The trailers started popping up for this months ago, heralding the arrival of a potential holiday classic. Now that the film is out, I think that the word "potential" can be dropped. This is destined to be a film that pops up year after year on people's lists for holiday viewing. It is not perfect by any stretch, but it is a wonderful fantasy for the whole family. It is nice to see a film that is as magical as it is spellbinding.

A simple tale by Chris Van Allsburg has been translated to the screen by screenwriter/director Robert Zemeckis. He took the short story and stretched it out to fill a 90 minute film, and does a fine job of it. I admit, I am not terribly familiar with the story of The Polar Express, I have flipped through the book, but I couldn't tell you what it was about. I can tell you that it has some wonderful illustrations, and those images have been translated beautifully to the screen.

The film tells the tale of a young boy, who is not given a name, who is at that age where he begins to question the existence of Santa Claus. That Christmas Eve, a large train pulls up to a stop in front of his home. The boy goes out to investigate, and comes face to face with the Conductor, who informs him that he is to be a passenger on a trip to the North Pole. Of course the boy is a little wary, curiosity wins out and he is off on an adventure of a lifetime.

The trip to the Pole fills the bulk of the film. Taking us on a roller coaster ride, quite literally, and more adventure than you would have thought possible for a train ride. From the peaks and valleys they climb, to the frozen over tracks, to skiing down the roof of the train with a mysterious hobo. Friends are made, obstacles crossed, and lessons learned on a journey where time seems to have slowed to a crawl. And we cannot forget the train's destination. Once arriving at the North Pole, the friends leave the group and find themselves in another race.