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The Polar Express

564 statements
110 feature instances
70 referencing feature instances

The Polar Express	type	TVTItem
The Polar Express	label	The Polar Express
The Polar Express	page	ThePolarExpress
The Polar Express	comment	The Polar Express is The Film of the Book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg, who served as one of the film's executive producers.Sometime in the middle of the 20th century, a young boy, while straining to hear the silver bells of Santa Claus's sleigh on Christmas Eve, instead hears a train's whistle. He goes outside and finds a magical train, the eponymous Polar Express, which has been sent to pick up the boy along with hundreds of other children and take them to the North Pole, where one of them will receive "the first gift of Christmas" from Santa himself.Released to theaters on November 10, 2004 by Warner Bros. and Castle Rock Entertainment, this was the first animated feature to be made entirely using Motion Capture technology. It was directed, co-produced and co-written by Robert Zemeckis, with Tom Hanks (who also served as an executive producer) doing much of the voice-acting work and performance capture. In addition, the studios worked in cooperation with The Steam Railroading Institute of Owosso, Michigan, whose primary steam locomotive, Pere Marquette 1225, served as the basis for the eponymous train's design and the majority of its sound effects, in addition to having inspired Allsburg to write the book the movie was based on. Along with Hanks, Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Peter Scolari, Jimmy Bennet, Eddie Deezen, Michael Jeter, and AndrÃ© Sogliuzzo voice the characters or provide motion capture performances.On January 19, 2024, it was announced by producer Gary Goetzman that a sequel to the film is in the works.
The Polar Express	fetched	2024-01-25T23:31:49Z
The Polar Express	parsed	2024-01-25T23:31:49Z
The Polar Express	processingComment	Dropped link to AChristmasCarol: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Polar Express	processingComment	Dropped link to BackToTheFuturePartIII: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Polar Express	processingComment	Dropped link to EmperorOfTheNorth: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Polar Express	processingComment	Dropped link to ForrestGump: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Polar Express	processingComment	Dropped link to Pinocchio2022Disney: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Polar Express	processingComment	Dropped link to TheGrinch: Not a Feature - ITEM
The Polar Express	isPartOf	DBTropes
The Polar Express / int_113480b7	type	Canon Foreigner
The Polar Express / int_113480b7	comment	Canon Foreigner: The Hero Boy, the Conductor, Sarah, and Santa Claus are the only characters that appear in both the book and film. The rest of the cast (the Hero Girl, Billy, the Know-It-All Kid, the Hobo, and the engineers) were created specifically for the movie.
The Polar Express / int_113480b7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_113480b7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_113480b7
The Polar Express / int_13eea985	type	Arbitrary Skepticism
The Polar Express / int_13eea985	comment	Arbitrary Skepticism: The protagonist is doubtful Santa Claus exists, even though heâ€™s riding a magic train. Even when he reaches the North Pole which is full of elves and an entire Christmas Town, he has a hard time believing Santa is in charge.
The Polar Express / int_13eea985	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_13eea985	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_13eea985
The Polar Express / int_15b2cab3	type	Tempting Fate
The Polar Express / int_15b2cab3	comment	Tempting Fate:
The Polar Express / int_15b2cab3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_15b2cab3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_15b2cab3
The Polar Express / int_17a969de	type	No OSHA Compliance
The Polar Express / int_17a969de	comment	No OSHA Compliance: The track layout for the Polar Express is horrifically unsafe (rails just above water level where they can easily ice over, dangerously steep slopes), and the train is apparently not very well maintained before the big run of the yearnote Though her real-life basis, Pere Marquette 1225, was mentioned by her caretakers as having had very little major work done after the restoration following her overhaul back to service. Her boiler repairs weren't done for another six years until after the movie came out, and the running gear (which was stated to be worn dangerously thin) wouldn't get a full rebuild until 2022. The train is also poorly secured once it reaches its destination, leading to the observation car sliding downhill and nearly going off the tracks.
The Polar Express / int_17a969de	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_17a969de	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_17a969de
The Polar Express / int_17ce80aa	type	All There in the Manual
The Polar Express / int_17ce80aa	comment	All There in the Manual: Hero Boy and Hero Girl are unnamed in the film proper, however, the art book reveals their names to be Chris and Holly respectively.
The Polar Express / int_17ce80aa	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_17ce80aa	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_17ce80aa
The Polar Express / int_1964a1b5	type	Holiday Pardon
The Polar Express / int_1964a1b5	comment	Holiday Pardon: The two main unnamed protagonists are in Santa's sack with "that know-it-all kid" as the protagonist boy calls him. The elves say that the kids aren't meant to be there, but "since it's Christmas, we're gonna let you slide!"
The Polar Express / int_1964a1b5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_1964a1b5	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_1a6d9f92	type	By the Eyes of the Blind
The Polar Express / int_1a6d9f92	comment	By the Eyes of the Blind: The jingling and ringing of Santa's sleigh bells can only be heard by those who truly believe.
The Polar Express / int_1a6d9f92	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_1a6d9f92	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_1b590025	type	Dead All Along
The Polar Express / int_1b590025	comment	Dead All Along: Played with. The Hobo double-subverts this; he disappears mysteriously after asking the boy if he believes in ghosts, then comes back about a minute later, leaving room for doubt regarding exactly what he is; then, his status as a ghost is finally clarified beyond the shadow of a doubt once he dematerializes at Flat Top Tunnel. A deleted scene on the DVD explains how the Hobo lost his life. Though considering how ditzy the engineers are, it's unknown if this is actually true or not.
The Polar Express / int_1b590025	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_1b590025	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_1b590025
The Polar Express / int_1b7b5b91	type	Santa Clausmas
The Polar Express / int_1b7b5b91	comment	Santa Clausmas: In the tie-in video game, Scrooge's main goal is to prevent children from believing in Santa Claus because he thinks toys are what matters, not Santa Claus.
The Polar Express / int_1b7b5b91	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_1c79ae8c	type	Those Two Guys
The Polar Express / int_1c79ae8c	comment	Those Two Guys: Smokey and Steamer, the Fireman and engineer.
The Polar Express / int_1c79ae8c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_1c79ae8c	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_1da5941e	type	The Quiet One
The Polar Express / int_1da5941e	comment	The Quiet One: Billy remains silent for the first half of the movie, likely being shy and nervous. The first time we hear his voice is during the "When Christmas Comes To Town" number after the wild ride.
The Polar Express / int_1da5941e	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_1fb947b6	type	Just Train Wrong
The Polar Express / int_1fb947b6	comment	Just Train Wrong: Sometimes so obvious that it borders on Willing Suspension of Disbelief, even if you ignore things like the vehicles bending around a mountain peak or a 100% decline with most likely ice-covered rail surfaces that no adhesion locomotive in the world can possibly climb (the Polar Express has to get back to Michigan somehow, mind you). The length of the train keeps varying from five to as many as twenty cars. The inside scenes, however, consist of only three cars: the used toys car behind the locomotive, the car with the kids, and the observation car at the end. On the ice surface of Glacier Gulch, the engineer seems to steer the Berkshire by rotating the drivers back and forth to control the train's slide, like throwing a ship's propellers into reverse to help with a turn. Rule of Cool is driving the train at this point. In addition to that, contrary to popular belief, you can't just jerk around a steam engine's controls like the engineer did in this scene to make the locomotive switch from forward to reverse and back again. The stresses of doing so is liable to make the running gear tear itself apart. Averted in that the Berkshire is a real-life locomotive, even with her real-life number. It was obviously too tempting to put Pere Marquette #1225 on a Christmas train. Even the sounds (aside from the whistle) were taken from the real #1225 (the whistle came from legendary film locomotive Sierra Railroad #3, which was being restored at the time the film was made; #1225s own whistle was used in the scene when the Polar Express arrives). The Know-It-All Kid gives a very accurate technical description of the locomotive's weight and pulling power...but loses most of his credibility when he gives the locomotive's class, build year, and manufacturer. He claims it is an S-3 Class Berkshire built by Baldwin in 1931, but Pere Marquette 1225 is actually an N-1 Class Berkshire built by Lima in 1941, a full ten years after his claim. He was right that Baldwin built the S-3 class, but they did so for the Pere Marquette's chief competitors, the Nickel Plate Road (1949) and Erie Railroad (1928). No Berkshires were built in 1931, there being a gap in Berkshire production between 1930 and 1934.
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The Polar Express / int_21e5b9c7	type	Failed a Spot Check
The Polar Express / int_21e5b9c7	comment	Failed a Spot Check: Evidently, no one in the Grand Rapids, MI area noticed a steam locomotive and a small train of passenger cars full of children running through their city. Perhaps justified in the sense that the ride was for the children, and it is a magic train after all.
The Polar Express / int_21e5b9c7	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_2205aff0	type	Multi-Track Drifting
The Polar Express / int_2205aff0	comment	Multi-Track Drifting: In one scene where the titular train got derailed and the train crew was forced to drift their way out of the crumbling ice sheet and back on track.
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The Polar Express / int_22cf536c	type	Chekhov's Gun
The Polar Express / int_22cf536c	comment	Chekhov's Gun: The pocket that Hero Boy rips in his haste to check out the train outside his house; he unknowingly puts the bell in this pocket, which is how he loses it.
The Polar Express / int_22cf536c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_22cf536c	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_23473ae7	type	Adaptation Expansion
The Polar Express / int_23473ae7	comment	Adaptation Expansion: A good deal, seeing as it is a 100-minute-long movie, based on a 32-page picture book that can be read in less than ten minutes.
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The Polar Express / int_2534ee67	type	In Medias Res
The Polar Express / int_2534ee67	comment	In Medias Res: The video game starts with everyone already on the train.
The Polar Express / int_2534ee67	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_2534ee67	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_2534ee67
The Polar Express / int_26ac510e	type	Mythology Gag
The Polar Express / int_26ac510e	comment	Mythology Gag: The film ends with a shot of the bell Hero Boy received from Santa, just like the final illustration in the book.
The Polar Express / int_26ac510e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_26ac510e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_26ac510e
The Polar Express / int_281de59f	type	Extremely Short Timespan
The Polar Express / int_281de59f	comment	Extremely Short Timespan: Most of the film takes place in one night. Lampshaded by Know-It-All Boy, by the way.
The Polar Express / int_281de59f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_281de59f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_281de59f
The Polar Express / int_2cb9b1a9	type	Cool, but Inefficient
The Polar Express / int_2cb9b1a9	comment	Cool, but Inefficient: Santa Claus's magical train suffers a throttle jam, and the headlight bulb gives out in the middle of the run.
The Polar Express / int_2cb9b1a9	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_336e891	type	Present Peeking
The Polar Express / int_336e891	comment	Present Peeking: The Know-It-All sneaks away from the others to look through the presents, but "All I got was a lot of stupid underwear."
The Polar Express / int_336e891	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_336e891	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_36e63b81	type	Rule of Cool
The Polar Express / int_36e63b81	comment	On the ice surface of Glacier Gulch, the engineer seems to steer the Berkshire by rotating the drivers back and forth to control the train's slide, like throwing a ship's propellers into reverse to help with a turn. Rule of Cool is driving the train at this point. In addition to that, contrary to popular belief, you can't just jerk around a steam engine's controls like the engineer did in this scene to make the locomotive switch from forward to reverse and back again. The stresses of doing so is liable to make the running gear tear itself apart.
The Polar Express / int_36e63b81	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_36e63b81	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_36e63b81
The Polar Express / int_3ac583f4	type	SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism
The Polar Express / int_3ac583f4	comment	Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: At the very end of the idealism side. In spite of Chris's doubts towards Santa's existence, most everyone keeps an upbeat and peppy attitude, which helps turn him around by the time he meets the big guy.
The Polar Express / int_3ac583f4	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_3ac583f4	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_3b20d7f4	type	Runaway Train
The Polar Express / int_3b20d7f4	comment	Runaway Train: After Caribou Crossing, the throttle breaks and the train runs out of control going through glacier gulch at dangerous speeds before ending up on the ice lake. Then once the train reaches the North Pole, Hero Boy accidentally steps on the observation car's coupling rod when climbing aboard to get the Lonely Boy, causing it to detach from the coaches and flee downhill through the Pole.
The Polar Express / int_3b20d7f4	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_3b20d7f4
The Polar Express / int_3bfd0eb	type	Motion Capture
The Polar Express / int_3bfd0eb	comment	Motion Capture: The first animated film to use this technique.
The Polar Express / int_3bfd0eb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_3bfd0eb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_3bfd0eb
The Polar Express / int_3ed23024	type	Surprisingly Realistic Outcome
The Polar Express / int_3ed23024	comment	Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: A steam engine randomly appearing in the middle of a street where no tracks ever existed before is enough to confuse anyone, but one that claims it's going to the North Pole? It's no wonder the Hero Boy initially refuses to get on. Living life on the rails is dangerous enough, but for hobos, the danger is even greater if they're unfamiliar with the route. This is apparently what got the Hobo killed, according to a deleted scene, as he chose to ride the Polar Express for what became his first and, in the land of the living, only ride. Once they approached Flat Top Tunnel that night, his failure to notice it until it was too late ended him right there and then. As much of a Cool Train as the Polar Express is, as noted under Cool, but Inefficient, steam locomotives are by no means immune to the occasional breakdown. In this case, the pin holding the throttle in place eventually wears out and needs replacement. Unfortunately, such wearing happens just before the train approaches the steep downhill grades of Glacier Gulch, when it sticks and causes the throttle to jam. This point also ends up playing out two other key instances of this trope. First, the throttle getting stuck causes an annoyed Smokey to try and ram it loose. Doing so only shreds the pin out of place and into the heating grate leading inside the firebox, causing the engine to pick up speed rapidly as they approach the dangerous drop. It was a miracle they didn't derail from that excessive speed (well, before they hit the frozen lake anyway). Then, when they do get the pin out (courtesy of their run throwing the cab into zero gravity), Steamer swallows it and Smokey has to ram him with a shovel to get him to cough it out. It might not have been an issue, but they were running out of control on the ice, and when a sharp object hits a fragile patch of ice, it makes for a deadly combination. Trains may need to keep on schedule, but there's making up time and going dangerously fast. The Conductor, who spent the film worrying about arriving on time, becomes greatly concerned when the train picks up speed, as he knows all too well that there's a particularly dangerous drop up ahead. With passengers aboard (and children passengers no less), he promptly instructs the Hero Girl to tell Steamer to slow down. Unfortunately, he's too distracted by a jammed throttle to notice. Once the two get the throttle back on (with a pin from Smokey's hair) and manage to stop the train, the sharp application of the brakes, combined with the high speed from which they started off at and the slipperiness of the ice, nearly tips 1225 on her side before the kids and the conductor are able to balance her out just enough to keep her upright. Icy-cold weather and metal do not mix well, as it leaves such surfaces slippery. When the Conductor is taking the kids back to the passenger cars, the Hero Boy nearly slips and falls off the tender. Fortunately, the Conductor (who happens to be telling a story about such familiar experiences) manages to catch him. When the Hero Boy and Hero Girl go back into the observation car to try and convince Billy to come with them to see Santa, the former slips on the steps and accidentally triggers the coupling mechanism, causing the car to become uncoupled from the rest of the train. One slight jostle later (presumably from the engine), and the loose car rolls downhill. Trying to sneak a peak at one's Christmas presents before the day comes is a good way to get yourself into trouble. All the Know-It-All Kid finds marked for him when he sneaks into Santa's bag is nothing but socks and underwear. Evidently, the elves must have known he'd pull a stunt like this, as they mentioned they knew the children were inside the bag the whole time when they found them. When the elves deliver Santa's massive bag of presents, they let the air out of the Zeppelin delivering the bag too early, causing them to tip the star on top of the tree over. Even the Conductor, who knows nothing about aircraft, is quick to recognize they need more altitude, so the elves lighten their load by parachuting off their craft, since refueling in the air is impossible.
The Polar Express / int_3ed23024	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_3ed23024	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_3ed23024
The Polar Express / int_3f7a958b	type	Secret Test of Character
The Polar Express / int_3f7a958b	comment	Secret Test of Character: The whole trip seems to be a series of tests of faith (on Santa Claus) for the children, in particular for the protagonist. This is sort of lampshaded in the end, where everyone's role is revealed by the tickets they received. The Hobo seems to have played Devil's Advocate (by implying the whole thing was a dream.)
The Polar Express / int_3f7a958b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_3f7a958b	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_3f7a958b
The Polar Express / int_40cc0c7e	type	Bittersweet Ending
The Polar Express / int_40cc0c7e	comment	Bittersweet Ending: All of the kids return home â€“ the better for the lessons they've learned on their adventure â€“ and Hero Boy's belief in Santa is renewed. And though he initially loses the bell Santa gave him, Santa finds the bell in his sled and delivers it to him on Christmas morning, much to his delight. However, while Sarah is seen listening to the bell's ringing with him, Hero Boy's older self reveals that she and all his friends eventually lost the ability to hear it as they grew up and stopped believing in Santa Claus. Hero Boy, on the other hand, can still hear it after all these years.
The Polar Express / int_40cc0c7e	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_43a831db	type	Epic Tracking Shot
The Polar Express / int_43a831db	comment	Epic Tracking Shot: The scene where the girl's ticket is first lost to where it is found again is one long scene.
The Polar Express / int_43a831db	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_43a831db
The Polar Express / int_45a01289	type	Angel Unaware
The Polar Express / int_45a01289	comment	Angel Unaware: Strongly implied with the mysterious hobo, who always appears exactly when the Hero Boy needs him.
The Polar Express / int_45a01289	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_45a01289	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_45a01289
The Polar Express / int_46097bd9	type	Mistaken for Santa
The Polar Express / int_46097bd9	comment	Mistaken for Santa: At the start of the movie, the Hero Boy hears jingling. He goes downstairs and sees a shadow of what appears to be Santa Claus, but then it's revealed to be his father and younger sister Sarah (the jingling is coming from the Santa hat that the dad is wearing), much to his disappointment.
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The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_46097bd9
The Polar Express / int_469e3e2f	type	In-Universe
The Polar Express / int_469e3e2f	comment	In-Universe, Hero Boy spots a present for someone named Billy. This prompts the Lonely Boy to reveal his name is Billy.
The Polar Express / int_469e3e2f	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_469e3e2f	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_469e3e2f
The Polar Express / int_4781adbb	type	Jerk with a Heart of Gold
The Polar Express / int_4781adbb	comment	Jerk with a Heart of Gold: The Conductor, full stop. The Hobo is also very rough around the edges; he uses a puppet of Ebenezer Scrooge to scare the Hero Boy at one point. He is also very vague and unhelpful whenever he answers the kid's questions, but he also saves his life on numerous occasions as well, and is implied to have done the same for the Conductor in the past.
The Polar Express / int_4781adbb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_4781adbb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_4781adbb
The Polar Express / int_49d59be9	type	Scenery Porn
The Polar Express / int_49d59be9	comment	Scenery Porn: All over the place. Especially during the scenes at the North Pole. The fact that many of the scenery shots are accompanied by a gorgeous orchestral rendition of "Believe" makes it all the better. The entire scene of Hero Girl's ticket getting blown out the window seems to exist for only this purpose.
The Polar Express / int_49d59be9	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_49d59be9	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_4a39aac1	type	Snowy Sleigh Bells
The Polar Express / int_4a39aac1	comment	Snowy Sleigh Bells: Hero Boy can't hear the bells on Santa's sleigh until he chooses to believe.
The Polar Express / int_4a39aac1	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_4a39aac1
The Polar Express / int_4e7f703c	type	Wham Shot
The Polar Express / int_4e7f703c	comment	Wham Shot: The shot of Hero Girlâ€™s unpunched ticket left on her passenger seat. To a bigger degree, Hero Boy receiving the sleigh bell as a gift from Santa after he found it in his sleigh.
The Polar Express / int_4e7f703c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_4e7f703c	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_50f66629	type	Crazy-Prepared
The Polar Express / int_50f66629	comment	Crazy-Prepared: The Fireman somehow keeps an emergency cotter pin under his hat, which is used to hold up a bun hairdo.
The Polar Express / int_50f66629	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_50f66629	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_50f66629
The Polar Express / int_5327b609	type	Badass Driver
The Polar Express / int_5327b609	comment	Badass Driver: The train's engineer is able to skid steer a train, expertly Tokyo Drifting it around and keeping it headed straight with help from the conductor while on a frozen lake.
The Polar Express / int_5327b609	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_5327b609	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_5327b609
The Polar Express / int_5485efbf	type	Dreaming of a White Christmas
The Polar Express / int_5485efbf	comment	Dreaming of a White Christmas: Considering that the story starts out in Grand Rapids (located in one of Michigan's infamous snowbelts) and leads to the North Pole, it makes sense that there would be plenty of snow on the ground.
The Polar Express / int_5485efbf	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_5485efbf	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_5485efbf
The Polar Express / int_62f9d08e	type	Freeze-Frame Bonus
The Polar Express / int_62f9d08e	comment	Freeze-Frame Bonus: In the final scene of the film as the camera zooms in on the bell, if you watch closely you can see Santa's face appear for a moment in the bell's reflection.
The Polar Express / int_62f9d08e	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_64c64cfb	type	Pink Girl, Blue Boy
The Polar Express / int_64c64cfb	comment	Pink Girl, Blue Boy: Hero Girl wears a pinkish nightgown while Hero Boy wears a blue robe.
The Polar Express / int_64c64cfb	featureApplicability	1.0
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The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_64c64cfb
The Polar Express / int_6aa28a76	type	Overcrank
The Polar Express / int_6aa28a76	comment	Overcrank: During the last verse of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" as the bell slowly falls off...
The Polar Express / int_6aa28a76	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_6aa28a76	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_6aa28a76
The Polar Express / int_6bda9a30	type	Meaningful Name
The Polar Express / int_6bda9a30	comment	Meaningful Name: Hero Boy's name is Chris, after the book's author. Oh, and he's the hero of a story that takes place at Christmas. Hero Girl's name is Holly, a plant commonly associated with Christmas.
The Polar Express / int_6bda9a30	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_6bda9a30	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_6bda9a30
The Polar Express / int_70d8269d	type	Excuse Plot
The Polar Express / int_70d8269d	comment	Excuse Plot: Perhaps wisely, instead of trying to create a full cast of characters and a story out of a 32-page storybook, the personalities of the passengers and the narrative are deliberately streamlined as much as possible to focus on what the audience is really here for: the titular train doing cool magical stuff.
The Polar Express / int_70d8269d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_70d8269d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_70d8269d
The Polar Express / int_724247ee	type	Clothes for Christmas Cringe
The Polar Express / int_724247ee	comment	Clothes for Christmas Cringe: Lenny, the know-it-all kid, laments that all he finds for himself in Santa's sack is "a bunch of stupid underwear."
The Polar Express / int_724247ee	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_724247ee	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_724247ee
The Polar Express / int_7473b02d	type	WalkIntoCameraObstruction
The Polar Express / int_7473b02d	comment	Walk Into Camera Obstruction: When Hero Boy uses the train's emergency break, the train's front end almost hits the screen as it comes to a halt.
The Polar Express / int_7473b02d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_7473b02d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_7473b02d
The Polar Express / int_78270847	type	Curse Cut Short
The Polar Express / int_78270847	comment	Curse Cut Short: "I'll tell you what's grass; our—OW!"
The Polar Express / int_78270847	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_78270847	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_78270847
The Polar Express / int_7eb2bc15	type	Ambiguous Time Period
The Polar Express / int_7eb2bc15	comment	Ambiguous Time Period: The exact time period in which the events of the plot take place is never specified, which contributes to the timeless, otherworldly quality of the story. The eponymous train is modeled on a Berkshire 2-8-4, first built in 1925, but the clothing worn by the characters and the level of technology inside the train suggest anywhere from the early 1930s to the late '50s or early '60s. The only definitive piece of evidence we have as to the setting of the film is that it takes place after 1931, as the Know-it-All Boy mentions the train was built in that year. (He's wrong â€“Â the exact train the Polar Express was based on was built in 1941 â€“ but at the very least the dialogue confirms that 1931 has already come and gone.) Meanwhile, the North Pole is depicted as a sophisticated Diesel Punk metropolis with an advanced level of technology bordering on Raygun Gothic. But, of course, it is a magic train which clearly doesn't follow the laws of time and space anyway. For whatever it's worth, the original book was inspired by author Chris Van Allsburg's own childhood memories of Christmas. He was born in 1949, so if you assume that the movie takes place around the same time that he was the same age as Hero Boy, it could potentially indicate a setting in the late '50s or early '60s.
The Polar Express / int_7eb2bc15	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_7eb2bc15	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_7eb2bc15
The Polar Express / int_7fbb2a3	type	Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!
The Polar Express / int_7fbb2a3	comment	Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Holly (Hero Girl) left her ticket safely on her seat, which she was going to return to. Chris (Hero Boy) proceeds to take the ticket to give it to her for some reason and promptly loses it. The ticket does fly back to the train apparently by influence of the train's magic. Steamer the Engineer gets annoyed when his throttle starts to stick and tries to rattle it loose. All he does is sheer off the pin holding it in place, causing the key component to break off, speed up the train as it approaches a dangerous downhill grade, and results in said pin breaking an entire frozen lake worth of ice as the train derails on it and is attempting to get back on the tracks right as the ice breaks off. When boarding the observation car to speak to Billy, Hero Boy unknowingly steps on the lever that holds its coupling, releasing it and sending them downhill through the city out of control. After receiving the bell from Santa, Hero Boy puts it in his right pocket, which is the one that has a hole in it resulting in him losing it.
The Polar Express / int_7fbb2a3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_7fbb2a3	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_823c6e3e	type	Large Ham
The Polar Express / int_823c6e3e	comment	Large Ham: Both the Conductor and the Hobo really know how to ham it up whenever they're onscreen (since they're both played by Tom Hanks, this shouldn't be a surprise).
The Polar Express / int_823c6e3e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_823c6e3e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_823c6e3e
The Polar Express / int_82518cf7	type	Motor Mouth
The Polar Express / int_82518cf7	comment	Motor Mouth: The Know-It-All.
The Polar Express / int_82518cf7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_82518cf7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_82518cf7
The Polar Express / int_83445b04	type	Pun
The Polar Express / int_83445b04	comment	Pun: When Hero Boy is trying to find the brake on the runaway observation car:
The Polar Express / int_83445b04	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_83445b04	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_83445b04
The Polar Express / int_856a425a	type	TheFifties
The Polar Express / int_856a425a	comment	The '50s: The film is set in the 1950s going by the train's model and clothing fashions.
The Polar Express / int_856a425a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_856a425a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_856a425a
The Polar Express / int_857d1626	type	Power Glows
The Polar Express / int_857d1626	comment	Power Glows: Subtly used on Santa; it earned him the distinction of appearing "radioactive" to some viewers.
The Polar Express / int_857d1626	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_857d1626	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_857d1626
The Polar Express / int_863fa679	type	What Happened to the Mouse?
The Polar Express / int_863fa679	comment	What Happened to the Mouse?: After the scene with the frozen lake, we never see the two guys from the engine ever again.
The Polar Express / int_863fa679	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_863fa679	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_863fa679
The Polar Express / int_875615dd	type	Truth in Television
The Polar Express / int_875615dd	comment	The scene where the protagonists have to choose which lever operates the brake: A big red lever sticking out of the floor, or a smaller yellow lever on the side of the cab. The Hero Boy chooses the small yellow lever, which turns out to be correct, and the train stops, relatively safely. The Truth in Television comes in due to the fact that the other lever did not operate the break, but the Johnson bar, essentially the "gearshift" of the locomotive, and the lever he selected controlled the train's air brakes. Had he pulled the Johnson bar, the force of "switching gears" at that speed would likely have torn the wheels right off.
The Polar Express / int_875615dd	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_875615dd	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_875615dd
The Polar Express / int_8d23f3a7	type	Timey-Wimey Ball
The Polar Express / int_8d23f3a7	comment	Timey-Wimey Ball: Time gets an ... interesting ... treatment here. Almost the entire movie takes place five minutes to midnight, Christmas Eve. The clock only advances to midnight when Santa literally warps out of his North Pole village.
The Polar Express / int_8d23f3a7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_8d23f3a7	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_94edf56d	type
The Polar Express / int_94edf56d	comment	"You!" Squared: The Hero Boy and the Know-It-All Boy, when they find each other in Santa's sack of presents.
The Polar Express / int_94edf56d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_94edf56d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_94edf56d
The Polar Express / int_9b86a4f8	type	Nostalgic Narrator
The Polar Express / int_9b86a4f8	comment	Nostalgic Narrator: The Hero Boy as an adult, relating the events of one Christmas Eve "many years ago".
The Polar Express / int_9b86a4f8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_9b86a4f8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_9b86a4f8
The Polar Express / int_9bbe05ee	type	Fantasy Keepsake
The Polar Express / int_9bbe05ee	comment	Fantasy Keepsake: The sleighbell.
The Polar Express / int_9bbe05ee	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_9bbe05ee	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_9bbe05ee
The Polar Express / int_9bf3470e	type	Santa Claus
The Polar Express / int_9bf3470e	comment	Santa Claus: Obviously. The entire point of riding the Polar Express is to travel the North Pole to meet the big guy.
The Polar Express / int_9bf3470e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_9bf3470e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_9bf3470e
The Polar Express / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
The Polar Express / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Foreshadowing: This verse in "When Christmas Comes to Town": "By the way... do you believe in ghosts?" What the Conductor says after Know-It-All asks who will receive the first Christmas gift. When Hero Boy is putting the bell in his pocket — the one with the hole in it — you can hear the bell fall out of the hole and hit the floor of the sleigh before the reindeer start to jump.
The Polar Express / int_9d12bbc1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_9d12bbc1	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_9dfb8296	type	This Is Gonna Suck
The Polar Express / int_9dfb8296	comment	This Is Gonna Suck:
The Polar Express / int_9dfb8296	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_9dfb8296	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_9dfb8296
The Polar Express / int_9e224dd5	type	Object-Tracking Shot
The Polar Express / int_9e224dd5	comment	Object-Tracking Shot: A popular shot showing off the CGI.
The Polar Express / int_9e224dd5	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_9e224dd5	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_9e224dd5
The Polar Express / int_9f6fb586	type	Leitmotif
The Polar Express / int_9f6fb586	comment	Leitmotif: The film's main theme, Josh Groban's "Believe", plays several times throughout the course of the story, specifically during the film's more triumphant moments. Billy the Lonely Boy is also accompanied by a soft rendition of "When Christmas Comes to Town", which he eventually sings with the Hero Girl.
The Polar Express / int_9f6fb586	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_9f6fb586	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_9f6fb586
The Polar Express / int_a188ac4b	type	Overly Long Gag
The Polar Express / int_a188ac4b	comment	Overly Long Gag: When on the ice lake: "Right! Left! Right! Left! Right! Hang a Louie! Toss a Richie! Port astern! To the starboard!" From Steven: "I didn't do it! I didn't do it! I didn't do it! I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" From a literal Broken Record in the scene before: "Ringaling...ringaling...ringaling...ringaling...ringaling...ringaling...ringaling...ringaling..."
The Polar Express / int_a188ac4b	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_a188ac4b	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_a3eae597	type	Award-Bait Song
The Polar Express / int_a3eae597	comment	Award-Bait Song: "Believe" and perhaps "When Christmas Comes to Town".
The Polar Express / int_a3eae597	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_a3eae597	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_a3eae597
The Polar Express / int_a632f7fa	type	Cool Train
The Polar Express / int_a632f7fa	comment	As much of a Cool Train as the Polar Express is, as noted under Cool, but Inefficient, steam locomotives are by no means immune to the occasional breakdown. In this case, the pin holding the throttle in place eventually wears out and needs replacement. Unfortunately, such wearing happens just before the train approaches the steep downhill grades of Glacier Gulch, when it sticks and causes the throttle to jam. This point also ends up playing out two other key instances of this trope. First, the throttle getting stuck causes an annoyed Smokey to try and ram it loose. Doing so only shreds the pin out of place and into the heating grate leading inside the firebox, causing the engine to pick up speed rapidly as they approach the dangerous drop. It was a miracle they didn't derail from that excessive speed (well, before they hit the frozen lake anyway). Then, when they do get the pin out (courtesy of their run throwing the cab into zero gravity), Steamer swallows it and Smokey has to ram him with a shovel to get him to cough it out. It might not have been an issue, but they were running out of control on the ice, and when a sharp object hits a fragile patch of ice, it makes for a deadly combination.
The Polar Express / int_a632f7fa	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_a632f7fa	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_a65288e2	type	Ascended Extra
The Polar Express / int_a65288e2	comment	Ascended Extra: The Scrooge puppet appears briefly in the film but is the main villain of the tie-in video game.
The Polar Express / int_a65288e2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_a65288e2	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_a6cda066	type	Rule of Three
The Polar Express / int_a6cda066	comment	Rule of Three: The train is stopped once to let Billy on, and again when coming upon the caribou crossing; both times, the Conductor isn't real happy about it. The third time though, the train starts going too fast and urges Hero Girl to tell the engineer to slow the train down, but the throttle suddenly self-destructs when the cotter pin comes loose.
The Polar Express / int_a6cda066	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_a6cda066	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_a6cda066
The Polar Express / int_aaedd10	type	Given Name Reveal
The Polar Express / int_aaedd10	comment	Given Name Reveal: In-Universe, Hero Boy spots a present for someone named Billy. This prompts the Lonely Boy to reveal his name is Billy. Outside of universe, Word of God is that the Hero Boy's name is Chris, the Hero Girl is named Holly, the Know-It-All is named Lenny, the engine crew are Smokey and Steamer, and the Conductor is James.
The Polar Express / int_aaedd10	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_aaedd10	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_aaedd10
The Polar Express / int_ac36578e	type	Or Was It a Dream?
The Polar Express / int_ac36578e	comment	Or Was It a Dream?: During the train ride, the Hero Boy asks the Hobo, "Are you saying that this all just... a dream?" He replies, "You said it, kid! Not me." Later, there's the bell to indicate the experience was real. Later, Billy asks, "Is it really possible this could all be just a dream?" and the Hero Boy replies quite fervently, "No."
The Polar Express / int_ac36578e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_ac36578e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_ac36578e
The Polar Express / int_accd97de	type	Actionized Adaptation
The Polar Express / int_accd97de	comment	Actionized Adaptation: The movie added action scenes of the protagonist skiing down the top of the train and working to get the train back on the rails before ice on a frozen lake broke beneath it.
The Polar Express / int_accd97de	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_accd97de	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_accd97de
The Polar Express / int_ace24b2c	type	Halfway Plot Switch
The Polar Express / int_ace24b2c	comment	Halfway Plot Switch: The titular Polar Express arrives at the North Pole at only the halfway point of the movie. Then the car the protagonists are in is detached from the rest of the train, and now they have to navigate Christmas Town to rejoin the other kids and see Santa.
The Polar Express / int_ace24b2c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_ace24b2c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_ace24b2c
The Polar Express / int_ad1db87c	type	Oh, Crap!
The Polar Express / int_ad1db87c	comment	Oh, Crap!: Hero Boy when he sees Hero Girl's ticket left unpunched. The Conductor when the train approaches Glacier Gulch. Both Hero Boy and Hero Girl when they see the ice cracking and when the train starts to sink.
The Polar Express / int_ad1db87c	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_ad1db87c	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_ad1db87c
The Polar Express / int_ad7a381d	type	P.O.V. Cam
The Polar Express / int_ad7a381d	comment	P.O.V. Cam: Used a few times, but mostly with Hero Boy. The most epic one is off one of the sleigh bells flying off a rein through the air and landing on the ground before him in slow motion.
The Polar Express / int_ad7a381d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_ad7a381d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_ad7a381d
The Polar Express / int_b6060b7	type	Run or Die
The Polar Express / int_b6060b7	comment	Run or Die: When the frozen lake that the train is stopped on starts cracking.
The Polar Express / int_b6060b7	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_b6060b7	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_b6060b7
The Polar Express / int_b8dbbc07	type	Ink-Suit Actor
The Polar Express / int_b8dbbc07	comment	Ink-Suit Actor: Tom Hanks and Steven Tyler. Also Pere Marquette 1225 for a locomotive example.
The Polar Express / int_b8dbbc07	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_b8dbbc07	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_b8dbbc07
The Polar Express / int_c75df49a	type	Shout-Out
The Polar Express / int_c75df49a	comment	Shout-Out: Hero Boy blows the train whistle while saying "I've wanted to do that my whole life!" So did Doc Brown. In a further nod to Back to the Future, a flux capacitor can be seen mounted on the locomotive's boiler backhead when the cotter pin shears off. Santa's sleigh also leaves behind a trail after it disappears. In addition, 1225's whistle is replaced with that of Sierra Railway #3, the same engine that starred in Part III with Zemeckis directing. The Hobo makes a reference to Charles Dickens' novel A Christmas Carol by playing with a toy puppet of Ebenezer Scrooge. He uses the puppet to scare the protagonist, and calls the kid a Scrooge, a doubter, and an unbeliever. Fittingly enough, the homeless man himself is a ghost. At one point the Hobo declares himself "the King of the North Pole". That troublesome ticket flaps around in the breeze like the feather from Forrest Gump, which also starred Tom Hanks.
The Polar Express / int_c75df49a	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_c75df49a	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_c75df49a
The Polar Express / int_c7f294da	type	Large and in Charge
The Polar Express / int_c7f294da	comment	Large and in Charge: Judging by the height differential between him and the conductor and the kids, Santa is close to eight feet tall.
The Polar Express / int_c7f294da	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_c7f294da	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_ca87e3ec	type	No Name Given
The Polar Express / int_ca87e3ec	comment	No Name Given: Most of the characters don't have any names. The subtitles in the DVD and Blu-ray releases even refer to the characters as "Hero Boy" (named out of universe as Chris), "Hero Girl" (named out of universe as Holly), "Conductor", etc. The exceptions are Billy the Lonely Boy, the main character's sister Sarah, and of course Santa Claus and his reindeer. According to several art books, the Hero Boy, Hero Girl, Know-It-All Kid, the Conductor, and the Engineer and Fireman do have real names. Respectively, they are Chris (named for the author of the book, Chris Van Allsburg), Holly, Lenny, James, and Smoky and Steamer. The credits do list of the kids. The overweight boy who calls out "ELVES!" is named Gus the Toothless Boy. One of the DVD bonus features reveals that the blonde girl is named Heather.
The Polar Express / int_ca87e3ec	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_ca87e3ec	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_cc4b45f6	type	Word of God
The Polar Express / int_cc4b45f6	comment	Outside of universe, Word of God is that the Hero Boy's name is Chris, the Hero Girl is named Holly, the Know-It-All is named Lenny, the engine crew are Smokey and Steamer, and the Conductor is James.
The Polar Express / int_cc4b45f6	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_cc4b45f6	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_cc4b45f6
The Polar Express / int_ccb97ff2	type	Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion
The Polar Express / int_ccb97ff2	comment	Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion: "I'll tell you what's grass! Our— ow!!!!"
The Polar Express / int_ccb97ff2	featureApplicability	-0.3
The Polar Express / int_ccb97ff2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_ccb97ff2
The Polar Express / int_cd30716e	type	Boring Return Journey
The Polar Express / int_cd30716e	comment	Boring Return Journey: The trip back home from the North Pole is very quiet and melancholic; this is meant to reflect the Hero Boy's disheartenment after he accidentally loses the bell that Santa gave him. Plus all the kids must be probably tired after all that excitement, as quite a few are seen going to sleep.
The Polar Express / int_cd30716e	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_cd30716e	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_cd30716e
The Polar Express / int_ceabe589	type	Incoming Ham
The Polar Express / int_ceabe589	comment	Incoming Ham: The Conductor has several, especially his introduction. "ALLLLL ABOOOOAAAARRRRD!!!"
The Polar Express / int_ceabe589	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_ceabe589	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_ceabe589
The Polar Express / int_d148b019	type	Mundane Made Awesome
The Polar Express / int_d148b019	comment	Mundane Made Awesome: The scene where the conductor serves the kids hot chocolate is complete with the waiters giving them an epic floor show along with the refreshment.
The Polar Express / int_d148b019	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_d148b019	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_d148b019
The Polar Express / int_d20d14ad	type	Cue O'Clock
The Polar Express / int_d20d14ad	comment	Cue O'Clock: The pocket watch of the conductor indicates whether the train is late.
The Polar Express / int_d20d14ad	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_d20d14ad	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_d20d14ad
The Polar Express / int_d4efe0d	type	Character Narrator
The Polar Express / int_d4efe0d	comment	Character Narrator: The film begins and ends with narration from the adult Hero Boy.
The Polar Express / int_d4efe0d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_d4efe0d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_d4efe0d
The Polar Express / int_d545b2	type	Belly-Scraping Flight
The Polar Express / int_d545b2	comment	Belly-Scraping Flight: The airship-suspended bag of toys (and kids) knocks the giant star off the North Pole Christmas tree. Some bungee-jumping elves immediately retrieve it in mid-fall, suggesting this may be a staged example to show off their agility.
The Polar Express / int_d545b2	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_d545b2	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_d545b2
The Polar Express / int_d68c925d	type	Creator Provincialism
The Polar Express / int_d68c925d	comment	Creator Provincialism: Both Chris (Hero Boy) and Billy are from Grand Rapids, Michigan, just like Van Allsburg.
The Polar Express / int_d68c925d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_d68c925d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_d68c925d
The Polar Express / int_dbca2c99	type	Red Herring
The Polar Express / int_dbca2c99	comment	Red Herring: There's a whole song about the hot chocolate and the single rule about it — "Never-ever let it cool". during the song a girl sets aside a second cup of hot chocolate and puts it under her seat to take to another child. There is no "chocolate-cooling" rule breaking involved, though.
The Polar Express / int_dbca2c99	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_dbca2c99	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_dbca2c99
The Polar Express / int_dca70c44	type	Reasonable Authority Figure
The Polar Express / int_dca70c44	comment	Reasonable Authority Figure: When an otherwise good kid does one naughty thing at the last minute, the elf in charge of the naughty and nice lists takes pity on him and lets him on the good list anyway, but keeps him on a check-twice list for next year. The conductor. He chews out Hero Boy when he pulls the emergency brake, but upon learning he did it so Billy could get on, he lets it go. Later, when Hero Boy stops the train at the caribou crossing, he starts up again, but immediately turns his anger to the caribou upon being pointed to them.
The Polar Express / int_dca70c44	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_dca70c44	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_dca70c44
The Polar Express / int_e085feeb	type	Broken Record
The Polar Express / int_e085feeb	comment	From a literal Broken Record in the scene before: "Ringaling...ringaling...ringaling...ringaling...ringaling...ringaling...ringaling...ringaling..."
The Polar Express / int_e085feeb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_e085feeb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_e085feeb
The Polar Express / int_e0aed924	type	No Antagonist
The Polar Express / int_e0aed924	comment	No Antagonist: There is no villain in the story, as the film basically revolves around Hero Boy's wild journey to the North Pole and his Crisis of Faith in believing in Santa Claus. Averted with the tie-in video game, where the Scrooge puppet is the main villain.
The Polar Express / int_e0aed924	featureApplicability	-1.0
The Polar Express / int_e0aed924	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_e0aed924
The Polar Express / int_e2bdb219	type	Wintry Auroral Sky
The Polar Express / int_e2bdb219	comment	Wintry Auroral Sky: The Aurora Borealis appears as the titular train crosses the Arctic Circle.
The Polar Express / int_e2bdb219	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_e2bdb219	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_e2bdb219
The Polar Express / int_e7e558	type	The Oner
The Polar Express / int_e7e558	comment	The Oner: Hero Girl's ticket flying through different scenery. The Polar Express arriving at the north pole and the Conductor explaining the first gift of Christmas.
The Polar Express / int_e7e558	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_e7e558	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_e7e558
The Polar Express / int_e9d6eff8	type	Cool Airship
The Polar Express / int_e9d6eff8	comment	Cool Airship: The zeppelin/blimp* It is never clear just what it is; the lifting gas seems to be stored directly in the envelope without the use of internal cells like a blimp, and vented via a giant balloon-like nozzle, but it does not seem to lose its shape or get smaller when they vent the gas, suggesting that the envelope somehow keeps its rigidity. that carries Santa's bag of Christmas gifts to his sleigh. It looks like something out of dieselpunk media, with two envelopes, a massive lifting gantry, and several dozen skydiving elves who apparently serve as ballast. It even features a specialized bungee-jumping team meant to recover the massive star on top of the North Pole's tree should it become dislodged by the bag.
The Polar Express / int_e9d6eff8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_e9d6eff8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_e9d6eff8
The Polar Express / int_ea314e84	type	Ode to Food
The Polar Express / int_ea314e84	comment	Ode to Food: The waiters' song and dance routine about the hot chocolate.
The Polar Express / int_ea314e84	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_ea314e84	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_ea314e84
The Polar Express / int_f0089082	type	Early-Bird Cameo
The Polar Express / int_f0089082	comment	Early-Bird Cameo: Ebenezer Scrooge, who would star in another Robert Zemeckis-directed, motion capture-animated film five years later, appears here in puppet form. An old Pinocchio puppet appears in the abandoned toy wagon. 18 years later, that old wooden boy puppet would star in a live-action remake of Disney's Pinocchio. The hobo character can briefly be seen when the Hero Girl's ticket is flying under the train in a scene taking place before his official introductory scene.
The Polar Express / int_f0089082	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_f0089082	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_f0089082
The Polar Express / int_f0fe7e80	type	But Now I Must Go
The Polar Express / int_f0fe7e80	comment	But Now I Must Go: The Polar Express has to depart the North Pole just after Santa leaves for his Christmas Eve run.
The Polar Express / int_f0fe7e80	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_f0fe7e80	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_f0fe7e80
The Polar Express / int_f36c4f98	type	Easily Forgiven
The Polar Express / int_f36c4f98	comment	Easily Forgiven: The Conductor sends off the Hero Boy with a warm and kind goodbye, despite the fact said boy caused a lot of problems during the journey.
The Polar Express / int_f36c4f98	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_f36c4f98	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_f36c4f98
The Polar Express / int_f4992ba	type	Desperate Object Catch
The Polar Express / int_f4992ba	comment	Desperate Object Catch: The engineers nearly drop the replacement bulb for the locomotive's front light, but narrowly save it when the fat one dangles from the thin one's beard. Also done with the cotter pin (twice) and with Hero Girl's ticket.
The Polar Express / int_f4992ba	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_f4992ba	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_f4992ba
The Polar Express / int_f6b1c9f3	type	"You!" Exclamation
The Polar Express / int_f6b1c9f3	comment	"You!" Exclamation First after Hero Boy uses the emergency break to let Billy board the train: Again when Hero Boy sees Hero Girl in the engine: And one final time when the boy has to stop the train for a herd of caribou:
The Polar Express / int_f6b1c9f3	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_f6b1c9f3	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_f6b1c9f3
The Polar Express / int_fa2f60f1	type	Vehicle Title
The Polar Express / int_fa2f60f1	comment	Vehicle Title: The titular train is what conveys the children to the North Pole, and is the setting for the first 2/3 of the film.
The Polar Express / int_fa2f60f1	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_fa2f60f1	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_fa2f60f1
The Polar Express / int_fbc1a68d	type	Low Clearance
The Polar Express / int_fbc1a68d	comment	Low Clearance: Flat-Top Tunnel, into which the train only just fits. When riding on the train roof, the hobo and the Hero Boy manage to get out of the way just in time. The tunnel mouth is shaped like the mouth of a monster.
The Polar Express / int_fbc1a68d	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_fbc1a68d	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_fbc1a68d
The Polar Express / int_fc225bec	type	Artistic License â€“ Physics
The Polar Express / int_fc225bec	comment	Artistic License â€“ Physics: Recounting everything that's completely impossible that the titular train in terms of both physics and engineering would basically just be recapping the entire movie. For the sake of brevity, it would be easier to simply note that it's a magic train and it does whatever the plot needs it to do, so basically just roll with it.
The Polar Express / int_fc225bec	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_fc225bec	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_fc225bec
The Polar Express / int_fceabba8	type	Silent Whisper
The Polar Express / int_fceabba8	comment	Silent Whisper: When the main character tells Santa what he wants for Christmas.
The Polar Express / int_fceabba8	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_fceabba8	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_fceabba8
The Polar Express / int_fe0330fb	type	Brick Joke
The Polar Express / int_fe0330fb	comment	Brick Joke: When Hero Boy hears the ruckus outside near the beginning of the film, he rushes to grab his bathrobe and accidentally rips one of its pockets causing marbles to fall out. Near the end when Sarah wakes him up, the same thing occurs with the other pocket. When Hero Boy is getting his ticket punched, some of the punched out remains end up in his lips, which he promptly spits out. Later on when the Conductor is punching the Hero Girl's ticket, said remains get caught in his mustache the same way, and he spits them out.
The Polar Express / int_fe0330fb	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_fe0330fb	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_fe0330fb
The Polar Express / int_ffad4e9f	type	Shown Their Work
The Polar Express / int_ffad4e9f	comment	Shown Their Work: Despite most of the movie being Just Train Wrong, there are a few things they got right. The scene where the protagonists have to choose which lever operates the brake: A big red lever sticking out of the floor, or a smaller yellow lever on the side of the cab. The Hero Boy chooses the small yellow lever, which turns out to be correct, and the train stops, relatively safely. The Truth in Television comes in due to the fact that the other lever did not operate the break, but the Johnson bar, essentially the "gearshift" of the locomotive, and the lever he selected controlled the train's air brakes. Had he pulled the Johnson bar, the force of "switching gears" at that speed would likely have torn the wheels right off. The Hobo's dialogue is peppered with correct slang terms used by actual rail-riding hobos of the 1920's and 30's, such as "rattler" (an express train), and "hog" (locomotive). 1225's design in the movie, aside from the smokebox, the pilot, the position (and sound) of her whistle, and a few missing modern appliances, is a spot-on recreation of the real thing. The train having mechanical problems en route is also this, because steam engines require constant maintenance and are prone to breakdowns at the worst possible times—the real 1225 was in need of a major overhaul on both her boiler and drivers during the film's production, and wouldn't get either till 2010 and 2022 respectively!
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The Polar Express / int_ffad4e9f	featureConfidence	1.0
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The Polar Express / int_name	type	ItemName
The Polar Express / int_name	comment
The Polar Express / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
The Polar Express / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Polar Express / int_name
The Polar Express / int_name	itemName	The Polar Express

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

ThePolarExpress	seeAlso	The Polar Express
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Actionized Adaptation / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	All-CGI Cartoon / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Ambiguously Human / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Animated Musical / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Arbitrary Skepticism / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Belly-Scraping Flight / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Boring Return Journey / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Breakaway Pop Hit / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	By the Eyes of the Blind / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Cathartic Crying / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Children's Literature / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Christmas Creep / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Christmas Elves / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Christmas Town / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Clothes for Christmas Cringe / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Cool Train / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Creator Provincialism / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Cue O'Clock / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Desperate Object Catch / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Dream Reality Check / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Dreaming of a White Christmas / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Edited for Syndication / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Epic Tracking Shot / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep" / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Extremely Short Timespan / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Glurge / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Holiday Pardon / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	I Ate WHAT?! / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	In Memoriam / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Invisible to Adults / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Irony as She Is Cast / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Just Train Wrong / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Loads and Loads of Roles / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Low Clearance / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Magic Countdown / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Magical Homeless Person / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Mall Santa / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Mistaken for Santa / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Multi-Track Drifting / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Nameless Narrative / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	No Name Given / int_3bf5c9f7
NormanRockwell	seeAlso	The Polar Express
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Object-Tracking Shot / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Ode to Food / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Or Was It a Dream? / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Outside Ride / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Paddleball Shot / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Pajama-Clad Hero / int_3bf5c9f7
PixelPerfect	seeAlso	The Polar Express
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Present Peeking / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Runaway Train / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Santa Clausmas / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Signature Scene / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Silent Whisper / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Sinister Surveillance / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Snowy Sleigh Bells / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Spit Take / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Oner / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	The Problem with Licensed Games / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	This Is Gonna Suck / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Track Trouble / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Tube Travel / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Twisted Christmas / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Vague Age / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Vehicle Title / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	White-Tailed Reindeer / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Wintry Auroral Sky / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	"You!" Exclamation / int_3bf5c9f7
The Polar Express	hasFeature	Children Are Special / int_3bf5c9f7

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