I Just Finished Watching Polar Express

C

Cannonball

More Trains Than Brains
Dec 4, 2006
1,564
0
36
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St. Joseph, MO
Greatest. Christmas. Movie. Ever.

After watching it 2 or 3 times on TV last year, my wife bought me the DVD this year. We all sat watching it in the dark with nothing on but the TV and the Christmas tree.

I love the scene on the ice. Total fantasy but cool as H-e-double hockey sticks. :D
 
I love that movie!! I saw it originally in the theatre and there's a scene where the train rushes by filling the entire screen that sent shivers up my spine.

Great story, fantastic animation, and quite true to the original book, by one of my favourite writer/illustrators Chris Van Allsburg.

I also have the DVD - 2 actually. Both were Christmas presents. My friends have gotten the message that I'm into trains!! sign1

Val
 
That was on last night on one of the satellite channels, so I poked the DVR "record" button before I went to sleep. I think we have it on disk, but it's a lot easier started up the DVR than figuring out how the DVD player works.:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

This should now be considered a classic along with "It's a Wonderful Life", "A Christmas Carol" and that, "don't shoot your eye out", or, "Christmas Story"..
 
Its on again tonight on ABC Family (I have Dishnet) and I plan to watch it. My wife gets a kick out of the obnoxious boy who goes on and on about what kind of locomotive is pulling the train. "That was you as a kid!" she laughs. :)

It is a very good holiday film.
Ralph
 
I love the movie too. my favorite scene is with the wolves in the forest with the train running behind.
My wife bought me a Halmark smow globe that is in the shape of a brakeman's lantern that has the boy and conductor running through the snow on the inside. (it also lights up). I suspect that she bought the movie for me this year.....
 
I love the movie, too. Tom Hanks is great. What's even more amazing is that he does most of the voices; The conductor, Santa, the Hobo, etc. I saw a show on how they did the animation and much of it was mapped off his body using what looked like ping pong balls. In other words, they had a digital image, but used his body to make it move. He did most of the movements, including the little boy. I heard the little boy was modeled after him as a kid.
 
myltlpny said:
I love the movie, too. Tom Hanks is great. What's even more amazing is that he does most of the voices; The conductor, Santa, the Hobo, etc. I saw a show on how they did the animation and much of it was mapped off his body using what looked like ping pong balls. In other words, they had a digital image, but used his body to make it move. He did most of the movements, including the little boy. I heard the little boy was modeled after him as a kid.
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Yeah, CGI animation is getting really popular.
The new movie Beowulf is done the same way.
It makes the animation look more realistic and they can do stuff that can't be done with live action.
 
Glen Haasdyk said:
My favorite scene is with the wolves in the forest with the train running behind.
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My favorite scene is of course in the beginning with the sound effects of the engine as it stops in front of his house and then accelerates off into the night. It always drives my wife nuts when I crank up the volume for that one. My second favorite has always been the short scene of the train spiraling up the helix mountain shortly before crossing the bridge.
 
Not to be a bah humbuger, but I wish it wasn't computer animation. I don't know what it is about that stuff, but it gives me headaches :(

Kevin
 
Kevin Scrooge! You will be visited by three computer animated ghosts! :)
I'll admit I didn't like the "look" of the characters in the movie the first time I saw it last year but I've gotten used to it. Some of the scenes seem more cartoonish than other but at times that locomotive looked very real. I really liked the sound effects of its first appearance like TrainNut. Its pretty thrilling!
Ralph
 
Ralph said:
Kevin Scrooge! You will be visited by three computer animated ghosts! :)
I'll admit I didn't like the "look" of the characters in the movie the first time I saw it last year but I've gotten used to it. Some of the scenes seem more cartoonish than other but at times that locomotive looked very real. I really liked the sound effects of its first appearance like TrainNut. Its pretty thrilling!
Ralph
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I like it when he first walks outside and is standing in front of the loco. The perspective gives you an idea just how huge those old beasties were. Epseically to a kid!
 
kevin: have you read the book? The movie does a wonderful job of capturing the look of the paintings in the book, and I don't see how else they could have done it.
There's some interesting extras on the DVD showing how it was done.
 
CNWman said:
exept of a magical train and overall feeling of saftey, Beowulf is possibly (spoiler possibility alert) the bloddiest thing I've seen to date (doesn't help when your dad is jokingly comenting on angalena Jolene's hips all the while:eek:)
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But...But...But.... It's ANGELINA JOLIE'S HIPS!

(Mmmmmmmm......Angelina.......) :mrgreen:

Polar Express is such a cool flick though. I ended up buying a Rivarossi 4-8-4 to paint, letter and modify into the Polar Express engine for the Christmas tree. Now I just need to find a cheap set of passenger cars to modify and paint to match. Man, what a funky paint scheme those cars in the movie had anyway, lol.

It drives Alicia nuts when the train is getting turned to return home and the elves are bringing the Obs car in for a joint. With a hand car. I've done that move MANY times at Amtrak tacking on Private Cars on the yard job. I always end up yelling at the TV "Get those *$%&@# elves a switch engine!!!"

What a great movie. A Christmas classic. I also watched "Santa Baby" last night too. Dumb plot line really, but it IS Jennie McCarthy, and MAN, what a BABE!!

MMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm......... Jenny McCarthy....... sign1
 
That is an excelent movie. I've already watched it once. We are going to ride the Nevada Northern's Polar Express saturday:thumb:


Off topic but CCT70 I'll vote for Walter :mrgreen: :Patriot1:
 
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