Plot. On the night of Christmas Eve
in the late-1950s
, a boy witnesses a train called the Polar Express that is about to embark to the North Pole.
What is the setting of the Polar Express?
The book is set partially in
Grand Rapids, Michigan
, the author's home town, and was inspired in part by Van Allsburg's memories of visiting the Herpolsheimer's and Wurzburg's department stores as a child.
Where does the Polar Express movie take place?
Set on the night of Christmas Eve in
Michigan
in 1956, a young boy, who doubts of the existence of Santa Claus, notices a steam locomotive riding on the street while on his bed during the night. Named the Polar Express, the train is on its way to the North Pole in Canada.
How many years did it take to make the Polar Express?
That film,
four years
in production, featured stunning CGI visuals, but characters may have seemed somewhat wooden, un-realistic, or flat, despite great effort to avoid exactly that short-coming.
Why is the Polar Express so creepy?
The reason for this, apparently, is due to
a phenomenon called Uncanny Valley
– which is when non-human objects which look akin to human beings prompt feelings of eeriness and disgust, due to their similarities, and yet their simultaneous differences.
Who is the annoying kid in Polar Express?
Know-It-All Kid (KIA)
But who plays the annoying kid in Polar Express? He is one of the characters not played by Tom Hanks! Instead, he is voiced by the
actor Eddie Deezen
.
Why is Tom Hanks everyone in the Polar Express?
In addition to the lead boy, Tom Hanks played the character's dad, the conductor, the hobo, and Santa Claus in The Polar Express, bringing his total character count up to five. Because the movie was made using motion capture,
Hanks had to act out each part on a soundstage as well as speak the lines
.
How much did Tom Hanks get paid for Polar Express?
When Hanks and Zemeckis took “Polar Express” to Universal Pictures, where there was a deal with Castle Rock Entertainment, the film's producers, the studio was unenthusiastic about making a movie for which the two men would get not only $40 million in salary but
35% of the first-dollar gross — 20% to Hanks
, 15% to …
Who is the ghost in Polar Express?
The Hobo is a unnamed character in The Polar Express film. He is a ghost who lives on top of the Polar Express and rides it whenever he feels like it for free. He does not believe in Santa Claus or Christmas, but his negativity tests Hero Boy's faith.
What reading level is the Polar Express?
| Interest Level Reading Level Word Count | Grades K – 3 Grades 1 – 4 1054 |
|---|
Is the mom in Polar Express pregnant?
According to The Polar Express: The Movie: Trip to the North Pole,
Hero Boy's mother is pregnant during
the events of the story.
Is the conductor in Polar Express the little boy?
The Conductor is
the unnamed conductor of the Polar Express
. He is determined to get to the North Pole on time and usually finds Hero Boy at the heart of every problem. He was both portrayed in motion capture and voiced by Tom Hanks who also voiced Woody from the Toy Story franchise.
Is The Polar Express a real train?
Every sight and sound of the magical Christmas train in the 2004 film The Polar Express
is based on a real-life steam locomotive
. … The train has been used for Christmastime passenger excursions since the late 1990s.
Is The Polar Express just a dream?
So many Christmas adventures are written off as just a dream before the credits roll, but
The Polar Express blurs the lines between dream and reality
so much that at times we get lost in the flight of fantasy ourselves.
Was Polar Express a success?
The Polar Express is listed in the Guinness World Book of Records in 2006 as
the first all-digital capture film
and was nominated for three Oscars. … If you include seasons IMAX re-releases, The Polar Express made $182.7 million domestically with a worldwide gross of $306.85 million.
What's the story behind the Polar Express?
The Polar Express tells the story
of a young boy who is questioning whether or not he believes in Santa Claus
. Then, on Christmas Eve, a magical train – the Polar Express – appears outside his home and whisks him away to the North Pole to restore his belief in Santa and all that he embodies.
