The Polar Express movie

[Kelly Shaw]

Have you seen it? What are your thoughts on it?

[cnw1995]

It looks like fun - interestingly both my movie-going-age children expressed a stronger preference for its competition...The Incredibles. But we're going, dang it, if only to see that train pull up to the house on the big screen. I really want to see the IMAX version at Navy Pier but that's too much of a hassle to get to...

[MartyE]

I saw it yesterday and absolutely loved it. For me it was pure Christmas. I got chills when the train emerged from the steam cloud in front of the boys house. My kids loved it too. I imagine we'll be making an encore visit to see it again. I am sure it will become a holiday tradition in my home for many years to come.

[Anonymous]

Saw it Sunday with my 8 year old Grandson. He gave it 4 out of 5 stars!

What more can a Grandpa ask for?

[Anonymous]

The wife & I took our two kids to see it on Sunday and we all loved it. We might take the kids to go see it in IMAX 3D this weekend.

And the kids want us to buy it when it comes out on DVD. Can you say "Familyi Tradition?"

Tony

[Anonymous]

Hey Ya'll

I have seen it 2 times and I absolutly love it. If I could rate this 1,000,000,000 to 1
I'd rate it 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.

I first saw it at a sneek peek the Saturday before it was released, and the sturday afetr that (last saturday, by the way, I am writing this on 11-17-04) and our churches youth group is going to see it this sunday.

My gopal is to see it at least 10 times (WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO) and at least 2 timas at Imax. I think it will be a good 3D movie, as the graphics and actions are what you'd expect in the movie. It'll be thrilling to see the face of Flat Top Tunnel zooming right at you like you are skiing on it.

Nick

[Anonymous]

My wife, son and I watched it last Sunday. We thought it was great. I pulled out the book when I got home, and found that they did a great job being true to the original art work, and basic story line. We are planning on seeing it again at the Imax. I believe that it will become classic holiday movie fare, similar to "Miricle on 34th Street", "White Chritmas", etc.

[Anonymous]

"Polar Express" is DOA. It grossed 30 million in the first week. The cost of the movie was 135 million and the cost of marketing was 35 million, so the opening grosses did not cover the ad campaign. It will now face stiff competition from new releases for the holidays. Tom Hanks is distancing himself from the movie and plugging "The DaVinci File", a potential blockbuster.

[Anonymous]

While the movie may be doing poorly, the Lionel set seems to be in high demand. (BTW, my whole family thought the movie was great.) I am sorry to hear the movie is not doing well, and I am somewhat concerned by what is happening on the toy train side, too. Lionel did not anticipate demand very well. Prices on e-bay have sored to $400 or more. As bad is that is, auctions are purely driven by demand. What concerns me more are hobby/toy train retailers pushing their prices to match. A cruise of the Internet revealed that several hobby/toy train suppliers are charging $350 or more. If first time toy train consumers realize the MSRP of the set is $250, what do we expect their reaction to be? A little miffed? Are we perpetuating the perception that "Lionel trains" are ridiculously priced and too pricey for the average family? Also, pushing it from around $250 to $350 may stop a lot of people from getting the set, and once Christmas has passed, the oppertunity will have been lost. If the movie is doing poorly also, I think the hobby has missed a chance to capture a new audience.

[Kooljock1]

Saw it. Loved it. Will see it again.

As far as the first weekend box office, I expected it to tank. I expect it to tank this weekend to.

NEXT weekend after Thanksgiving, when the holiday season officially gets going, then I expect it to do well. Folks don't want Christmas before Thanksgiving. Period.

I compete against a Clear Channel station that flipped "All Christmas, All the Time" on Monday.

We love getting all their listeners before Thanksgiving. But come Friday the 26th, and they're gonna kill us.

Jon [8D]

[Buckeye Riveter]

Jon,
Guess what our family is planning to do the Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving? You guessed it! After the youngsters fight the crowds at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, the family is going to see the Polar Express.

A station here in Columbus, Ohio flipped to "All Christmas, All the Time" last Monday. My wife made me change channels on the car radio. She said it was too early. I started to put up the outdoor lights. She told me to unplug them.

BTW, can we hear you on the radio via the internet?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dontrainman
Tom Hanks is distancing himself from the movie and plugging "The DaVinci File", a potential blockbuster.

I'm not into picking fights with fellow posters or flaming anyone, but the above statement is absolutely absurd and an insult to one of our great contemporary film makers and actors. Tom Hanks is not capable of distancing himself from The Polar Express. Rather, the movie was a complete labor of love for Mr. Hanks. He was the reason the movie was made, securing the movie rights to the book the minute they became available. Mr. Hanks is a very modest man but is nonetheless rightfully proud of this movie and he almost tears up talking about it. On a talk show several years ago during the Christmas season Hanks was asked how he was celebrating the holidays. He replied that right after leaving the studio he was continuing his quest to find a toy electric train that looks similar to the Polar Express so that he could run it around his family's Christmas tree (rather ironic that because of Tom Hanks a Lionel Polar Express electric train came into existence only many of us are left wondering if we'll ever be able to get one).

To tra***his movie means that you, more than anyone, need to see it! This movie is doing well and word of mouth is driving it even faster. It will be a financial winner and
Roger Ebert gave it an A.

[espeefoamer]

I saw the Polar Express on IMAX 3D.It is worth the extra effort to get to an IMAX theater if you can.I really enjoyed the movie and agree that it may become a classic. BTW, I saw the movie alone,as I don't have any kids! Be sure to check out the ticket chase!

[railfanespee4449]

I want to see it for the trains. I want the Lionel set because of what you get at the original price. I'm waiting until the second run.

[cheapclassics]

My wife and I saw the movie Friday night. It was a really good show. I like the way they used scenes from the book throughout the movie. Sure, they had to pad the plot line to get a full-length movie, but they did the same with "Jumanji" and that did well at the box office. I think the movie will do well throughout the holidays. Going against the "Incredibles" did not help, but at least there is no Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings flicks to compete against.

Keep on training,

Mike C. from Indiana

[Wdlgln005]

The Imax is in the Opryland complex here in Nashville, so I will go see it when weekend crowds are reduced. I will buy the LifeLike Nscale Berk and use it to pull my North Pole Train. Nscale needs a new set of heavyweights to be produced. We are lucky if any Arnold/Rivarossi sets are still produced.

[Anonymous]

I haven't yet seen it, but intend to between tomorrow and this weekend.

From the reviews I've read, I'm sure I'll buy it on DVD when it comes out, too.

As for the train set from Lionel, I won't pay more than the 250.00 retail price, so all those price gougers better think again before they plan on getting MY money.
Trains are too expensive as it is, without money grubbing retailers jacking up the price above the MRRP.

Hopefully, Lionel will see the high demand, and beef up production of this set.

[mackb4]

I took my wife and two sons to the Polar Express movie and we all really enjoyed it.My wife read the book to the boys when it was first released,so they were eager to go to see the movie.For a "childrens type"movie it kept your attention,and at times showed a real emotional feeling that you could sense in the whole audience.And that was something I also noticed was the adults that was watching the movie without chidren.My wife watches alot of Christmas specials and movies with the kids and made the comment that "Polar Express ranked among her top Christmas movies she had ever seen that gave you a real Christmas feeling ".The animation was great , and Tom Hanks as the conductor was an excellent pick.Go see the movie if you haven't !

[cnw1995]

Wow, the reviews for this are not exactly positive. The Chicago Trib today has a two column revew-after-the-main-review ruminating on why it's such a failure. Says kids don't relate to the creepy characters - the technology got before the story-line - written by someone who didn't read the book though.

[Anonymous]

The Wall Street Journal had a article on Lionel's problems from the bankruptcy to the "Polar Express" movie and train set. It showed a picture of a model train derailed on 3 rail track. Let's face it, with all this negative publicity that Lionel is getting, it's a wonder they are still producing products.

[ChiefEagles]

My wife took me to see it yesterday. My first real outing since bypass surgery. Was a great Christmas movie. I now see that Halmark has really gotten the advertising going about the things they offer in Polar Express [at the movie and on TV]. I feel badly that Lionel did not do the same. This was a great opportunity for them to get little kids to have "an electric train" under their tree like us "baby boomers" did years ago. Movie is great.

[Anonymous]

If you can see a Baldwin steam locomotive in so much detail and power in Imax 3D,
don't pass it up. The heart of steam engines appeal is nostalgia BIGTIME. 3D is a
timey thing as well. This movie's 3D is the best ever! Two great experiences from our
earlier lives are presented here for our grandkids to experience...The glory of steamers,
and the 3D movies that thrilled us when we were 7, or 8, or 11! This is a great
combination of both! See it with the kids!

[Anonymous]

If you have a chance to see a Baldwin steamer in a 3D movie, centered on the train,
locomotive and the overall flavor of railroading don't settle for 2D. The love of trains
is the quintessential old timey attraction, but 3D movies are also part of our experience
as mid 20th century kids. Don't pass up the chance to knock 2 balls out of the park
with this one...Drive 50 miles if you have to, but take the grandkids to The Polar Express
in IMAX 3D. Everyone that has seen it will swear that the 3d is the best ever!

[AlanRail]

Yes I saw it with my son; I had to drag him away from his Mod'ed X-Box.
The animation was excellant, a little too much showing how well they could do reflections in metal ( complex rendering in an animation).

However the clearly Lionel train at the end was nice showing the three-rail track around the tree. The focus at the end was more on the bell than the train. Here the kid has a $400 Polar express running around the tree and he is more interested in the tiny ringing bell!

Alan

[Buckeye Riveter]

The family, all 12 of us went to see the movie in Bethlehem, PA. The teacher's in the family gave the movie a 4 star rating and many of the scenes are right out of the book. The computer geeks in the family gave the animation a definite thumbs up, in fact at the start of the movie in the darkness of the room it is difficult to tell the movie is animated.

Yes, the Polar Express is seen under the tree running on three rail track, but if you had read the book, the bell is just as important to the story as the train. When the boy says that he believes in Santa, then he can hear the Christmas Bells.

I agree, if you need to drive 50 miles to see the movie with your children, it is worth the trip.

[Dr. John]

My wife and I went to see it today and we both thought it was an excellent movie! I loved the story (although I have not read the book) and the characters. Of course, to me the train was the star of the show! The Berkshire was extremely well done, particularly the cab - I was even able to overlook the rather extreme grades and the power-sliding across the ice! (I know, I know - it's just a story.) The toy train version under the tree looked like either a pre-war O or Standard Guage tinplate train. Wouldn't it be something if Lionel produced one like that?

[artyoung]

Haven't seen the movie yet, but my daughter and I did buy the Polar Express set (back when it was first announced) and it makes a very nice starter set. The pity is that Lionel, in it's haste to get rid of it's top management after the court verdict, once again shot itself in the foot - Bill Bracy wasn't around during the Korean fiasco, but the man had some of the best ideas for promoting this set and the company that I'd heard in years. It's a shame. But then again, Lionel dropped the ball some years back with the first Large Scale "Thomas the Tank Engine", too ( no advertising then,either). The industry needs another Arthur Raphael to promote trains.

[Anonymous]

My family tried to see the movie the Friday after Thanksgiving at an early showing, but was sold out for the evening. We plan on going this weekend with advanced purchase tickets.

[Anonymous]

The wife & I took the kids to see it in IMAX 3D on Sunday. It was even better. It was really cool when the hero boy pulled the emergency brake & the cow catcher stops about 6" from your face.

Tony

[espeefoamer]

There is a dirty little secret about that "Baldwin steamer... It's really a Lima!