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Destined to become a holiday perennial, The Polar Express also heralded a brave new world of all-digital filmmaking. Critics and audiences were divided between those who hailed it as an instant classic that captures the visual splendor and evocative innocence of Chris Van Allsburg's popular children's book, and those who felt that the innovative use of "performance capture"–to accurately translate live performances into all-digital characters–was an eerie and not-quite-lifelike distraction from the story's epic-scale North Pole adventure. In any case it's a benign, kind-hearted celebration of the yuletide spirit, especially for kids who have almost grown out of their need to believe in Santa Claus. Tom Hanks is the nominal "star" who performs five different computer-generated characters, but it's the visuals that steal this show, as director Robert Zemeckis indulges his tireless pursuit of technological innovation. No matter how you respond to the many wonders on display, it's clear that The Polar Express represents a significant milestone in the digital revolution of cinema. If it also fills you with the joy of Christmas (in spite of its Nuremberg-like rally of frantic elves), so much the better. –Jeff Shannon

The World of The Polar Express
The book by Chris Van Allsburg
The Soundtrack
The Magic Journey (Polar Express the Movie) (book)

Stills from Polar Express (click for larger image)

Product Details

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.40:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ G (General Audience)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.6 x 5.3 x 7.5 inches; 2.72 ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎ WHV74064DVD
• Director ‏ : ‎ Robert Zemeckis
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ Animated, Color, DVD, Closed-captioned, Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen, Dubbed, Subtitled
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 40 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ October 3, 2006
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Tom Hanks, Nona Gaye, Peter Scolari, Michael Jeter, Eddie Deezen
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ French, Spanish
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, Spanish, French
• Producers ‏ : ‎ Steve Starkey, Tom Hanks, Jack Rapke, Robert Zemeckis, Gary Goetzman
• Language ‏ : ‎ Unqualified, English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo), English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ Studio Distribution Services
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000AGTPUK
• Writers ‏ : ‎ Robert Zemeckis, William Broyles, Jr.
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• • Best Sellers Rank: #61 in Movies & TV
  • #11 in Kids & Family DVDs

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