Warner Bros.
Published in 1985, Chris Van Allsburg’s picture book “The Polar Express” is a staple of children’s Christmas literature. Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis brought its yuletide magic to the silver screen in 2004 with an animated film. Zemeckis had once blended live-action and animation in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” by sticking Bob Hoskins next to cartoon characters, and with “Polar Express,” he aimed to achieve an even deeper fusing of mediums with motion capture.
“Polar Express” didn’t open to the smoothest ride. With an exorbitant $170 million budget, the movie was greeted by some as a failure for grossing only $286 million. The use of motion capture animation made the whole thing look uncanny (and became a “30 Rock” punchline), which is the last thing you want for what’s meant to be a heartwarming family movie. Not that this stopped Zemeckis from using the same “Polar Express” style in 2007’s “Beowulf” and 2009’s “A Christmas Carol” (featuring Jim Carrey as Scrooge).
