Christmas Movies: The Polar Express

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The Polar Express is based on the 1985 children’s book by Chris Van Allsburg.

Robert Zemeckis co-wrote, co-produced and directed the film which features human characters animated using live action motion capture animation.

The film tells the story of a young boy who, on Christmas Eve, sees a mysterious train bound for the North Pole stop outside his window and is invited aboard by its conductor. The boy joins several other children as they embark on a journey to visit Santa Claus preparing for Christmas.

The film stars Tom Hanks in six distinct roles with Michael Jeter, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett and Eddie Deezen in supporting roles.

The film was made with a production budget of $165 million, a record-breaking sum for an animated feature at the time.

The film was a box office success earning more than $3 million.

The film was nominated for three Academy Awards: Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, and Best Original Song for “Believe”.

In 2006 the Guinness World Records listed it as the first all-digital capture film.

In 2008, the American Film Institute nominated The Polar Express for its Top 10 Animated Films list.

The film has inspired many real world holiday train travel experiences throughout the U.S. and U.K.

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