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Giving the director and his animators so much control over actors, scenery, and action can crush a film's vitality, ridding it of the spontaneity of performances, the elements, and light. These artists' achievement is remarkable, but they're not as successful with the animated children as they are with landscapes. Where Serkis's Gollum was able to communicate cleverness, emotion, and even soul, the children on this train remain eerily distant and mechanical.

Other aspects also feel frustratingly routine. The soundtrack is forgettable; its opening theme is cloned from Edward Scissorhands. The inclusion of big holiday showtune, sung by a young doubter who looks like a cross between Haley Joel Osment and Malcolm in the Middle's Dewey, is an unfortunate stumble. Zemeckis and his co-screenwriter William Broyles, Jr. milk the narrative for typical "Christmas spirit" platitudes until we weary of the word "believe."

Tom Hanks doing 'performance capture' in the studio, and the final product

In a few poignant moments, the story reminds us that there is a deeper meaning to Christmas than an army of elves can explain. Santa holds up a jingle bell and says, "This bell is a wonderful symbol of the spirit of Christmas. As am I." But the implication is that the "spirit of Christmas" equals human kindness.

And Zemeckis' tale undercuts the symbolic potential of the Express itself. It's hard not to think of the myriad gospel songs that tell us, "You don't need no ticket, you just get on board." Zemeckis steers the train clear of this interpretation, though, insisting on the generic spirituality that diluted his adaptation of Contact. He likes the word "faith," so long as he doesn't have to decide who to place faith in. "One thing about trains," a character assures us. "It doesn't matter where they're going. What matters is deciding to get on." That's a strange principle to assert in an election year. It does matter which train we climb aboard, which dream we adhere to, and what we choose to believe in.

Having said that, I cannot deny that there's enough imagination in The Polar Express to merit a recommendation. As the elves of the North Pole led the young visitors to the threshold of Santa's home, that little four-year-old in the aisle responded to Saint Nick's magnetism. As if answering an altar call, she broke free of her mother's grasp and hurried down toward the front of the theatre to reclaim her seat. I hope that this pattern plays out through the rest of her life, as she comes to consider a more amazing spectacle—the true meaning of Christmas.

Talk About It

1. Is there any value in the popular mythology of Christmas-Santa, the North Pole, elves, and presents? Where do these stories come from? Who was Saint Nicholas?
   
   
2. Talk about the differences between the four children-the boy, the girl who befriends him, the know-it-all, and the doubter-in personality, wisdom, and weakness.
   
   
3. Do you trust the different figures who offer the boy instruction along the way-the conductor, the hobo, and Santa? What are they trying to teach him? What does the boy learn from his experience?
   
   
4. Why do adults like the boy's parents feel sad when children lose their ability to believe in Santa Claus? What does it tell us about a child when they believe in the Santa myth?

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