Nah. I knew Billy was poor as a kid. It’s kind of obviously inferred: he lives in a small home, it’s dimly lit, there’s like one window in the front of the house... He’s not even wearing regular shoes, he’s wearing like rain boots. 😂 He says that Christmas has just “never worked out” for him... But maybe it was just me
I gotta be honest When I was a kid, I loved this movie But I never realized it was about believing in Santa until now All this time I genuinely thought the train was just trying to fuck with a particular set of randomly chosen kids, and the ghost hobo was just a kid who was picked by the train decades before the movie and never actually left the train
I stopped believing the day my Christmas presents came a day late bc my mom wanted to be a b*tch and see me cry miserably thinking Santa finds me so naughty he won't even gift me coal, that day I shed alot of tears and slept cold and alone bc I couldn't find my covers. 🥲😭
What's worse is that whatever she was punishing me for was so little at most all she had to do was put me in time out, but NO! She just had to ruin the Christmas spirit 🙄🔫
The reason it’s so creepy is because the characters look human but you can tell they aren’t, it’s like a reflex in your body although some people don’t have it, including me
Fun fact: that phenomenon is only 1 of 3 innately born fears humans have upon birth. We have the fear of drowning, falling, and things that look human but aren't. This has given rise to the theory that at some point in human evolutionary history there was another being or creature that looked so similar to us that preyed upon us we developed that fear.
@@jakehiller6444 I did recall that but scientists were baffled as to why it's specifically small doll like humanoid things. I'd Argue, pygmy humans. Probably cannibalistic as was common practice back then, after all we have legends and models of "shrunken heads" what if they were actually just pygmy skull trophies from when we exterminated them. Humans do tend to commit genocide against things we fear and don't understand or when taking over territory.
The scene with the kids walking on the tracks has some surprisingly well done sound design. The faint music, the footsteps, and the lack of sound make it seems so intense yet so calming.
One of the main things that's always bugged me everytime ive watched this movie is how the main kid got the first gift of Christmas even though he only believed in Santa for like 5 minutes whereas every other kid on the train completely believed in him the whole time, main kid stopped the train multiple times, lost another kids ticket, got lost in town, like the kid was a non believing lil menace, I'll take it to my grave that the little girl deserved the first gift instead of main boy
I would say it was just a weird dream the kid was having and that gift would have made sense. But he got the bell in real life so I agree with you. Screw that kid.
When I was a kid, I didn't find anything uncanny about these characters as I thought they were real people until I realize they were animated, and I didn't mind it.
Omg, are you me?! Cuz same! I also thought Shrek 1 and Shrek 2 were with real people with some CGI mixed in. Like I thought Shrek himself with just some big guy with green makeup on, as well as CGI editing. Though Shrek looked obviously more cartoony than Polar Express, I still thought it, lol. I don't know. I was a weird kid.
@@prehistorichero2755 I'm glad I'm not the only one! Yay! Though for Shrek, it's much more obvious than the Polar Express, lol. In Shrek there's just a lot of more crazy intangible things going on. Talking gingerbread men. Talking pigs and rats. Magic all over the place in general. Stuff that wouldn't really work in live action, lol. While Polar Express has all of its characters looking like regular people, with the exception of the glowing and bright Santa and some of the funky looking elves. So it kind of tricks you into thinking it's live action with a bit of special effects if you don't pay enough attention, or are just young.
I swear I watched this movie when I was like 12 and thought it was nice. I randomly remembered it one day and was just surprised to find people just shitting on it. Like, why?
Actually the hobo, the two engine men, and the conductor, are all based off of real people. The long beard engineer is based off Barney Gramling, and the bigger engineer is based off of another engineer (I can't remember his name). Ty he conductor is based off of one of the conductors at a place called the steam railroading institute (as all of them are). The hobo is based off of a gentleman named Jim, he dresses up as a hobo at the SRI museum grounds during the famous NPE excursion. The train in the movie is even based off of Pere Marquette #1225 from the SRI.
They do actually have names, they are just not mentioned in the movie, besides Billy. The main character is Chris, the girl is Holly, the know-it-all boy is Lenny, the conductor is James, and the two engine workers are Smokey and Steamer.
Fun fact: The actress who did the motion capture for Hero Girl is now a singer and recently said she thinks this movie is boring another fun fact: when shooting the movie Tom Hanks tried to swear during his takes, dropping the ‘fucks’ between lines. Idk why he did it, he just did
I love how mysterious this movie was, with the hobo being a ghost, and none of the children having names, except Billy, and the train itself, like it’s not explained why there is a polar express. Like it’s not something that’s like “this doesn’t make sense” it’s more of a “huh, that’s strange”
There was so much nostalgia through out this video. In third grade we watched this movie and the teacher dressed up as the conductor. The classroom was decorated like a train and we all ate breakfast at school. The teacher taped bell necklaces under our chairs for us. I don't really remember hat else happened but it was really fun. I think about that teacher a lot.
I had, maybe three teachers who were decent and cared about us. The rest were miserable old farts who hated kids and were just toughing it out until retirement.
What!? When did a doll come to life? I watch this movie every year and don’t remember that lol! That would be Terrifying! EDIT: oh the puppets!! It didn’t come to life though, the homeless ghost dude was controlling it :P
I’ll never get over how instead of just waiting for her to come back, Hero Boy tries crossing on to another part of the train to give the girl her ticket back. She was literally just going into the back to give animated Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle over here her drink *with* an adult who would keep her safe. Did she *need* her ticket for that? What was the purpose of him doing that? I suppose so that the ticket could be lost, therefore making it look like she was about to get executed for not having it so hero boy could go after her *AGAIN.* What a simp.
The parents are like: "Ooh, the bell isn't ringing!" So... where do all the presents come from? Did the parents buy the presents themselves (which makes sense, because the poor boy's parents can't afford any presents etc.) but then who does and does not get the presents from Santa's sleigh? How does it work?!
I've never understood why adults don't believe in Santa in a world where Santa is established to be real. It's like, even if their child doesn't believe, the parents should right? I mean the parents are the ones putting some gifts under the tree but Santa delivers some presents too. So the parents who don't believe just completely overlook the random presents that just so happen to appear under the tree on Christmas? Like, where did that toy truck come from, huh? The parents didn't buy it but they still don't believe. I mean, come on!
I mean that happened all the time when I was a kid. Mom thinks dad got it and forgot, dad thinks mom got it and forgot, they both swear it's the other and argue about going over budget and Christmas is tense. Thanks Santa!
I always suspend my disbelief by interpreting it as Christmas magic making the parents gloss over it. It just makes them think "oh someone else must've bought those" and then they forget. Why aren't parents supposed to believe in Santa? Why isn't everyone allowed to believe? I don't know, I didn't get that far into the theory.
I absolutely LOVED this movie as a kid. It felt like it was a lot smarter and I really liked how unsettlingly real everything looked. It felt like this is how the North Pole actually works. The settings are so big and you're trying to understand everything through the eyes of a kid. The parts where they were wandering the empty streets of the North Pole and the part with the Reindeer were my favorites growing up. We would always watch it at my grandparents' house, and now that my grandmother has passed it brings up a lot of pleasant memories of Christmases at their house.
I loved this movie so much, to me this was like the EMOBDIMENT of Christmas, and I love the atmosphere of the ideal Christmas. It didn't feel unsettling or creepy, it felt magical. Also- the hot chocolate scene is iconic.
It never bothered me up until now because now I will notice it every time I watch the movie 😂 there’s a few other little things I’ve noticed about this movie that I didn’t as a kid. I just watched it the other day but you’re right!
Fun fact: when I watched this as a kid, I got scared that a train was going to come take me away to the North Pole and I'd either get stuck there and inducted into Santa's elf regime or happen to fall off somewhere in the middle of the ride and be eaten by wolves if I believed in Santa like the kids on the train. So I never really watched it again till I ended up with kids, and upon rewatching I honestly really like it; the symbolism is really clever, and I like that they really don't spell every single thing out. You have to do some thinking to fit everything together, and I love films that do that. The long and the short of it is that this film designed to inspire a belief in Santa Claus scared me into not believing in him and having nightmares about his toy workshop and CGI Tom Hanks.
@@insertclevernamehere1186 fr imagine just being excited for Christmas but then you get abducted by a fat white dude and forced to join some elf company
I will never forget I saw a 4D Polar Express short at this aquarium. It was awful. The "hot chocolate" scent was rancid smelling but the worst part was when Santa uses a whip on the reindeer the seats also "poked" the audience but it was really hard and painful. And to this day I wonder if it really happened
The ominous background music scene - A few weeks ago I was the only person at a really big gas station on the outskirts of a city in the dark, and there was faint, tinny Christmas music playing in the ceiling speakers and it gave me the strongest ominous, slightly creepy, yet tranquil vibes of that Polar Express scene
It is Tradition That I watch this every Christmas, Yes, I know every line, every song, and every hidden secrets and Refrences and stuff in Polar Express, this is not just a Train, It's a *POLAR!* Train, *P.S My Favourite Character Is The Conductor, He Gud!*
I really loved this movie as a kid cause the whole family used to watch it during Christmas. Unfortunately after my mother passed away we never really watched it together again. I had fun watching this video about it though, so I guess some of that magic is still there:)
after watching the movie a few times I always assumed the homeless old guy was just Santa using magic to disguise and test if the kid is a believer or not. but you're theory that he's a potential outcome for the kid if he doesn't believe in Santa makes more sense, plus he's also voiced by Tom Hanks so like maybe the Tom Hanks characters are all the same person?
This movie holds a special place in my heart. It was always my favorite Christmas movie and still is. When I was in Elementary School, specifically Kindergarten, (My FIRST Elementary School, I went to 2.) We got to do something wonderful. Something they did every year for the Kindergartners. They had a special day close to Christmas in December where all the Kindergartners got to come to school in our pajamas. And at the end of the day when there was about 2 hours left in school, all 3 Kindergarten classes went to the school library. We all gathered on the floor/in chairs around a box television in our pajamas and watched The Polar Express together. And the best part? Our teachers made us hot cocoa. 3 Kindergarten teachers, and roughly 60 Kindergartners gathered in a school library around a box television watching The Polar Express in our pajamas while sipping cocoa and enjoying each other's company. Let that mental image sink into your mind. That was 15 years ago. Now I'm a 20 year old adult who misses my childhood terribly. What's worse is my first elementary school closed down permanently years ago back when i was in high school. They held an alumni night for everyone to come back to the school one last time and have some fun. There was food and the school was nicely decorated. I almost cried. Some of my old teachers were still there and they all remembered me. I was a wild child but also a smart one and that's still an accurate way to describe me now. No one who has ever been my homeroom teacher has forgotten me. How could you? And I got to see some of my old friends who I hadn't seen since I left. I wish we never moved away and I went there all 5 years of Elementary school. And I wish the school didn't have to close because I was looking forward to sending my own kids there one day. I know they would have been just as happy there as I was. Oh well. Sorry about my little ramble but I just love telling that story. This movie means everything to me and it plays a part in one of my greatest childhood memories. Lucky for me this is my boyfriend's favorite movie too and it turns out he got to do something similar to that when he was in Elementary School. But he went to a Catholic school. Ew.
The CGI was ahead of it’s time when it was released. The CGI of the children is somewhat creepy BUT the story telling, the Soundtrack and the CGI of the train, snow and everything other than the children is absolutely stunning. It is a family tradition to always watch this in 3D on the projector every December. If you’ve never watched this movie in 3D you seriously must as it is an incredible experience. This film was made to be watched in 3D. Merry Christmas to you all x
Here is a pothole that I never understood about this film: Time is supposed to stand still while the train runs and through the night. Yet animals are still able to move in normal speed? why are the only five things immune to the powers of the frozen time children, elves, santa, animals and tom friggin hanks?
On a note like that, Brokeback Mountain directed by Ang Lee is a 2.5hr long movie. The short story by Annie Proulx is 58 pages. Just a random fact relating to what you said, sorry if no one gives af haha.
Did anyone else have the Polar Express board game? It was kinda like Shoots and Ladders, except you drew a hand of cards with tile values on them, letting you travel a certain distance every turn. The Santa and Hobo cards had special effects, like letting you go directly to the North Pole space (which was near the end). My brother and I played the hell out of that game.
I use to love it, but every single year since it's release to dvd, my mom has forced everyone in the family to watch it with her while she screams all the lines and force feeds us snacks and hot chocolate during the hot chocolate scene. I don't mind the family time, but my god this movie makes me want to bash my head against a wall. Every single year for 15 years. Although last year was kinda fun because the last kid in the family turned 21 and we all got smashed on spiked hot chocolate haha
The ghost is supposed to represent the ghost of Christmas past, the conductor is Christmas present and Santa is supposed to be Christmas future. With Hero Boy representing Scrooge.
I loved this movie as a kid because it was one of the first 3d movies I'd ever seen and I'd never seen a non-2d animation before that holiday season. It actually inspired me to eventually get into art. Now I love it for two reasons; nostalgia and the weird ghost hobo
So bit personally but every time I watch this movie I almost burst put crying when santa yells about the first gift, and I feel like it's because I always watched this movie with my grandma, and now she's gone and every time I watch this it reminds me of her
That "creepy" feeling is called uncanny valley and that's why this movie gives off such a weird vibe. Its the same for The Adventures of Tintin. They try to make these characters look so realistic that it reaches uncanny valley.
Polar express refers to how rapidly this movie polarises audiences into either warm nostalgic family fun adventure or a horrifying uncanny valley nightmare.
The Polar Express is my favourite Christmas movie of all time, the character animation doesn't bother me at all, I love the set pieces, I think it has as an absolutely beautiful soundtrack, plus the whole theme of the movie is believing and the spirit of Christmas, perfection.
theory: what if they intended it to be creepy on purpose. Black trains are often interpreted as being the vehicle between the living and the afterlife, kind of like in Spirited-Away and the Night on the Galactic Railroad. What if all the children on the train are all kids that froze to death on Christmas eve, and the train of death came to them and whisked them away to go to the afterlife. This whole night could be their own special little purgatory, just think what would happen if they tried to go home or fight what was happening? they cant cuz they are DEAD. even if it is a christmas magic kind of thing, what if this christmas magic is what brings them back to life in the morning? Perhaps this theory would explain all the strange characters the kid meets along the way, just souls that are trapped in purgatory that haven't moved on yet ... haha nah but hot hot hot chocolate is a slam
I've heard a song where a black train is a metaphor for hell. I'm not religious but they have some good music when it's not that cliche pop (or what ever) sound that's used
This movie is one of my mom’s favorite Christmas movies and I remember having nightmares about the animation when I was 3 or so but I still enjoy it oddly enough
I was going to comment a short description of how this movie makes me feel and how it's the one movie that still revitalizes the childlike wonder I had for Christmas, but then it turned into a thousand word long short story. So for that, thank you for making me emotional about a Christmas movie in April.
I feel like the creepiness is mainly how realistically detailed & animated the characters look, after all the horror that comes out of things that are not intended to be scary, are always the most horrifying.
I found The Polar Express fine. Sure it’s very uncanny, and the writing’s not that great, but surprisingly the music, the backgrounds, the performances, and sort of nostalgia I feel from watching this movie makes it a classic.
This movie gives me such a weird feeling. These days it just fills me with sadness, since this movie for some reason kept me believing in Santa and well, that’s not a thing anymore. Plus the relationships really made me feel like it’s more of a dream, since I get ultra depressed when I make friends (or something more) with a person, only to wake up and realize “oh hey, they’re not real and that didn’t happen”. Wow. This movie makes me less unsettled and more existentially depressed.
I remember being little and legit thinking they were real actors, then when I was a little older the animation i just creeped me out, still a childhood classic tho
I *_adored_* this book as a child. It was pure Christmas magic. In elementary school during Christmas time, they'd have a read-aloud of _How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Polar Express,_ & _Green Eggs & Ham_ (not sure about that last one...) & they'd serve hot coco & candy canes. During the entire read-aloud of _The Polar Express_ & even with the massive sugar high, not a child was stirring; not even a mouse. My 5 yo LOVES both the book & the movie. But I must admit, the movie gives me similar vibes when I watched P2 back in my high school days...
When I watched this as a kid, I was already familiar with the storyas I was a fan of the writer and the rest of his books. However, the movie spent a LOT of time on the train compared to in the books, so I knew in the adaptation things were going to be different. I also really loved the Sailor Moon Super S movie, which had an eerily similar opening. Children are beckoned with magical music only they could hear, to go on board to a magical floating ship, where they would be taken to the fun candyland where all your wishes and dreams could come true. But they were really being kidnapped and put to sleep. So as I watched this Polar Express movie with the knowledge that it was differing from the book, I thought that it might take a darker turn. The kids walking through the abandoned North Pole factory didn’t help much with this either lmao.
There’s this really foggy memory I have of going on the polar express with my mother and grandparents of my dads side. It always seems so surreal when I look back on it and even though I remember asking my parents about it multiple times, I never got a true answer. It was so strange and there was hot chocolate and everything, I even remember looking out the window and seeing the little felt Rudolph from the movie which is also strange. I don’t know if it was some attraction that’s just went out of business or something, but I know it wasn’t a dream and it gives me such an eery sick but nostalgic feeling when I look back on it. It felt like a fever dream to be honest.
@@professionalpainthuffer no in a deleted scene the fireman and engineer explained that the hobo was a guy who took a ride on top and got killed when the train when through a tunnel that was too short
For me the unsettling thing is that to me it feels like the "hero boy" and the rest of the kids are being abducted by a predator with the lure of a magical train and hot chocolate to fool them. It doesn't seem innocent at all to me. Idk.
This whole movie has the atmosphere of those old point and click adventure games on the P.C. where the characters stand with the same 5 frames of animation until you click on them.
For some reason as a kid I didn’t catch that billy was poor, I just always assumed he was just a sad kid who moped around a lot...god I was stupid
Girl me too!! And I read a *TON* of fairytales as a kid!
Nah. I knew Billy was poor as a kid. It’s kind of obviously inferred: he lives in a small home, it’s dimly lit, there’s like one window in the front of the house... He’s not even wearing regular shoes, he’s wearing like rain boots. 😂 He says that Christmas has just “never worked out” for him... But maybe it was just me
Same, but also poor idrk
and you still really know what poor actually is
Same ngl
I gotta be honest
When I was a kid, I loved this movie
But I never realized it was about believing in Santa until now
All this time I genuinely thought the train was just trying to fuck with a particular set of randomly chosen kids, and the ghost hobo was just a kid who was picked by the train decades before the movie and never actually left the train
Nobody cares
I know I watched it but I can't remember any of the plot lol
Honestly same
Merry Christmas ☃️
@@avery581 Merry Christmas, buddy, to you and everyone you love ❤❤
This movie is magically chilling, and not in a bad way. The epilogue about believing still makes me want to cry, I miss believing man…
Same 😔✊.
I stopped believing the day my Christmas presents came a day late bc my mom wanted to be a b*tch and see me cry miserably thinking Santa finds me so naughty he won't even gift me coal, that day I shed alot of tears and slept cold and alone bc I couldn't find my covers. 🥲😭
What's worse is that whatever she was punishing me for was so little at most all she had to do was put me in time out, but NO! She just had to ruin the Christmas spirit 🙄🔫
Sameeee
Santa deniers.
The reason it’s so creepy is because the characters look human but you can tell they aren’t, it’s like a reflex in your body although some people don’t have it, including me
They call that uncanny valley.
They look like if a skinwalker tried to steal my appearance but failed
Fun fact: that phenomenon is only 1 of 3 innately born fears humans have upon birth. We have the fear of drowning, falling, and things that look human but aren't.
This has given rise to the theory that at some point in human evolutionary history there was another being or creature that looked so similar to us that preyed upon us we developed that fear.
@@SeviathTheHumanDrago There were other hominids such as neandarthals around during our early evolutionary history so that could be an explanation.
@@jakehiller6444 I did recall that but scientists were baffled as to why it's specifically small doll like humanoid things.
I'd Argue, pygmy humans. Probably cannibalistic as was common practice back then, after all we have legends and models of "shrunken heads" what if they were actually just pygmy skull trophies from when we exterminated them. Humans do tend to commit genocide against things we fear and don't understand or when taking over territory.
The scene with the kids walking on the tracks has some surprisingly well done sound design. The faint music, the footsteps, and the lack of sound make it seems so intense yet so calming.
Yo
@@bruh2221 Yo
Yo mama
I don't have a mama
Yo daddy
One of the main things that's always bugged me everytime ive watched this movie is how the main kid got the first gift of Christmas even though he only believed in Santa for like 5 minutes whereas every other kid on the train completely believed in him the whole time, main kid stopped the train multiple times, lost another kids ticket, got lost in town, like the kid was a non believing lil menace, I'll take it to my grave that the little girl deserved the first gift instead of main boy
I wanted the poor kid to get it, lol
I would say it was just a weird dream the kid was having and that gift would have made sense. But he got the bell in real life so I agree with you. Screw that kid.
fr tho
It was the gift of believing, which he didn’t believe. Why would the little girl get or anyone else when they already believed in him?
@@Mel__21 good question.
"No characters in this movie have names"
Santa: *mad Tom Hanks noise*
Billy: "..."
Hero boy's sister sarah: .-.
When I was a kid, I didn't find anything uncanny about these characters as I thought they were real people until I realize they were animated, and I didn't mind it.
Omg, are you me?! Cuz same! I also thought Shrek 1 and Shrek 2 were with real people with some CGI mixed in. Like I thought Shrek himself with just some big guy with green makeup on, as well as CGI editing. Though Shrek looked obviously more cartoony than Polar Express, I still thought it, lol. I don't know. I was a weird kid.
@@elenafrogger3251 Yeah, I agree. Although even as a kid, I thought the people in the Shrek franchise were animated.
@@prehistorichero2755 I'm glad I'm not the only one! Yay! Though for Shrek, it's much more obvious than the Polar Express, lol. In Shrek there's just a lot of more crazy intangible things going on. Talking gingerbread men. Talking pigs and rats. Magic all over the place in general. Stuff that wouldn't really work in live action, lol. While Polar Express has all of its characters looking like regular people, with the exception of the glowing and bright Santa and some of the funky looking elves. So it kind of tricks you into thinking it's live action with a bit of special effects if you don't pay enough attention, or are just young.
I swear I watched this movie when I was like 12 and thought it was nice. I randomly remembered it one day and was just surprised to find people just shitting on it. Like, why?
Actually the hobo, the two engine men, and the conductor, are all based off of real people. The long beard engineer is based off Barney Gramling, and the bigger engineer is based off of another engineer (I can't remember his name). Ty he conductor is based off of one of the conductors at a place called the steam railroading institute (as all of them are). The hobo is based off of a gentleman named Jim, he dresses up as a hobo at the SRI museum grounds during the famous NPE excursion. The train in the movie is even based off of Pere Marquette #1225 from the SRI.
How did I never realize that none of them had names💀
wait the didn't what
HeRo BoY
I only remember Billy lol 😂
They do actually have names, they are just not mentioned in the movie, besides Billy. The main character is Chris, the girl is Holly, the know-it-all boy is Lenny, the conductor is James, and the two engine workers are Smokey and Steamer.
@@mommymeow32 that guy truly has a "Lenny" like face
Fun fact: The actress who did the motion capture for Hero Girl is now a singer and recently said she thinks this movie is boring
another fun fact: when shooting the movie Tom Hanks tried to swear during his takes, dropping the ‘fucks’ between lines. Idk why he did it, he just did
He probably knew it was gonna be bad so with that he chose chaos
wtf
From what I heard it was originally going to be mature but Tom Hanks forgot to swear on the dialogue and that is who it is a kid friendly movie
Tinashe!!
Another fun fact: the animation team studied the real locomotive in action to get everything just right
I love how mysterious this movie was, with the hobo being a ghost, and none of the children having names, except Billy, and the train itself, like it’s not explained why there is a polar express. Like it’s not something that’s like “this doesn’t make sense” it’s more of a “huh, that’s strange”
the accuracy of this
perfectly described 👌🏼
Like a dream
There was so much nostalgia through out this video. In third grade we watched this movie and the teacher dressed up as the conductor. The classroom was decorated like a train and we all ate breakfast at school. The teacher taped bell necklaces under our chairs for us. I don't really remember hat else happened but it was really fun. I think about that teacher a lot.
Whohhh!! That sounds awesome! I wish I experienced that
@@yumikodazaiswaifu They got a bunch of parents to volunteer to bring in food and stuff, it was really fun
@@liviasipes991 omg yes
I had, maybe three teachers who were decent and cared about us. The rest were miserable old farts who hated kids and were just toughing it out until retirement.
@@tomrogers9467 I totally know how you feel teachers can suck sometimes I hope you meet better ones in the future
The scene where the doll came to life genuinely fucked me up as a child
Truuuu
frfr
Like seriously wtf? Why did they made that?
What!? When did a doll come to life? I watch this movie every year and don’t remember that lol! That would be Terrifying!
EDIT: oh the puppets!! It didn’t come to life though, the homeless ghost dude was controlling it :P
That was the only creepy scene this guy in the video is over exaggerating
I’ll never get over how instead of just waiting for her to come back, Hero Boy tries crossing on to another part of the train to give the girl her ticket back. She was literally just going into the back to give animated Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle over here her drink *with* an adult who would keep her safe. Did she *need* her ticket for that? What was the purpose of him doing that? I suppose so that the ticket could be lost, therefore making it look like she was about to get executed for not having it so hero boy could go after her *AGAIN.* What a simp.
Yeah now that I think about it why didn’t he just wait for her?
Hahhaha dewey
i love how the word simp lost all of its meaning
The boy at the back looks EXACTLY like Haley Joel Osment.
Runtime
The parents are like: "Ooh, the bell isn't ringing!"
So... where do all the presents come from? Did the parents buy the presents themselves (which makes sense, because the poor boy's parents can't afford any presents etc.) but then who does and does not get the presents from Santa's sleigh? How does it work?!
Answer: It's a Christmas movie
believe
Yeah Santa denier
It's called Christmas Magic. 🎄 ❤🎉
I never found Polar Express creepy. It's actually one of my favorite christmas movies, along with christmas vacation.
Ik how is it scary
I’ve watched Polar Express so many times I’m desensitized to the visuals.
same to me haha.
Tbh me
Facts
Same my little brothers make me watch this every Christmas Eve and the visuals don’t bother me but the movie itself gets mute unsettling every time
ruclips.net/video/iRIykTr-qr0/видео.html
I've never understood why adults don't believe in Santa in a world where Santa is established to be real. It's like, even if their child doesn't believe, the parents should right? I mean the parents are the ones putting some gifts under the tree but Santa delivers some presents too. So the parents who don't believe just completely overlook the random presents that just so happen to appear under the tree on Christmas? Like, where did that toy truck come from, huh? The parents didn't buy it but they still don't believe. I mean, come on!
Exactly! *This* question was what kept me up at night as a kid, not horror movies
I mean that happened all the time when I was a kid. Mom thinks dad got it and forgot, dad thinks mom got it and forgot, they both swear it's the other and argue about going over budget and Christmas is tense. Thanks Santa!
The 5G makes the parents think that they bought those extra gifts
I always suspend my disbelief by interpreting it as Christmas magic making the parents gloss over it. It just makes them think "oh someone else must've bought those" and then they forget. Why aren't parents supposed to believe in Santa? Why isn't everyone allowed to believe? I don't know, I didn't get that far into the theory.
I don’t even have kids and Santa still brings presents to my house!
I absolutely LOVED this movie as a kid. It felt like it was a lot smarter and I really liked how unsettlingly real everything looked. It felt like this is how the North Pole actually works. The settings are so big and you're trying to understand everything through the eyes of a kid. The parts where they were wandering the empty streets of the North Pole and the part with the Reindeer were my favorites growing up. We would always watch it at my grandparents' house, and now that my grandmother has passed it brings up a lot of pleasant memories of Christmases at their house.
Whenever the puppet scene would come up my sister would leave the room😂
Hearing Mandark's voice coming out of a realistic child was extremely distracting.
"Realistic"
5:49 "Jesus Christ, this kid is terrible"
Of course he's terrible, he has Mandark's voice actor. Playing insufferable characters is his specialty.
Look up for "kabaragoya boy" in a spelling competition.
•Customer Service (4 years) 6d6d yy66 6d it66 tutu6d666d 6d6ds 6 6r tut d
I loved this movie so much, to me this was like the EMOBDIMENT of Christmas, and I love the atmosphere of the ideal Christmas. It didn't feel unsettling or creepy, it felt magical. Also- the hot chocolate scene is iconic.
This movie never struck me as creepy as a kid, it made me feel safe and warm and loved, and cold and alone at the same time.
So, does it bother no one that the way the bell is held in the movie would never make a ringing noise?? This has bothered me for years.
It never bothered me up until now because now I will notice it every time I watch the movie 😂 there’s a few other little things I’ve noticed about this movie that I didn’t as a kid. I just watched it the other day but you’re right!
I would always think about that when I watched the movie like, he’s holding it in the middle of the bell which would mute the entire f-n bell 💀
It's magic that's what I always thought which it is
That is the thing Antis. It shouldn't ring but it did.
You clearly don't believe.
Fun fact: when I watched this as a kid, I got scared that a train was going to come take me away to the North Pole and I'd either get stuck there and inducted into Santa's elf regime or happen to fall off somewhere in the middle of the ride and be eaten by wolves if I believed in Santa like the kids on the train.
So I never really watched it again till I ended up with kids, and upon rewatching I honestly really like it; the symbolism is really clever, and I like that they really don't spell every single thing out. You have to do some thinking to fit everything together, and I love films that do that.
The long and the short of it is that this film designed to inspire a belief in Santa Claus scared me into not believing in him and having nightmares about his toy workshop and CGI Tom Hanks.
Damn thats a lot
Oh boy I got a kick out of this comment!😂
"Inducted into Santa's elf regime" made my night...
God damn its so old that the kids got kids
@@insertclevernamehere1186 fr imagine just being excited for Christmas but then you get abducted by a fat white dude and forced to join some elf company
I literally watch this movie every Christmas it's a tradition at this point.
This movie feels very eerie, like a dream, because the plot is so bizarre and makes absolutely no sense although it seems to.
I will never forget I saw a 4D Polar Express short at this aquarium. It was awful. The "hot chocolate" scent was rancid smelling but the worst part was when Santa uses a whip on the reindeer the seats also "poked" the audience but it was really hard and painful. And to this day I wonder if it really happened
I saw it at the aquarium too!
i saw it at the aquarium too lol.
What are y'all talking about
I mean if it was painful obviously it was doing a good job simulating a whip :^)
What are y'all talking about (1)
The ominous background music scene - A few weeks ago I was the only person at a really big gas station on the outskirts of a city in the dark, and there was faint, tinny Christmas music playing in the ceiling speakers and it gave me the strongest ominous, slightly creepy, yet tranquil vibes of that Polar Express scene
The background music is what always creeped me out.
I still love this movie, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized it can be seen as pretty creepy.
It is Tradition That I watch this every Christmas,
Yes,
I know every line, every song, and every hidden secrets and Refrences and stuff in Polar Express, this is not just a Train,
It's a *POLAR!* Train,
*P.S My Favourite Character Is The Conductor, He Gud!*
*he very gud*
The phrase “Hot chocolate” gives me shivers down my spine
True tho!!!! I always wondered how it actually tasted!
Hot chocolate
Hot chocolate
Hot chocolate
Ariana Rozman get rekt nub
This movie should be called “The Uncanny Valley” starring Tom Hanks as everyone
It should just be called “Tom Hanks”
“Ft. Liminal spaces
The plot twist at the end is Santa is Jon Arbuckle from Garfield
@@hoomanbean9577 beat me to it dang
It was the first entirely motion-capture picture that used CGI when it was still in its infancy
I really loved this movie as a kid cause the whole family used to watch it during Christmas. Unfortunately after my mother passed away we never really watched it together again. I had fun watching this video about it though, so I guess some of that magic is still there:)
Aww, I am sorry to hear that
after watching the movie a few times I always assumed the homeless old guy was just Santa using magic to disguise and test if the kid is a believer or not. but you're theory that he's a potential outcome for the kid if he doesn't believe in Santa makes more sense, plus he's also voiced by Tom Hanks so like maybe the Tom Hanks characters are all the same person?
the best part in that movie is when they drifted a train.
DEJA VU!!!
Polar Express: Tokyo Drift
Fax!!!
@@jacoboddie5364 Polar drift Tokyo express
And the roller coaster scene
Short answer: it's uncanny valley
Long answer: just this
I disagree the animation is not what makes it creepy. Watch the video and find out 😳
@@BionicPIGtv I was going to before my internet died 😔 I'm watching it now though, it's a great video as always :D
@@maurabewsmoviecorner6911 The account was deleted big guy
ruclips.net/video/iRIykTr-qr0/видео.htmla RED EYE (2005) FULL MOVIE - Rachel McAdams took back in 2012
Haqujqebebhxhsuuauqiwuehbrhduuqijehrbrbdhdusuwuwhehehrhhdhdhxhdhdhshwwjeirieosokqoqpqpwososoxoxjfnfnfnthrjeuwiqokaksmxjxucififjrnentvtccgcyxyaioqkw
I never noticed the small details like the "watching presence" or the "Doubt"
I love this movie, but now I love it even more!
This movie holds a special place in my heart. It was always my favorite Christmas movie and still is. When I was in Elementary School, specifically Kindergarten, (My FIRST Elementary School, I went to 2.) We got to do something wonderful. Something they did every year for the Kindergartners. They had a special day close to Christmas in December where all the Kindergartners got to come to school in our pajamas. And at the end of the day when there was about 2 hours left in school, all 3 Kindergarten classes went to the school library. We all gathered on the floor/in chairs around a box television in our pajamas and watched The Polar Express together. And the best part? Our teachers made us hot cocoa. 3 Kindergarten teachers, and roughly 60 Kindergartners gathered in a school library around a box television watching The Polar Express in our pajamas while sipping cocoa and enjoying each other's company. Let that mental image sink into your mind. That was 15 years ago. Now I'm a 20 year old adult who misses my childhood terribly. What's worse is my first elementary school closed down permanently years ago back when i was in high school. They held an alumni night for everyone to come back to the school one last time and have some fun. There was food and the school was nicely decorated. I almost cried. Some of my old teachers were still there and they all remembered me. I was a wild child but also a smart one and that's still an accurate way to describe me now. No one who has ever been my homeroom teacher has forgotten me. How could you? And I got to see some of my old friends who I hadn't seen since I left. I wish we never moved away and I went there all 5 years of Elementary school. And I wish the school didn't have to close because I was looking forward to sending my own kids there one day. I know they would have been just as happy there as I was. Oh well. Sorry about my little ramble but I just love telling that story. This movie means everything to me and it plays a part in one of my greatest childhood memories. Lucky for me this is my boyfriend's favorite movie too and it turns out he got to do something similar to that when he was in Elementary School. But he went to a Catholic school. Ew.
The CGI was ahead of it’s time when it was released. The CGI of the children is somewhat creepy BUT the story telling, the Soundtrack and the CGI of the train, snow and everything other than the children is absolutely stunning. It is a family tradition to always watch this in 3D on the projector every December. If you’ve never watched this movie in 3D you seriously must as it is an incredible experience. This film was made to be watched in 3D. Merry Christmas to you all x
those are really good children for the time when it was made. they're like, incredible.
Damn I gotta nab myself a projector now just to do this
@@juliashirokova8374 fbi open up
Theres a reason why this is my sleep pralysis demon favorite movie
ruclips.net/video/QO0p-7l1DJ0/видео.html
The music causes my stomach to drop. Its an involuntary reaction caused by these visuals.
Here is a pothole that I never understood about this film:
Time is supposed to stand still while the train runs and through the night. Yet animals are still able to move in normal speed? why are the only five things immune to the powers of the frozen time children, elves, santa, animals and tom friggin hanks?
Imagine if Tim Burton directed the movie.
How about we don't
It’d be cooler if he didn’t
@@haxavage156 You must be scared to be happy.
oo i wish
It would have been LESS creepy if he had.
Turning a 32-page picture book into a full length movie: The Polar Express
On a note like that, Brokeback Mountain directed by Ang Lee is a 2.5hr long movie. The short story by Annie Proulx is 58 pages. Just a random fact relating to what you said, sorry if no one gives af haha.
Nobody:
Hero Boy:
"Jimminy jillikers, Radioactive Man"
Did anyone else have the Polar Express board game? It was kinda like Shoots and Ladders, except you drew a hand of cards with tile values on them, letting you travel a certain distance every turn. The Santa and Hobo cards had special effects, like letting you go directly to the North Pole space (which was near the end).
My brother and I played the hell out of that game.
Love the Polar express I have it on blu-ray and yes it is a little creepy
I can see what people might find creepy, but i dont see it as creepy
I use to love it, but every single year since it's release to dvd, my mom has forced everyone in the family to watch it with her while she screams all the lines and force feeds us snacks and hot chocolate during the hot chocolate scene. I don't mind the family time, but my god this movie makes me want to bash my head against a wall. Every single year for 15 years. Although last year was kinda fun because the last kid in the family turned 21 and we all got smashed on spiked hot chocolate haha
@@lunaballuna ok.
Saaaammmmee
@@lunaballuna damn that sucks I’m sorry
The ghost is supposed to represent the ghost of Christmas past, the conductor is Christmas present and Santa is supposed to be Christmas future. With Hero Boy representing Scrooge.
Dang I never realized that it's really all coming together
11:33 yoooooooo
I have honestly never heard anyone describe this movie as creepy at all and now I’m seeing it completely
The scene with the toys scares me to this day
Agree that's the only part that was creepy for me
I'll never get over that one Tumblr post where the person thought when they were young that this is what Europeans looked like I-
What? Wait, Do You mean like 3D animated characters?
Lmfao!!! Wow
@@gertruda4111 images.app.goo.gl/pNSHstXNNH66fnAt9
@@gertruda4111 it was a comment from a RUclips video
@@gertruda4111 the person thought the movie was live action and this is what European people looked like
Almost every Disney movie on VHS had a Polar Express trailer at the beginning back then. So much memories.
I loved this movie as a kid because it was one of the first 3d movies I'd ever seen and I'd never seen a non-2d animation before that holiday season. It actually inspired me to eventually get into art. Now I love it for two reasons; nostalgia and the weird ghost hobo
So bit personally but every time I watch this movie I almost burst put crying when santa yells about the first gift, and I feel like it's because I always watched this movie with my grandma, and now she's gone and every time I watch this it reminds me of her
That "creepy" feeling is called uncanny valley and that's why this movie gives off such a weird vibe. Its the same for The Adventures of Tintin. They try to make these characters look so realistic that it reaches uncanny valley.
I feel like Tintin is a lot more realistic and doesn't enter the uncanny valley nearly as much.
@@bj.bruner I didn’t think so either. I don’t mind this type of animation but my family was freaked out by Tintin whenever we watched it.
Beowulf too. Kinda creepy.
Tintin was art.
The only difference between one another, is that Tin Tin isn't cringe.
The Polar Express has officially become an expensive shxtpost.
how does he call this the weird movie when a Christmas carol exists
RIGHT 💀
Yep that movie was a fever dream.
I wish they would’ve just kept the original there was no need to add to Terror with that icky icky animation
Polar express refers to how rapidly this movie polarises audiences into either warm nostalgic family fun adventure or a horrifying uncanny valley nightmare.
The Polar Express is my favourite Christmas movie of all time, the character animation doesn't bother me at all, I love the set pieces, I think it has as an absolutely beautiful soundtrack, plus the whole theme of the movie is believing and the spirit of Christmas, perfection.
Truly 😫❤️❤️❤️
It was creepy because it was going to replace real life actors
Member when they made that final fantasy movie and tried to start an age of digital actors. The chick was meant to be in more movies.
@@mattdekker5693 ruclips.net/video/HlPGnzlK5xE/видео.html
theory: what if they intended it to be creepy on purpose. Black trains are often interpreted as being the vehicle between the living and the afterlife, kind of like in Spirited-Away and the Night on the Galactic Railroad. What if all the children on the train are all kids that froze to death on Christmas eve, and the train of death came to them and whisked them away to go to the afterlife. This whole night could be their own special little purgatory, just think what would happen if they tried to go home or fight what was happening? they cant cuz they are DEAD. even if it is a christmas magic kind of thing, what if this christmas magic is what brings them back to life in the morning? Perhaps this theory would explain all the strange characters the kid meets along the way, just souls that are trapped in purgatory that haven't moved on yet ...
haha nah but hot hot hot chocolate is a slam
the ending to this really seals the comment off with perfection. *chefs kiss*
Holy shit! That's good. I believe it
Damn that's dark... I LIKE IT
I was looking for this type of comment because it really does seem like the train is a metaphor for death
I've heard a song where a black train is a metaphor for hell. I'm not religious but they have some good music when it's not that cliche pop (or what ever) sound that's used
I already believe in Santa.
If NORAD tracks his movements every year, he must be real.
In my many years of watching this movie I have never noticed how that damn boy looks at me in the beginning DANM IT
Not only everyone on the train is high as fuck, but also the writers of the movie
Everyone on the train is a writer?
😂
I constantly get annoyed that no one that talks about this movie points out that "Know-it-all" was voiced by Mandark from Dexter's Lab...
Thank God somebody else knew!!
@ThatDudeWithBoobs
And here I thought I was the only one who had that problem...
holy shit ...
Yeah, I HATED Mandark's voice with that Melvin's face. It's too cartoony for a creepy level of real looking characters.
I just call him mandark
This movie is one of my mom’s favorite Christmas movies and I remember having nightmares about the animation when I was 3 or so but I still enjoy it oddly enough
I was going to comment a short description of how this movie makes me feel and how it's the one movie that still revitalizes the childlike wonder I had for Christmas, but then it turned into a thousand word long short story. So for that, thank you for making me emotional about a Christmas movie in April.
The Polar Express is literally my favourite Christmas movie no cap.
don't talk smack about this legendary iconic film
Word!
He’s literally rotten tomatoes if he was a person
I didnt you fools
I guess opinions are illegal now
@@yukuma4538 i cannot tell if you're joking but i can assure you i was not being serious
lol imagine being completely deaf and then just being like: "I believe" and then you can miraculously hear
Bruh, this ain't weird looking at all. It actually looks really good.
I never thought this was creepy when i was a kid
Yeah me neither i loved this movie as a kid
same
Same lol
Same here.
Same, and I still love this film
In kindergarten for a Christmas field trip they took us to see this movie and gave us silver bells after
I watched it on a field trip too! Omg
Jesus your young
Me too we read it instead and I still have the bell so much nostalgia
Fuckin same! Except we just watched the movie in a room, got hot chocolate, wearin' pajamas, and the silver fuckin bells.
@@pteargriffen5060 never said I wasnt haha
I feel like the creepiness is mainly how realistically detailed & animated the characters look, after all the horror that comes out of things that are not intended to be scary, are always the most horrifying.
Found out that “hero boy” actually had a name which was Chris
I found The Polar Express fine. Sure it’s very uncanny, and the writing’s not that great, but surprisingly the music, the backgrounds, the performances, and sort of nostalgia I feel from watching this movie makes it a classic.
ruclips.net/video/HlPGnzlK5xE/видео.html
Can we all agree that the scene of the elves singing "Santa Clause is Coming To Town" is the most terrifying scene in movie history?
Yeah that doesn’t sound like Santa is coming it sounds like a horror slashers is coming.
@@calebray1834the liminal atmosphere of the North Pole made the scene seem like the end of the world is coming..
The music with the homeless man sounds straight out of pirates of the Caribbean
"They are now flying down a train on skis when the train is going at an 80 degree angle." Ah yes, the triple black diamond.
If you think this is creepy you should watch "a Christmas Carol"
It legit gave me nightmares
@Joseph Combe
Yeah I may enjoy that adaptation, but it has moments that a far creepier than this film.
@@scrappy2344 I've seen the puppet one and the old as 1951 one too which is which?
which one?
@@scrappy2344 I've seen the 2009 one done by the same guy who did the polar Express apparently and also the 1951 version but in color lol
@@scrappy2344 ye I saw that when I was looking it up and thought it looked pretty creepy
This movie gives me such a weird feeling. These days it just fills me with sadness, since this movie for some reason kept me believing in Santa and well, that’s not a thing anymore. Plus the relationships really made me feel like it’s more of a dream, since I get ultra depressed when I make friends (or something more) with a person, only to wake up and realize “oh hey, they’re not real and that didn’t happen”.
Wow. This movie makes me less unsettled and more existentially depressed.
I get that exact same feeling when I watch Inception even it’s my all time favorite movie
Same
My parents raised me to believe in Santa and Jesus. Then I grew up and learned the truth. They lied.
I hate that man I don't know why that happens but I always feel and the morning after a dream with new friends or whatever
Pfp checks out LMAO
I've watched the Polar Express every Christmas for years, I NEVER picked up that the silent bell was actually the ghost saying "Doubt".
This movie was one of my fav childhood movies. The animation just remids me of a videogame cutscene.
I fucking love this movie. It’s a classic.
I hate the kid. Plus the hot chocolate song slaps unironically
@@roxassora2706 the glass kid ?
Same
Classic? More like assic.
Hold on, HOLD THE HELL ON.
Santa isn't Tom Hanks.
It's Tim Allen
Always has been
*You've got a friend in me intensifies*
So it’s very weird that I actually like the polar express, and that I don’t think it’s weird or creepy in any way.
I remember being little and legit thinking they were real actors, then when I was a little older the animation i
just creeped me out, still a childhood classic tho
You forgot to mention that Tom Hanks is also the child's dad
Wait it all tom hanks
Tom Hanks is his own father
@@gooseman6882 Always has been
The skipping record scene was engraved in my memory as a kid for some reason
Me too.
Same
*DiNgA LiNg*
@@strawberryfields9762 It's actually RINGA LING.
I love this film, even today. I guess I watched it so many times as a child that it's burrowed in my brain to love it
I *_adored_* this book as a child. It was pure Christmas magic. In elementary school during Christmas time, they'd have a read-aloud of _How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Polar Express,_ & _Green Eggs & Ham_ (not sure about that last one...) & they'd serve hot coco & candy canes. During the entire read-aloud of _The Polar Express_ & even with the massive sugar high, not a child was stirring; not even a mouse. My 5 yo LOVES both the book & the movie. But I must admit, the movie gives me similar vibes when I watched P2 back in my high school days...
Nahhh the polar express was banger, the scene where the train was literally drifted across the breaking ice is an absolute gem of cinema
When I watched this as a kid, I was already familiar with the storyas I was a fan of the writer and the rest of his books. However, the movie spent a LOT of time on the train compared to in the books, so I knew in the adaptation things were going to be different. I also really loved the Sailor Moon Super S movie, which had an eerily similar opening.
Children are beckoned with magical music only they could hear, to go on board to a magical floating ship, where they would be taken to the fun candyland where all your wishes and dreams could come true. But they were really being kidnapped and put to sleep.
So as I watched this Polar Express movie with the knowledge that it was differing from the book, I thought that it might take a darker turn. The kids walking through the abandoned North Pole factory didn’t help much with this either lmao.
There’s this really foggy memory I have of going on the polar express with my mother and grandparents of my dads side. It always seems so surreal when I look back on it and even though I remember asking my parents about it multiple times, I never got a true answer.
It was so strange and there was hot chocolate and everything, I even remember looking out the window and seeing the little felt Rudolph from the movie which is also strange.
I don’t know if it was some attraction that’s just went out of business or something, but I know it wasn’t a dream and it gives me such an eery sick but nostalgic feeling when I look back on it.
It felt like a fever dream to be honest.
This movie has become tradition for me so I don't really mind it.
B u t t h a t ' s j u s t m y o n i o n
Mm yes your onion
Homeless ghost Tom Hanks is a way more interesting character, I'd rather be him
Santa not real. Fite me
Homeless ghost? He's real as fuck
@@scrappy2344 i was thinking the same thing lmao
@@professionalpainthuffer no in a deleted scene the fireman and engineer explained that the hobo was a guy who took a ride on top and got killed when the train when through a tunnel that was too short
For me the unsettling thing is that to me it feels like the "hero boy" and the rest of the kids are being abducted by a predator with the lure of a magical train and hot chocolate to fool them. It doesn't seem innocent at all to me. Idk.
I mean except for the fact that nothing predatory ended up happening to the kids in the end.
This whole movie has the atmosphere of those old point and click adventure games on the P.C. where the characters stand with the same 5 frames of animation until you click on them.
managing to put a train back on the tracks is every conductor's wet dream.