For those who celebrate the holidays, I’m sure you have some favorites when it comes to seasonal movies. Growing up, my family always watched The Polar Express. While not always a fan, I had never seen the whole movie all the way through until recently. I have a new opinion of the holiday classic as an adult, even though I still view it as a holiday classic.
Recently, the students in my classroom watched the infamous Polar Express. I had not seen the movie in quite a few years and got the opportunity to watch it in its entirety with them. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my memory. With Tom Hanks starring as the voice of several characters, The Polar Express captures the spirit of Christmas, but something is still missing from the film. I found that I was not the only one that felt this way about it. In looking at the movie’s original success, I found that it didn’t have any. When released in 2004, the movie underperformed in box offices with mixed to positive reviews. It wasn’t until much later that the movie gained popularity and success around the holidays. All of that being said, I found the animation to be fascinating and one of my favorite aspects of the movie.
While I prefer other Christmas movies over The Polar Express, I still found joy in watching it with the kids in my class. No hate for The Polar Express or Tom Hanks, but I prefer movies that are a little more fast-paced during the holidays. What are some of your favorite holiday movies?