The 2004 film The Polar Express quickly became a Christmas staple when it was released.
While it is a children's movie, there's plenty going on in this film to entertain both children
and adults.
But only adults watching may notice a few things that go over the heads of children.
Only those who truly believe in Santa Claus can hear his sleigh bells, although anyone
can see them.
While this magic might possibly also apply to the train itself and explain why no one
else in the neighborhood hears the Polar Express when it pulls into a subdivision, it doesn't
explain why no one else can see it.
Surely, there's someone looking out the window on Christmas Eve who sees this train appear
out of nowhere.
It's not exactly subtle when it chugs up and down the street.
Even if they can't hear the incredibly loud locomotive, the Polar Express is still pretty
big and imposing.
It also gives off bright lights, illuminating the dimly lit street.
So how is it possible that no one else notices it aside from the person who's meant to get
on board?
A kid watching The Polar Express is probably rooting for the unnamed main character to
hop on board the train for the magical adventure of a lifetime.
As an adult watching it, however, you can't help but feel a twinge of fear for the boy
and his obvious lack of self-preservation.
Didn't his parents ever teach him about stranger danger?
Not only does he talk to a stranger, but he agrees to get on a mysterious train with one.
This is a seriously dangerous thing to do, and it also conveys the message to kids watching
the film that it's okay to take a ride with a complete stranger.
Fortunately, the train conductor was really just trying to spread the magic of Christmas
and had no nefarious plans in mind, but things could have gone so, so wrong.
It might have turned out well in the movie, but real life isn't always so magical.
Who decides who gets to go on the Polar Express?
At first it seems like the trip is intended to restore the faith of kids like the main
character, who are starting to doubt the existence of Santa Claus.
Yet it seems that the other kids on the train have no problem believing that Santa is real.
The heroine of the movie informs the boy when he boards that they are on a magical train
to the North Pole, and there's definitely no doubt in her mind that Santa exists.
"Are we really going to the North Pole?"
"Mm-hm.
Isn't that wonderful?"
So how are kids chosen to board the Polar Express?
It seems remarkably unfair that the boy's little sister, Sarah, doesn't get to board
the train with him.
We learn at the end of the film that she could have benefited from riding the train, as though
she believes in Santa as a little girl, she loses her faith in him as she grows up.
But her brother never stops believing, thanks to his journey on the Polar Express.
"Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me."
All of the kids on the Polar Express are having a blast, and why wouldn't they be?
They get to stay up late, drink hot chocolate, and travel to the North Pole to meet Santa.
It's basically every kid's dream.
But how are their parents not frantic with worry?
While it seems all of the kids snuck out of their houses, you'd think that at least one
kid's mom or dad would still be awake and wondering where their child could possibly
be.
It seems like the Polar Express has been making this journey for years, which makes the fact
that parents aren't keeping a close eye on their kids on Christmas Eve even more bizarre.
Surely in all of these years, there would have been reports of missing kids on Christmas
Eve.
Or is it just part of the magic that parents never notice?
To kids, Billy probably just seems a little shy, but it's hard not to feel some concern
for him as an adult.
Why is he so scared of other people?
Why does he isolate himself on the train?
Is Billy actually going through something?
It seems that Billy doesn't have a lot of friends, and that he may have some sort of
social anxiety.
What is his home life like?
Is Billy just shy, or is there something going on there that makes him retreat into himself?
The Polar Express appears to takes place in the past, long before the invention of the
internet and cell phones, so it's likely that Billy doesn't have access to mental health
services that could help him cope with his anxiety, which is a shame.
Billy seemingly could benefit from therapy.
For a children's movie about the spirit of Christmas, The Polar Express has an awful
lot of scary moments.
Kids watching the film may be a little spooked by its creepier scenes, but adults will probably
be wondering why it was necessary to include such moments in the first place.
The conductor, for example, seems to be angry half the time, even though it's eventually
revealed that he has a good heart and loves children.
So why does he always look like he's on the verge of yelling?
Then there's the grifter who camps out on the roof of the Polar Express and scares children
who cross his path.
He later torments the boy with a puppet of Ebenezer Scrooge in one of the scariest scenes
in The Polar Express.
"Oh, yeah.
I know who you are.
You're a doubter!
A doubter, you don't believe!"
Why is The Polar Express so creepy?
After it's revealed that the girl's ticket is missing, the conductor leads her away from
the train car on the Polar Express that the other kids are in.
The boy admits that he's the one who lost the ticket, but the girl is still hauled off.
Fearful for her safety after the know-it-all boy says she will certainly be thrown off
the train, the boy goes to find her, the newly found missing ticket in his hand.
Instead of finding that she's been thrown off, he sees that she has been put in charge
of the entire train while the engineers, Steamer and Smokey, deal with a problem.
The girl is maybe 10 or 11 years old at most, not old enough to drive a car, let alone an
entire train.
How is this safe?
Who in their right mind would put a child in charge of a train, not to mention the lives
of at least a dozen people?
The Polar Express travels through some pretty dangerous territory, making the thought of
a child being in charge even more terrifying.
The conductor makes it pretty clear that having a ticket for the Polar Express is incredibly
important.
"Ah!
These tickets are not transferable."
Each kid has their ticket punched with part of a word at the beginning of their journey,
and the rest of the word or phrase is punched on the return trip.
Each kid leaves the Polar Express with a piece of advice on their ticket, which seems to
be their only purpose.
It's not like they need proof of purchase, since there doesn't seem to be any charge
to ride the Polar Express.
The train shows up to each kid's house, so it's clear that the conductor knows who's
supposed to be on the train.
So why does he make such a big deal out of the girl's misplaced ticket?
Surely the conductor could have just waved his magic hole puncher and made a replacement
appear.
When the Polar Express runs into a caribou crossing, it looks like those aboard won't
make it to the North Pole in time to see Santa begin his Christmas Eve journey to deliver
presents.
They're on a very tight schedule, and the caribou just won't budge.
They finally get moving again after the conductor pulls on engineer Smokey's beard.
His very, very long beard.
When it's pulled, Smokey lets out a shriek of pain that scares off the caribou.
"OOOOHHHHHHHH!"
While this seems pretty mean to Smokey, it also brings up one very important question.
How is his beard so long that it cascades down the front of the train like Rapunzel's
hair?
According to Beard Resource, the longest a beard can grow is around three feet, and it
looks like Smokey's beard might be closer to four or five.
Is this just one of those magical things in The Polar Express that can't be explained,
or could it be that Smokey is wearing beard extensions?
The Polar Express goes all the way to the North Pole where, needless to say, it's pretty
cold.
Are the kids dressed for the harsh weather?
Not at all.
They all rolled out of bed and hopped on the train, remember, so everyone is in their pajamas,
nightgowns, and robes.
How many of them are even wearing socks?
Would it have delayed the train too much if the kids were told to grab a coat?
"In case you hadn’t noticed, this train is on a very tight schedule."
Or, better yet, why couldn't the Polar Express have coats on board the train to distribute
to the kids?
What about gloves, scarves, and earmuffs?
How are the children supposed to survive the North Pole without the proper attire for the
subzero weather?
When the Polar Express arrives at the North Pole, Christmas music is playing.
It is, of course, Christmas Eve, so this is natural.
But adults watching the film have to wonder: Is it always Christmas at the North Pole?
Does Christmas music play nonstop all year round?
If so, surely it would be enough to drive Santa and his elves crazy.
And is music always piped through every speaker?
It seems like the Christmas music permeates every corner of the North Pole.
Is there no escape from the relentless barrage of Christmas tunes?
It's easy to see how the winter wonderland portrayed in The Polar Express could quickly
become a nightmare of never-ending Christmas songs.
What would happen if one of the elves wanted to listen to something different, like country
music or some Top 40 hits?
After the Polar Express leaves the North Pole, the kids are all dropped off at their homes.
Even though Billy had been very excited about finally having some good friends before they
boarded the train for the return journey, he makes no attempt at exchanging contact
information with his new pals.
It's probably pretty unlikely that they'd be able to exchange Instagram profiles, but
you'd think they'd at least exchange addresses or phone numbers, even if they are just for
landlines.
One of the themes of The Polar Express is friendship, so it seems strange that all of
the kids on the train are going their separate ways without even making a promise to keep
in touch.
Couldn't they at least be pen pals or something?
What should be a happy holiday film winds up feeling bittersweet when it looks like
the kids of The Polar Express won't actually stay in touch with each other.
At the end of The Polar Express, the magical sleigh bell Santa had given to the main character
has vanished, having fallen out of the hole in his robe pocket.
Santa is magic, though, so he makes sure that the boy gets the bell back on Christmas morning.
It's sitting under the tree in a beautifully wrapped box.
The boy's parents no longer believe in Santa, so they don't hear the bell ring.
But the boy and his sister Sarah do.
Their parents remark on what a shame it is that the boy's present doesn't work, but they
never question where it came from.
They obviously know that the present wasn't from them, so why aren't they curious about
who sent their child a seemingly defective bell for no apparent reason?
Why, for that matter, haven't they wondered where all the presents from Santa that the
kids have been receiving over the years came from?
Aren't they even a little bit concerned that someone has clearly been breaking into their
home every year and leaving presents under the tree?
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