HTF REVIEW: The Polar Express - Two Disc Widescreen Edition (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED).

I missed this in the theaters. I picked up the single disc version this morning. If there had been a more in-depth making-of featurette, I probably would have gone for the 2-disc.

Looking forward to finding the time to view this one. And Kong.

-Scott

I can't speak for others, but for me, the creepiness came from the lack of naturalism presented by the animated characters. The faces look like masks and give me the willies. It's a bizarre attempt to emulate live-action and it just doesn't work at all for me. It's not the LOOK so much as the EXECUTION...

I don't know how to post a new topic so...

Why are so many DVDs released in 1 & 2 disc editions at the same time? Why don't they just release one edition because the 2-disc editions aren't even SPECIAL they usually have no inserts and are more expensive than a regular DVD. I wish they did what disney does, its getting to the point where I don't remember a movie just being released as a 2-disc edition with no other editions.

Because there are a lot of crybabies out there (typically casual movie viewers who don't know or care about the process of filmmaking) who don't like bonus features cluttering up their DVDs. That's why a lot of "bonus features" on big mainstream movies tend to be of the B.S. variety. "Hilarious outtakes" and other such useless garbage, such as those appearing on Meet the Fockers and other big comedies.

I understand that a lot of people don't have the time or the interest to dig deep into DVD bonus features, but there are a lot of people that do want them. Now, as a result of these soccer moms petitioning the movie studios, we get to pay $5 to $10 more for the bonus features than we used to! Hooray!

I'm not sure how much special features fit on a disc but the polar express features were short and I think they could have fit it on one disc. Does anyone know if that could have happened, or was there not enough space?


:::OFF TOPIC:::
When BlueRay/HD-DVD come out are we only gonna have one disc movies, since they have more room or will they still have 2 discs?

ALSO, HOW do I make a new thread??

Look down at the bottom of the thread, within the blue bar and click the "NEW THREAD" button. There's one at the top of the thread too.

We looked at THE POLAR EXPRESS last evening. I found it magnificent in the theatres last year, and even moreso on the old Home Theatre last night. My wife liked it too, but continues to consider it a "boys' movie." Perhaps so - many of us get our thrills thinking about trains, rollercoasters, etc.

I almost got a bit "shafted" on the release. I'd pre-ordered it at a local Sam Goody store, since we're members of their club, and went to pick it up last evening. The slip indicated that I'd already paid for it (to get the triple points when I ordered it), and that I paid $23.30. Not remembering which 'edition' I'd ordered, I noticed that the clerk brought out the single-disc version, on 'sale' for $19.95. We assumed that I was overcharged, when I asked if there was another edition, perhaps a more expensive one. He dragged out a 'gift set' box, but I distinctly remembered not ordering that. Then he looked around some more and found the two-disc edition, and determined that I'd paid $1 less than I should have, but he let me slide on that.

So, had I not seen the review here at HTF, specifically noting a 2-disc edition, I might have gotten stuck with the garden variety single disc'er. Thanks guys!

Harry

Andrew Bunk wrote:

There are only two main "musical numbers" that I can recall, the "Hot Chocolate" singing/dancing number, and a more touching "Believe", sung by the kids at an appropriate time. Listen to the words on that one; they underscore the entire story.

There are some musical happenings once things get to the North Pole, but these are more background than foreground, and there's a brief rock'n'roll animated 'appearance' by Steven Tyler near the end.

I enjoyed Alan Silvestri's score and the songs by him and Glenn Ballard. They fit the feature and create a stirring background.

Harry

Thanks Harry....just wanted to brace myself.

Thanks for a great review, saw it the first time on dvd yesterday as i missed it out on the theaters. I had read a lot about the characters being too lifelike and creepy but after the initial few minutes i got over that. Only animation which seemed a little odd to me was the girl when she spoke, somehow her mouth movement didn't seem right. Anyways, what a fantastic movie for sound. When the train first pulled outside the boy's window the whole house was ready to come down.Fantastic Bass and very nicely done rear surrounds.A great movie to show off the home theater, though I did sometimes found the vocals to be a little weak(or was it just me?). Movie was overall decent despite being predicatable and I thought it lost a little steam at the end. Overall a fun watch though i probably would pass on it for my dvd collection.

Wish they included the 3D version in this edition. Maybe the HD version if and when it comes out will have a 3D version of the movie itself as well.

Ozzie

I agree that the movie itself is overall fairly good but some of the locals they go to even at santa's home are more just scary then endeering and the characters do have a slightly scary look to them that just turned me off. I can see where some people found the movie to creepy for a christmas film.

I was expecting this DVD to have been mastered from the digital files, rather than a transfer from film. Was this intentional do you think, as the former option would presumably have been the cheaper? Film adds it's own qualities to an image, so perhaps a totally digital transfer was considered too sterile?

Best Buy has a small bonus DVD included with the single-disk versions of Polar Express. Does anybody know what is on this disk? The BB clerk I asked had no idea and there doesn't seem to be any description on the package or in the ad. I would hope that whatever is on this disk is included on the second disk of the two-disk set.

Also, my BB had no lithographs.

Wonderful film...the whole family really enjoyed this one. One of the best Christmas movies for sure.

Supposedly, the Best Buy bonus disc is a 20-minute featurette on the performance capture animation process; now whether this featurette is composed only of material found on the 2-disc set, or if it is wholly exclusive footage, no one seems to have any idea. I'd give my eye-teeth to understand this trend of retailers giving bonus discs with the cheap-o single-disc releases, but not with the more expensive double-disc releases. "What? You want to spend more money with us? Well, okay, if you insist, but we're not gonna give you any freebies!"

Well...the wife, 15-year old son, 19-year old daughter and I all watched the Polar Express last night...for the first time.

Polarizing, indeed! I enjoyed it. While not overly thrilled with the animation and the casting of Tom Hanks in so many roles, I felt the story held up amid the various plot devices used to extend it into feature film-length. Everyone else gave it unequivocal thumbs down.

Maybe they just don't hear the bell.

I knew the Frezons were probably a family with good taste...well, most of them anyway.

I thought it was great.

My 13-year-old daughter and I watched it together last night. We are both in agreement on this one - an annual CLASSIC!

Chalk me up as one in favour of a 3-D version when this gets released in HD. The setpieces in this film cry out for 3-D, like the scene where the train is sliding out of control across the ice.

I thought this was panned when it came out in theatres so was going to pass, but my wife suggested we pick it up since the 3yo is a train freak and is interested in Santa this year. We watched it on Turkey Day.

He loved it and we were entertained (in fact the whole next day he kept picking up the DVD box and telling us about it). But I couldnt help but thinking to myself over and over how amazing the film would look in HD. If we dont buy it when it comes out in HD we'll certainly watch it on HBO-HD (or whatever)

-paul

I might check this out. It does look a little bit creepy. This one shot gave me the shivers when watching the trailer. Brains...BRAINS!!!

HD 3D please!

The wife and I saw it last night. We both enjoyed it! I thought the the whole look of the film was fantastic... From the arrival of the PE to the wonderful imagery at the North Pole.

However, I was greatly disappointed by the extras. Obviously made for kids with short attention spans. And why that creepy "Know it all" kid had to do half the narration, I'll never know!

One thing that I was hoping would be explained was Hero-Boy's voice. It must have been done by a real kid, right? Or were they somehow able to tinker with Hank's voice to make him sound like a kid?

I dunno Ric...but I went back and checked and didn't think "Lonely Boy" sounded anything like Peter Scolari either.

Boy, Tom Hanks sure is keeping Scolari in some semblence of a career since their Bosom buddies days, huh?! I think he's been in most Hanks productions.

I really cannot figure out why you'd have Hanks do all those voices. They were way too similar as it was AND everytime the conductor got a little excited I thought he was going to start calling out orders to Buzz and the Green Army men!

Maybe having all the voices done by Mr. Hanks is to keep the feel of reading the original story book to a child?

Ozzie

Ozzie: If that was the idea...it didn't work for me. Is that what you thought while you were watching it?

Hanks' voice is WAY too recognizable. For gosh sake, he is probably the most famous/well-known male actor working these days with some of the most-publicized, well-loved recent movies to his credit. To have him voice a number of different characters in the same animated film (after he already has established an animated character like Cowboy Woody in the much-loved Toy Story films) just doesn't make sense. It continually took me out of the story as I was watching.

But he and Zemeckis must have had a good reason for wanting to do this. They are successful at what they do. I just wonder what it is.

Mike, That is purely my guess, maybe the extras in the collection might say why. i have not viewed the extras yet.

Ozzie

The extras are not gonna tell you much!

Okay. I took a few minutes to do an internet search on this and found the following interview from Science Fiction News of the Week

I sorta see what they're saying now about doing it this way because its supposed to be seen through the boy's imagination. But, I still believe it's distracting and ineffective.

It's a technique that's uncommon. In any other dream sequence or fantasy sequence, I've never seen a character hear all the participants in that dream to have the same sounding voice.