What is the message behind The Polar Express?
The Polar Express is the tale of a boy’s dreamlike train ride to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus. Like all stories worth knowing, it’s rich enough in image and feeling to accommodate many interpretations. Chris Van Allsburg, the author of the book, calls his story a celebration of childhood wonder and imagination.
Why did Chris Van Allsburg write The Polar Express?
“The Polar Express” is inspired by Van Allsburg’s childhood when Herpolsheimer’s and Wurzburg’s department stores were Macy’s and Gimbels in Grand Rapids. “When you went downtown to do your Christmas shopping, you always had to make a choice to go to Wurzburg’s or Herpolsheimer’s,” Van Allsburg recalled.
Who was The Polar Express movie dedicated to?
Michael Jeter
The Polar Express is dedicated to Michael Jeter Michael Jeter, who performed the motion-capture work for the train engineers Smokey and Steamer, was a character actor best known at the time for such live-action movies as Jurassic Park III and The Green Mile (with Hanks) as well as for the role of Mr.
What does The Polar Express teach children?
Chris Van Allsburg, the author states that “The Polar Express is about faith, and the power of imagination to sustain faith. It’s also about the desire to reside in a world where magic can happen, the kind of world we all believed in as children, but one that disappears as we grow older”.
What does The Polar Express teach kids?
Parents need to know that, like the book that inspired it, the The Polar Express has wonderful messages about the importance of believing, the value of friendship, respect for leadership and courage, and the beauty of being kind to others.
What does the hobo represent in Polar Express?
Hero Boy tells him he wants to believe, then, before he can finish his sentence, Hobo interrupts. He suggests Hero Boy is afraid of being “bamboozled” or let down. This scene cements Hobo’s purpose. He is a personification of Hero Boy’s fears and doubts and is meant to test his ability to believe.
What is the setting of The Polar Express?
The book is set partially in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the author’s home town, and was inspired in part by Van Allsburg’s memories of visiting the Herpolsheimer’s and Wurzburg’s department stores as a child.
Is Polar Express a dream?
However, the story wasn’t a dream, as the main character tells Billy and the bell at the end proves. Magic can explain how the train could make that incredible journey in less than a night and survive all those perils. It also explains how the children were able to stay safe no matter what.
What is the main problem in The Polar Express?
On Christmas Eve, a young boy has become skeptical of the existence of Santa Claus. He goes to bed and can’t sleep, plagued by his doubt over whether Santa is out there delivering presents. He’s woken up by a massive train that stops just outside his house. Apparently, no one can perceive the train but him.
Why is Polar Express creepy?
The reason for this, apparently, is due to a phenomenon called Uncanny Valley – which is when non-human objects which look akin to human beings prompt feelings of eeriness and disgust, due to their similarities, and yet their simultaneous differences.