. The soft and muted atmosphere created in the book also adds to the imagination and fantasy of the children. The book is a celebration of holiday and also gives due importance to faith and belief.
The story of The Polar Express is very interesting. The story starts on a Christmas Eve when a young boy looks out of the window and discovers a huge train waiting for him. Lots of adventure activities wait for him once he boards the train. The train is headed towards the North Pole where the lucky passengers will meet Santa Clause. This book was a best seller when it was first published and is still loved by the children.
In the adaptation of The Polar Express, this straightforward concept was extended with different theatrical features. This was done in order to expand the basic elements of the plot. In the book, the author had implied that the hero of the book, the small boy had a crisis of faith, but the adaptation stated the fact explicitly.
The boy was suspicious if Santa really existed or not. His mind changes when he reaches the North Pole and befriends many people. The director of the movie uses the body movements and facial expressions of real people to create the animated human characters.
The background of the animation is done superbly with the train having a life of its own. When you watch The Polar Express, you will see that the snowflakes are sparkling. Both the book and the film evoke similar emotions. The presence of Tom Hanks as the conductor of the train also adds a special element in the movie. It was a masterful decision by the director. His boisterous laugh has a sense of reassurance as the train escapes from a disaster.
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The adaptation of The Polar Express received similar accolades as the novel. Both the book as well as the film ends with a resonant picture, which warms the heart of many people. The book and the film have an ageless appeal.
To know more about animated/children movies, have a look at the pages of hollywoodzing.com.
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