What is considered a modern day classic, The Polar Express, directed by Robert Zemeckis, was released in theaters on October 30, 2004, but audiences had to wait until November 22, 2005 to watch it on DVD. The movie is based on a book by the same name, which was written and illustrated by Chris Van Allsburg. It was published by Houghton Mifflin in 1985, and the movie follows a similar style of artwork.

The main character in this movie is Hero Boy, otherwise known as Christopher, who wakes up on Christmas Eve to the sound of a train whistle outside his house. Out of curiosity, he boards the train and meets other children on their way to meet Santa at the North Pole.

I like this movie better than any other Christmas movie because it shows how the kids went on this big adventure to meet Santa Claus. All of the kids still believed in Santa but they have their doubts. Too often, kids lose the wonder of Santa too soon.

“This movie is good for children because it has catchy songs to sing to,” said Lillian Baxter. “And I love how the children believe so strongly in Santa.”

My favorite part about the movie is at the end when the boy dropped the bell out of his pocket and Santa put it in a box under the Christmas tree with a note saying “found this on the seat of my sleigh. Better fix that hole in your pocket.” The parents couldn’t hear the bell ring because they didn’t believe, but Christopher could still hear it.  ”Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see,” the train conductor had told the main character and he remembered it later.