For my second Film Friday, and for the rest of the year, I will be talking about a film for the Christmas season, that I love. For this one, I will be choosing a movie that I saw in the theaters, with my second grade class back in elemnetary school, and a movie based on one of my favorite books growing up, and it's 2004's "The Polar Express".
I love the Polar Express. It really speaks the joys of Christmas, of believing in Santa, and believing in love. I love the whole story, and the acting jobs in this completely animated movie, are incredible. Tom Hanks plays six characters in this film. He plays the the Narrator, the kid's father, Conductor, the Hobo, the possessed Marionette, some of the elves, and Santa Claus. Daryl Sabara, the guy who played Juni in Spy Kids, voiced the main character. Steven Tyler also voiced some of the singing elves in the movie.These characters are instantly lovable, and connectable.
Here is how the story goes. There is the main character of the story who goes on a trip to North Pole on a mysterious train that appears on his street, after not believing in Santa and telling his doubts to his sister. He is met by the Conductor who tells him that, "This Is The Polar Express!" He first doesn't want to come on the train, but then leaps on and makes it. He meets two people, a little girl, and a know-it-all kid, (that a lot of people say acts like me!) Then stop at the house of a lonely kid, who doesn't want to come on at first, then changes his mind and falls. The main character then pulls the emergency brake to get him on the train. Then they sing one of my favorite songs of all time, "Hot Chocolate".
They then sing a few more songs, ice skate across the roof of the train, in pursuit of the conductor and the little girl, whose ticket hasn't been punched, because the main character had it and lost it. They then go across the frozen lake, and do a lot more crazy things. Then they have a nice song with the little girl and the lonely kid, and after that, they arrive at the North Pole. When they arrive and see that the lonely kid is still in the car, they go back but accidentially unhook the car from the train. It then flies back down the track and deep into the bowels of the elves workshop. They then see the toys being shipped out, and fall into Santa's bag. They then help save the huge christmas tree star from falling down off the tree. Then the elves get the kids down from there and then the Reindeer come out. One of the bells flies off of them and he picks it up but can't hear anything. He then gets to meet Santa, after he walks out to a little Frank Sinatra! He then asks for the bell as the "first gift of Christmas", and it is given to him. At the end of the the night, the conductor finishes hole punching the cards, and we see the know-it-all kid get the word "Lead". We see the main character get the word "Believe". He finds out as the train starts to leave that he has lost the bell. The kids are let off one by one and he gets back home and under the tree the next morning, is the bell with a note from Santa. He is the only one who hears it because he is the only one who believes.
It is such a great story that warms your heart around the holiday season. Josh Groban's song from this movie truly illustrates this by it being titled "Believe". I love this song, but not as much as Hot Chocolate! I also cry literally every time, "When Christmas Comes to Town" comes on. I don't know why. Maybe its because these two kids are singing about what Christmas means to them, and its really beautiful. This movie will always have a special spot in my heart, because of this line, "Sometimes seeing is believing and sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see."
Have you ever seen the Polar Express? Did you like the film?
I love the Polar Express. It really speaks the joys of Christmas, of believing in Santa, and believing in love. I love the whole story, and the acting jobs in this completely animated movie, are incredible. Tom Hanks plays six characters in this film. He plays the the Narrator, the kid's father, Conductor, the Hobo, the possessed Marionette, some of the elves, and Santa Claus. Daryl Sabara, the guy who played Juni in Spy Kids, voiced the main character. Steven Tyler also voiced some of the singing elves in the movie.These characters are instantly lovable, and connectable.
Here is how the story goes. There is the main character of the story who goes on a trip to North Pole on a mysterious train that appears on his street, after not believing in Santa and telling his doubts to his sister. He is met by the Conductor who tells him that, "This Is The Polar Express!" He first doesn't want to come on the train, but then leaps on and makes it. He meets two people, a little girl, and a know-it-all kid, (that a lot of people say acts like me!) Then stop at the house of a lonely kid, who doesn't want to come on at first, then changes his mind and falls. The main character then pulls the emergency brake to get him on the train. Then they sing one of my favorite songs of all time, "Hot Chocolate".
They then sing a few more songs, ice skate across the roof of the train, in pursuit of the conductor and the little girl, whose ticket hasn't been punched, because the main character had it and lost it. They then go across the frozen lake, and do a lot more crazy things. Then they have a nice song with the little girl and the lonely kid, and after that, they arrive at the North Pole. When they arrive and see that the lonely kid is still in the car, they go back but accidentially unhook the car from the train. It then flies back down the track and deep into the bowels of the elves workshop. They then see the toys being shipped out, and fall into Santa's bag. They then help save the huge christmas tree star from falling down off the tree. Then the elves get the kids down from there and then the Reindeer come out. One of the bells flies off of them and he picks it up but can't hear anything. He then gets to meet Santa, after he walks out to a little Frank Sinatra! He then asks for the bell as the "first gift of Christmas", and it is given to him. At the end of the the night, the conductor finishes hole punching the cards, and we see the know-it-all kid get the word "Lead". We see the main character get the word "Believe". He finds out as the train starts to leave that he has lost the bell. The kids are let off one by one and he gets back home and under the tree the next morning, is the bell with a note from Santa. He is the only one who hears it because he is the only one who believes.
It is such a great story that warms your heart around the holiday season. Josh Groban's song from this movie truly illustrates this by it being titled "Believe". I love this song, but not as much as Hot Chocolate! I also cry literally every time, "When Christmas Comes to Town" comes on. I don't know why. Maybe its because these two kids are singing about what Christmas means to them, and its really beautiful. This movie will always have a special spot in my heart, because of this line, "Sometimes seeing is believing and sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can't see."
Have you ever seen the Polar Express? Did you like the film?
Peace and Love,
DGS
Quotes of the Day: "Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." - Norman Vincent Peale
"Christmas isn't a season, it's a feeling." - Edna Ferber
"He who has not Christmas in his heart, will never find it under a tree." - Roy L. Smith
DGS
Quotes of the Day: "Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful." - Norman Vincent Peale
"Christmas isn't a season, it's a feeling." - Edna Ferber
"He who has not Christmas in his heart, will never find it under a tree." - Roy L. Smith