The popular 1986 Caldecott Medal Award winning story by Chris Van Allsburg has finally made it to the silver screen. Not only has it made it to the screen, it has chugged in with a velocity only those familiar with the story can understand. Robert Zemeckis again teams up with Tom Hanks to bring to the silver screen magic: not just magic in story, but magic in style.

It is likely that 2004 will go down in history as an innovative year in the style and technique of making movies. Along with Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, The Polar Express breaks new ground in technique that is simply awe-inspiring. It is the first thing you notice about this movie. The visuals have an impact from the opening credits up until the final credit sequences.

Robert Zemeckis has been thrilled by the story of The Polar Express, as have others, for almost 2 decades now. It was the magic of the story that helped inspire him to make something magical, and something magical is what he achieved. He was so impressed with the story that he wanted to maintain the visual effects that were contained in the books illustrations. Many of us have marveled at the current style of illustrations included in many contemporary works: visual, bright, and brilliant colors that are as pleasing to watch and view as it is for many to listen to a well-conducted and trained orchestra. Zemeckis was so impressed that he has made the effort to include every frame of artwork from the book somewhere in the visuals for the movie. For those loving the book, you will be inspired and blessed by the movie. That, in itself makes The Polar Express worth watching. Such intricate detail is something that Zemeckis is noted for, and this movie is far from a let down.

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