Polar Express (Movie) Roles (animation, drama, actor, Tom Hanks)

[Mike from back east]

It's that time of year when The Polar Express movie is running on the networks.

As a railroad fan and amateur historian I've always enjoyed the movie for its accurate portrayal and level of detail for the railroad equipment and operation.

Having seen the movie a few times I keep thinking about the roles portrayed.

Tom Hanks is credited with playing six roles: Hero Boy / Father / Conductor / Hobo / Scrooge / Santa Claus.

It's completely obvious that the Railroad Conductor looks like Tom Hanks. But he does not match the image of the Hobo or Santa Claus.

The Santa Claus character reminds me of Peter Ustinov and sounds a bit like him too.

The Hobo image reminds me of a mashup of Paul Newman and/or Steve McQueen. The Hobo could also be a newer actor that I'm not all that familiar with, like Jason Statham.

Tom Hanks may have done the voices of those six roles, but I only see the image of Tom Hanks in the railroad Conductor.

The other characters are animations of other people, so I'm wondering if anyone else sees this or has similar thoughts.

[Mark S.]

THE POLAR EXPRESS book had a nice charm to it. But the movie is nightmare fuel. I don't just dislike it. It genuinely creeps me out.


https://science.howstuffworks.com/sc...ny-valley1.htm

[jaynaydee]

I always thought that the kid that didn’t want to get on the train at first looked like Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle.

Santa looked like Gandolf from Lord of the Rings.

Yes, Tom Hanks looked like the conductor.

[Coney]

I was familiar with the caldecott winning book first. When the movie came out, I saw it in 3D. The animation technique, back then, was very novel. You have to view it within that context. It didn't get good reviews initially, but one of the critics said that eventually, it will grow on audiences and become a classic.