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GAME · 2004 · USA

The Polar Express

8 archived facts 3 topics

Tom Hanks takes on 7 roles in Robert Zemeckis's 2004 motion-capture adaptation of The Polar Express, and the film slips in a Back to the Future Easter egg along the way.

8 Interesting Facts About The Polar Express

Interesting Facts (6)

  1. #001

    The soldier doll Hero Boy plays with on Christmas morning belongs to the recycled toy program the conductor describes. The same toy also shows up as a puppet in the background of the Scrooge puppet scene.

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  2. #002

    The train set in the final scene recreates the new Lionel Polar Express set, paired with the older Lionel Berkshire locomotive and older tubular track.

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  3. #003

    The main character is never named; the end credits list him only as "Hero Boy."

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  4. #004

    Tom Hanks portrays 7 characters, among them the conductor, the narrator, the boy's father, the hobo, the Scrooge puppet and Santa Claus.

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  5. #005

    Tom Hanks did motion capture for several characters, including the boy's facial structure.

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  6. #006

    Leslie, the wife of director Robert Zemeckis, did the motion capture for both Hero Boy's mother and his sister.

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Easter Eggs & References (1)

  1. #007

    As the train descends Glacier Gulch, a tiny Flux Capacitor appears briefly among the gauges and knobs, a nod to Zemeckis's Back to the Future.

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Deeper Meaning (1)

  1. #008

    Hero Boy is never named on screen. Art books and fact books about The Polar Express, however, give his name as Chris, taken from the novel's author, Chris Van Allsburg.

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