The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg is a marvelous and beautifully illustrated story about the wonder of Christmas and the power of belief. The book is the tale of a young boy’s journey to the North Pole aboard a magical train and his experience seeing Santa Claus. His journey and the occurrences after he has returned from the North Pole cement his belief in the magic of Christmas.
The film version of this story is an expansion of the original. The book’s elegantly mesmerizing illustrations are brought to life through the blend of a unique type of animation, song, and dance. The added content in the film enriches the original story and brings life to the occurrences that are described in the book. One element that is expanded upon is the main character’s trial of faith in Santa Claus. The young boy’s disbelief is more prominently pronounced in the film. The boys adventures abroad the train and at the North Pole are more detailed and further developed. Tom Hanks’ portrayal of a number of the characters, including the train conductor and Santa Claus, is a wonderful element that enriches this already fascinating tale.
I highly recommend both the film and the book. The story is one that can be enjoyed by both adults and children. The value of reading the book is not diminished by the film. The movie is an excellent rendering of the story that will cause children to want to the read the book over and over again.
Van Allsburg, C. (1985). The polar express. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
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I need the differences but that was still good.
ReplyDeleteI didn't really get the similarities, so can you kind of explain in a more simpler way
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