I give this movie a solid 3/5! Much of this is to reflect the main character's thoughts and doubts about Santa, but still... it could have been about 15 minutes shorter. [5.1]
Ultimately, many viewers agree that while the animation hasn't aged perfectly, the film is a for a holiday tradition, especially if you can get past the "eerie" look of the characters [5.10, 5.17]. The Polar ExpressMovie | 2004
The film is most famous for its use of early motion-capture technology. For some, this created a breathtaking, dreamlike atmosphere that perfectly mirrored the original book's illustrations [5.6, 5.12]. For others, the hyper-realistic but slightly "off" human characters fell straight into the , with critics describing them as having "lifeless eyes" or appearing like "ghostly" versions of real people [5.2, 5.4, 5.18]. What Reviewers Often Highlight I give this movie a solid 3/5
Since the original book is very short, the movie pads the story with "filler" adventures [5.15, 5.17]. While these add excitement for kids, some adult reviewers find the pacing slow or the "Know-It-All" kid character particularly grating [5.1, 5.2, 5.10]. For others, the hyper-realistic but slightly "off" human
