Movie Trivia

Initial digital camera tests shot by Allen Daviau.

Michael Jeter's last movie.

Hero Boy has a pennant on his bedroom wall of the Milwaukee Beers. The Beers are the main team from BASEketball (1998).

A close examination of all the ticket numbers reveals that they all contain the number "1225" in them. Pere Marquette No. 1225 was used as a model for the Polar Express locomotive. 12-25 also refers to the date of Christmas -- December 25th.

The film used 3D motion capture techniques to digitally record the physical performances of the actors before "skinning" them with their animated forms. All the children's roles were acted by adults using over-sized props to get the movement right.

This was the first mainstream film to be simultaneously released as a 3D IMAX presentation.

In a news photo of Santas on strike, their placards say they're picketing Lone Pine Mall, the mall at Back to the Future (1985), also directed by Robert Zemeckis.

The train set seen at the end is a recreation of the new Lionel Polar Express train set combined with the older Lionel Berkshire and the older tubular track.

Listed in the Guiness Book of World Records 2006 as the "first all-digital capture" film, where all acted parts were done in digital capture.

In the beginning of the movie, Hero Boy looks at a picture of himself on a store Santa's lap. The store's name on the photo is Herpolsheimer's, an old department store in Grand Rapids, Chris Van Allsburg's hometown. Later the train passes by the store.

The real name of the Hero Boy is never mentioned.

The premiere was held in Grand Rapids, MI, author Chris Van Allsburg's hometown.

The address spoken by the conductor early in the film "11344 Edbrooke" is the real address of Robert Zemeckis' childhood home. The home is in a south side of Chicago neighborhood called Roseland.

It is the first movie to use the Imagemotion technology.

The locomotive in the movie is based on the Pere Marquette 1225, a restored steam locomotive located in Owosso, MI. In fact, many of the sound effects of the film's train are recordings of the actual train. The train is often run between Owosso and nearby Chesaning for rides during festivals.

The visuals for North Pole City are based on the architecture of the Pullman plant (the company that made railroad cars) in Chicago, IL, near the childhood home of Robert Zemeckis in the Roseland neighborhood. The clock tower that Santa comes out of is based on the Pullman factory clock tower and many of the other buildings are based on Pullman's unique architecture.

Hero Boy says, "I've wanted to do that my whole life," after tugging on the train's whistle. This is the same thing Doc Brown says in Back to the Future Part III (1990), also directed by Robert Zemeckis.

A scene in the North Pole City communications room features an elf describing a bad little boy in New Jersey named Steven who is terrorizing his two little sisters. This line is a nod to Robert Zemeckis' friend and mentor, Steven Spielberg. Spielberg grew up in New Jersey and has admitted many times that he frequently terrorized his two younger sisters.

When Santa's sleigh disappears it leaves burning/glowing trails in the sky reminiscent of the flying DeLorean in Back to the Future (1985), which was also directed by Robert Zemeckis.