document_title: Mark Hamill

question_text: when did the fist star wars movie come out

text: Mark Hamill

text: Early life

text: Hamill was born in Oakland, California, to Virginia Suzanne (née Johnson) and U.S. Navy Captain William Thomas Hamill.[1] He is one of seven children, having two brothers, Will and Patrick, and four sisters, Terry, Jan, Jeanie, and Kim.[2] His father has English, Scottish, Irish, and Welsh ancestry and his mother was of half Swedish and half English descent.[3][4] His father's changes of station and attendant family moves led to the Hamill children changing schools often. In his elementary years, he went to Walsingham Academy and Poe Middle School.[5] At age 11, he moved to the 5900 block of Castleton Drive in San Diego, California, where he attended Hale Junior High School.[citation needed] During his first year at James Madison High School, his family moved to Virginia, and Hamill attended Annandale High School.[6] By his junior year, his father was stationed in Japan, where Hamill attended and was a member of the Drama Club at Nile C. Kinnick High School, from which he graduated in 1969.[citation needed][7] He later enrolled at Los Angeles City College, majoring in drama.[6]

text: Hamill was raised as a Roman Catholic, and described his father as a "Nixon Republican".[8]

text: Career

text: Beginnings

text: Hamill's early career included a recurring role on the soap opera General Hospital,[9] and a starring role on the short-lived sitcom The Texas Wheelers.[10] He portrayed the oldest son, David, in the pilot episode of Eight Is Enough, though the role was later performed by Grant Goodeve.[11] He also had guest appearances on The Bill Cosby Show,[12] The Partridge Family,[citation needed], Room 222 and One Day at a Time.[citation needed] He appeared in multiple television films such as The City,[citation needed] and Sarah T. - Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic.[citation needed]

text: Star Wars

text: Robert Englund was auditioning for a role in Apocalypse Now when he walked across the hall where auditions were taking place for George Lucas's Star Wars. After watching the auditions for a while, he realized that Hamill, his friend, would be perfect for the role of Luke Skywalker.[12] He suggested to Hamill that he audition for the role; Hamill did and won the role.[13]

text: Released in May 1977, Star Wars was an enormous, unexpected success and had a huge effect on the film industry. Hamill also appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special in 1978[14] and later starred in the successful sequels The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. During the time between the first two films, Hamill was involved in a serious automobile accident, fracturing his nose and left cheekbone.[12] False rumors spread that he required plastic surgery on his face.[15] For both of the sequels, Hamill was honored with the Saturn Award for Best Actor given by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films.

text: Hamill reprised the role of Luke Skywalker for the radio dramatizations of both Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. For the Return of the Jedi radio drama, the role was played by a different actor.

text: Editions of Joseph Campbell's The Hero with a Thousand Faces (which influenced Lucas as he was developing the films) issued after the release of Star Wars in 1977 used the image of Hamill as Luke Skywalker on the cover.[16][17]

text: Hamill returned to the Star Wars universe in 2014, when he voiced the ancient Sith Lord Darth Bane,[18] in the final episode of the animated series The Clone Wars. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for his performance.

text: With the acquisition of Lucasfilm by The Walt Disney Company, it was announced that there would be more Star Wars films starting with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was released on December 18, 2015. Hamill appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens.[19] He played Luke Skywalker again in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, released on December 15, 2017.[20] Hamill was critical of his own role in The Last Jedi, stating that he and director Rian Johnson had "a fundamental difference" on the characterization of Luke Skywalker.[21][22][23]

text: Initially, both Disney and Hamill were coy about whether Hamill would be a cast member of The Force Awakens.[24][25] In September 2013, Robert Englund, actor and long-time friend of Hamill, said that Hamill was currently working out in the gym. Englund stated "Mark now – they've got Mark in the gym because Mark's coming back as Luke Skywalker. They've got him doing his sit-ups." It was previously reported that both Hamill and Fisher had been assigned nutritionists and personal trainers to work with ahead of production.[26]

text: Other work

text: After the success of Star Wars, Hamill found that audiences identified him very closely with the role of Luke Skywalker,[27] after which he became a teen idol and appeared on teen magazine covers such as Tiger Beat and others. He attempted to avoid typecasting by appearing in the 1978 film Corvette Summer[12] and the better-known 1980 World War II film The Big Red One.[18] In 1980, he also made a guest appearance on The Muppet Show, both as himself and as Luke Skywalker in The Stars of Star Wars;[28] this episode also starred C-3PO and R2-D2 who were along with him on a search for Chewbacca.[29] Other film appearances around this time include The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia in 1981[30] and Britannia Hospital in 1982.[31] To further distance himself from his early blockbuster role, Hamill started acting on Broadway, starring in plays such as The Elephant Man in 1979,[32] Amadeus in 1983,[33] Harrigan 'N Hart in 1985 (for which he received a Drama Desk Award nomination),[34] Room Service in 1986[35] and The Nerd in 1987–88.[36] When Amadeus was adapted to film in 1984, Hamill auditioned to reprise the role for the big screen but lost the part to Tom Hulce.[18][37] A studio executive told the producers of the film, "I don't want Luke Skywalker in this film".[38] He made television appearances in a 1986 episode of Amazing Stories and a 1987 episode of The New Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

text: Hamill returned to film after a six-year hiatus with the 1989 science fiction film Slipstream.[39] He continued to star in films throughout the 1990s, including in such films as the thriller Midnight Ride,[40][41] The Guyver in 1991,[42] the 1995 remake of Village of the Damned,[43] and the 1998 Swedish action film Hamilton.[44] Hamill appeared in the 2001 film Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back as the supervillain Cocknocker, a role which parodies both himself and roles he has played in the past.[45]

text: He guest appeared in two episodes as the Trickster in the live-action 1990 television series of The Flash.[46] He has made cameo appearances on MADtv, where he played the estranged father of Ms. Swan,[citation needed] and appeared on Saturday Night Live playing himself being sold on a Star Wars themed home shopping sale.[47] Hamill appeared in single episodes of 3rd Rock from the Sun in 1997,[48] Just Shoot Me! in 1998[49] and in two episodes of seaQuest DSV in 1995 (as Tobias LeConte).[50] He also appeared in the episode "Mind over Matter" of the 1995 television series The Outer Limits.

text: When the Wing Commander series of computer games started using full motion video cut scenes, Hamill was cast as the series protagonist, Colonel Christopher Blair, a role he played in Wing Commander III: Heart of the Tiger, Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom and Wing Commander: Prophecy.[51] In the 1999 Wing Commander film, set earlier in the series, the character was played by Freddie Prinze, Jr., although Hamill had a voice cameo.[52] Hamill appears in Squadron 42, the single player campaign from the Star Citizen computer game universe as Lieutenant Commander Steve "Old Man" Colton.[53][54]

text: In 2003, Hamill starred in the two-hander play Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks as the acerbic dance instructor Michael Minetti. He played opposite Rue McClanahan for the season at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami, and opposite Polly Bergen as the production moved on to Broadway.[55][56]

text: Hamill also directed and starred in the 2004 direct-to-DVD Comic Book: The Movie.[57] A comic book fan who attended science fiction and comic conventions before he became famous, Hamill stated that his character was based on an exaggerated version of himself. He and his crew shot most of the "mockumentary" film during the 2002 San Diego Comic-Con and enlisted Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, Bruce Campbell and Hugh Hefner in small roles. The movie won an award for Best Live-Action DVD Premiere Movie at the 2005 DVD Exclusive Awards.[citation needed]

text: In 2011, Hamill appeared as a villain in the fifth season of NBC's show Chuck.[58]

text: Hamill also appeared in the television series Criminal Minds in the last two episodes of season eight as John Curtis, aka "The Replicator", a serial killer who has been stalking the BAU team throughout the show's eighth season.[59] He also made a guest appearance alongside George Takei on the season one finale of the ABC sitcom The Neighbors as Commandant Bill.

text: Hamill did not star in any live action films for a number of years until 2011 when he starred in the Hungarian film Thelomeris, on which he was a creative consultant. The film was the first mainstream science fiction film to be released in Hungary.[60]

text: The next year, Hamill starred in two more live action films, British horror film Airborne and the small independent film Sushi Girl. Airborne was met with a negative reception from critics and audiences.[61] Hamill said in an interview that Sushi Girl was a great challenge for him as it took him out of his comfort zone since it was such a dark film. He did not accept the role until he got encouragement from his daughter, who said he would be crazy not to accept it.[62]

text: In 2015, Hamill played James Arnold, an academic professor from Imperial College London and an expert in climate change, in the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service. In addition, he reprised his role as the Trickster on The CW's 2014 live-action series The Flash, in the seventeenth episode of the first season, the ninth episode of the second season, and the ninth episode of the third season.[63]

text: He will star in the upcoming 2016 film Minkow, an independent film about the life of Barry Minkow, the famous con man. Hamill plays Minkow's father, Robert Minkow.[citation needed]

text: Voice acting

text: General work

text: This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (January 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Hamill has gained a reputation as a prolific voice actor. He first did voice acting work in the early 1970s voicing the character Corey Anders on the Saturday morning cartoon Jeannie by Hanna-Barbera Productions. He later played Sean in the Ralph Bakshi film Wizards,[12] which was released just three months before Star Wars in 1977.

text: Though the voice role he is most known for is Batman's archenemy the Joker,[18] his success as the Joker has led him to portray a wide variety of characters in television, film, anime, and video games (mostly similar super-villains).

text: Hamill was the voice of The Hobgoblin in the 1990s Spider-Man animated series, and his other Marvel superhero genre roles include the Gargoyle in the animated series of The Incredible Hulk, Maximus in Fantastic Four, Klaw in Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and multiple characters in Ultimate Spider-Man. Hamill voiced Solomon Grundy and Trickster in the DC animated universe series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, the murderous gangster Tony Zucco in The Batman, an animated series unrelated to the various DC animated universe series. He voiced Spectre in an episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.

text: Non-comic related television roles include the deranged shock jock anchorman Dr. Jak in Phantom 2040, Principal John Smith in Totally Spies episode "Soul Collector", Christopher "Maverick" Blair in Wing Commander Academy, the classic Walter Lantz character Buzz Buzzard in The New Woody Woodpecker Show, the flamboyant robot Lawrance "Larry" 3000 in Time Squad, the pirate Captain Stickybeard in Codename: Kids Next Door, the ruler of the Fire Nation Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender, the evil Skeleton King in Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go!, multiple roles in Metalocalypse and the groundskeeper Skips in Regular Show.

text: He guest starred in The Simpsons episode "Mayored to the Mob" as himself. On the audio commentary of the episode, he says that he has been a fan of the show since it debuted in 1987 on The Tracy Ullman Show and that it was a personal thrill to work with Dan Castellaneta, the voice of Homer Simpson. He has also guest starred in Family Guy and was also a recurring voice actor on Seth Green's Robot Chicken. He has also played himself in two episodes of the Disney Channel animated series Pepper Ann.

text: Aside from voice acting on television, Hamill has starred in multiple animated films. Some of these roles include The Captain of the Guard in Sinbad: Beyond the Veil of Mists, the biblical figure Judah in Joseph: King of Dreams, the evil wolf Niju in Balto II: Wolf Quest and Chanukah Zombie in Futurama: Bender's Big Score. Hamill has done voice acting in English dubs of two Studio Ghibli films. He voiced Colonel Muska in the second English language version of Castle in the Sky and the Mayor of Pejite in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, both directed by Hayao Miyazaki and distributed by Disney.

text: Notable video game voice roles include Detective Mosely in Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers and Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned, Assistant Director Wilson in Soldier of Fortune II: Double Helix, Adrian Ripburger in the LucasArts game Full Throttle, two installments of Crash Bandicoot series, Wolverine in X2: Wolverine's Revenge, which was the tie-in game to the film X2, Goro Majima in Yakuza, Malefor The Dark Master in The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon, The Watcher in Darksiders, and Master Eraqus in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. The creator of Kingdom Hearts, Tetsuya Nomura, is a big fan of all of Hamill's work. There is also another character, Master Xehanort, who was voiced by Leonard Nimoy, the actor of Spock. Tetsuya Nomura stated that they wanted the two for the roles, as the two characters are rivals, referencing the rivalry between fans of Star Wars and fans of Star Trek. He also narrated Call of Duty 2: Big Red One, the title being a reference to the 1980 war film he starred in.

text: Hamill is credited as the narrator in Ancient Voices, a 1999 series of documentaries on archaeology and ancient history produced by as a BBC/The Learning Channel co-production, and published by Time-Life as a DVD series. He also narrated the Medal of Honor and Silver Star citations of Tibor Rubin, Ralph E. Pomeroy, John Finnigan and Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. for the 2013 Korean War documentary Finnigan's War directed by Conor Timmis.

text: Hamill voiced the character of Todd Wainio in World War Z, a critically acclaimed audiobook based on Max Brooks' novel of the same name. He also provided the entire cast of voices for a 1983 audiobook version of Pinocchio with unique characteristics for each. Hamill also reads life into the characters of the popular juvenile fiction book series, The Spiderwick Chronicles Volumes I–III, by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi.

text: He is also the narrator of the 2017 science-fiction TV series Dimension 404.[64]

text: As the Joker

text:
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text: Hamill's role as the Joker began in the 1992 series Batman: The Animated Series[18] and continued to many later spin-off series, video games and films. Hamill received critical acclaim for his performance, which put him in high demand as a voice over actor of cartoon villains.[65]

text: Hamill also voiced Joker in three episodes of Superman: The Animated Series, five episodes of The New Batman Adventures, five episodes of Justice League, an episode of Static Shock and a few segments in Robot Chicken. He also voiced the Joker in the 1993 theatrical film Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and the 2000 direct-to-video film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.[66]

text: The short-lived WB live-action series Birds of Prey, based on the comic book of the same title, featured a flashback sequence in which the Joker shoots Barbara Gordon and paralyzes her. This sequence featured Hamill voicing Joker, dubbed over actor/stuntman Roger Stoneburner whose facial structure more resembled the character.[citation needed] The actor's face was shot in the background so as to be slightly blurred.[relevant? – discuss]

text: Hamill voiced the Joker alongside his Batman: The Animated Series co-star Kevin Conroy as Batman and Jason Hillhouse as Dick Grayson in a feature of a storyboard scene included in the 2005 Special Edition DVD of Tim Burton's 1989 film Batman.[citation needed] This scene depicted the origin of Robin, which was not filmed because the producers felt it was out-of-place with the rest of the film.[citation needed]

text: Hamill has said that he has voiced the Joker for toys and amusement park rides. Although these jobs did not pay particularly well, he enjoyed even these small roles and admitted being protective of the character, preferring not to let "others sleep in my sleeping bag;"[67] he also self-identifies as a "real comic book nerd".[68]

text: Hamill has portrayed the Joker in a few Batman-themed video games, notably Batman Vengeance,[citation needed] the Sega CD version of The Adventures of Batman & Robin,[citation needed] and in Batman: Arkham Asylum.[67][12] Hamill again reprised the role in the Arkham sequel, Batman: Arkham City.[69] In May 2010, Hamill declared to IGN UK that his role in Arkham City would be his last as the Joker.[68][not in citation given] Some months later, with the announcement of Arkham City, he clarified his statements in the interview by saying, via his Twitter account, "Only said Arkham Asylum would be hard to top, not that I was quitting."[70] On October 19, 2011, shortly after the release of the game, Hamill announced his retirement on his Twitter account, saying "Hello/Goodbye Joker! I've enjoyed every minute behind the wheel of the Clown Prince's crazy car – I'm going to miss him more than I can say!!".[71][not in citation given] On June 2012, WB Games released the expansion pack titled "The Last Laugh" for the video game DC Universe Online, featuring Hamill as the Joker.[72][full citation needed][73] In 2015, Hamill yet again returned as the Joker in Batman: Arkham Knight with the character recurring through the game as a hallucination.[74]

text: During a 2011 Comic-Con, when asked about Heath Ledger's Oscar-winning portrayal of the character in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight, Hamill claims it was the most original performance he has ever seen since Anthony Hopkins' Oscar-winning portrayal of Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs.[75][full citation needed]

text: Hamill has commented that if there would ever be an animated version of Batman: The Killing Joke, he would gladly voice the Joker again, encouraging fans to campaign for said adaptation.[76][77][full citation needed] On July 17, 2015, Hamill tweeted that he had his fingers crossed in hopes that he would be contacted to reprise his role as the Joker in the animated adaptation.[78] On July 27, Collider reported that Hamill will voice the Joker in the film.[79] The film was released in theaters for a two-day limited time. It was released on Digital HD on July 27, 2016. It was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on August 2. Positive reception was met for Mark Hamill's performance as the Joker, with some citing it as his best performance of the character.

text: Hamill reprised the Joker for the animated series Justice League Action. He also reprised the Trickster for the series, as well as voicing Swamp Thing.[80] In the animated short "Missing the Mark", Hamill voices a fictionalized version of himself, who appears alongside all three of his other characters.[81]

text: Hamill has been nominated for two Annie Awards for his portrayal of the character, for an Interactive Achievement Award, for a Spike Video Game Award, and has won a British Academy Video Game Award for Best Performer.

text: Writing

text: Hamill is the co-writer of The Black Pearl, a comic book miniseries published by Dark Horse Comics.[82] He wrote an introduction to the Trade Paperback Batman: Riddler Two-Face which reprints various stories involving the Riddler and Two-Face to tie in with Batman Forever. He has also written several stories for Simpsons Comics, including "Catastrophe in Substitute Springfields!", which parodies DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths and also references several other classic comics.[83]

text: Personal life

text: According to a 1981 profile in People magazine, Hamill's "first serious love" was an offscreen relationship he engaged with, with co-actor Anne Wyndham, cast as his sister on General Hospital.[84] Hamill would later describe experiencing seasons of on-set tension, having to work together, after their relationship ended.[85] In a 2017 interview, Hamill attributed his long happy marraige to a non-actor, to learning, through his relationship with Wyndham, the danger of being competitive when in a relationship with a fellow actor.[86]

text: On December 17, 1978, Hamill married dental hygienist Marilou York in a private civil ceremony.[87] They have three children together: Nathan (born 1979), Griffin (born 1983), and Chelsea Elizabeth (born 1988).[88] He also has one grandchild by his son Nathan. Nathan was born during the production of The Empire Strikes Back and had a cameo appearance as one of the Royal Guards of Naboo in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.[89] Chelsea made a photographic appearance as an infant Axel Walker in the 1990 television series The Flash; the same photograph was used in the 2014 series.[90]

text: On January 11, 1977, before shooting one of his scenes in Star Wars, Hamill was in a car accident in which he fractured his nose and left cheekbone,[91] requiring seven hours of surgery. As a result, a double was used for the landspeeder pickup shots.[92] According to Hamill in a recorded interview, he was driving his BMW on a freeway, became distracted, and seeing that he was missing his offramp, attempted to negotiate four lanes of traffic. Some real scars from the crash appear on Luke's face in The Empire Strikes Back.[93][94] Hamill later said that the stories surrounding his injuries had become exaggerated. Confirming that he had only broken his nose, Hamill observed that "over the years it's [been] built up into having my face reconstructed with plastic surgery."[15]

text: Hamill is an outspoken member of the Democratic Party. Prior to the 2012 election for the presidency of the United States, Hamill referred to Mitt Romney as a "snake oil salesman".[95] In 2016, he endorsed P.G. Sittenfeld's candidacy in the 2016 election for the United States Senate.[96] He has also criticized the tweets of Donald Trump by reading them out in his Joker voice.[97]

text: Hamill is a lifelong fan of Laurel and Hardy. In June 2016, he called into The Ross Owen Show on Black Sky Radio to talk for over an hour about his passion for Stan and Ollie.[98] He was also an early fan of David Letterman, having occasionally appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, as well as taping every episode and keeping a journal documenting the show. After encountering writer Chris Elliott, Hamill was asked for assistance in helping determine the 1,000th Viewer Mail that Letterman had answered. His practice continued to Letterman's new show on CBS, but eventually stopped.[99]

text: He became a supporter of English football club Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. in 2017.[100]

text: Filmography

text: Comics

text:
Year
Title
Notes

1996–97
The Black Pearl
Written with Eric Johnson

September 2001
Simpsons Comics: Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror No. 7
"Catastrophe in Substitute Springfields!" written with Bongo Comics

text: Bibliography

text: Forewords

text: Hamill, Mark (2003). Foreword. Animation on DVD: The Ultimate Guide. By Mangels, Andy. Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 978-1880656686.

tag: ul

text: Awards and nominations

text: This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text:
Year
Association
Category
Work
Result

1978
Saturn Awards
Best Actor
Star Wars
Nominated

1981
The Empire Strikes Back
Won

1984
Return of the Jedi
Won

1985
Drama Desk Awards
Outstanding Actor in a Musical
Harrigan 'N Hart
Nominated

1988
CableACE Awards
Actor in a Dramatic Series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Nominated

1994
Annie Awards
Voice Acting in a Television Production
Batman: The Animated Series
Nominated

2001
Voice Acting in a Feature Production
Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
Nominated

2006
DVD Exclusive Awards
Best Animated Character Performance[101]
Won

2010
Interactive Achievement Awards
Outstanding Achievement in Character Performance
Batman: Arkham Asylum
Won

2010
NAVGTR Awards
Supporting Performance in a Drama
Won

2012
Spike Video Game Awards
Best Performance by a Human Male
Batman: Arkham City
Nominated

2012
British Academy Games Awards
Best Performer
Won

2014
Annie Awards
Voice Acting in a Television Production
Regular Show
Nominated

2015
Daytime Emmy Awards
Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
Nominated

2015
The Game Awards
Best Performance
Batman: Arkham Knight
Nominated

2016
British Academy Games Awards
Best Performer
Nominated

2016
NAVGTR Awards
Supporting Performance in a Drama
Won

2017
Disney Legends
Film
Star Wars
Won

2018
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce
Hollywood Walk of Fame[102]
Star Wars
Won


document_title: The Polar Express (film)

question_text: who plays the boy in the polar express

question_tokens: who plays the boy in the polar express

root

text: The Polar Express (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: On Christmas Eve, a boy who is beginning to question Santa’s existence witnesses a train known as the Polar Express, that is about to depart for the North Pole. When the boy examines the train, the conductor allows him to board. The boy meets other children, including a girl and a know-it-all kid. When the train picks up another boy, Billy, he initially declines to board but changes his mind and chases the train, and the hero boy applies the emergency brakes for him to get on. Billy sits in the empty dining car while the conductor summons a waiter team to give the children hot chocolate, and the girl hides one under her seat to give to Billy. The girl and the conductor deliver the hot chocolate cup to Billy, but the hero boy discovers the girl’s ticket has not been punched by the conductor. He loses it while trying to return it, so the conductor takes her for a walk on the top of the train. Thinking he plans to throw her off, the hero boy locates the lost ticket and chases them down but thinks he didn't get to them in time.

tag: p

text: The boy meets a hobo, who claims to be the owner of the train and King of North Pole. He helps the boy by skiing down the rooftops as the Polar Express goes down a steep slope. Before reaching Flat Top Tunnel, the boy jumps into the engine's coal tender and finds the girl controlling the train. After the driver, Steamer, and his aide, Smokey, replace the engine's headlight, Steamer sees something unusual ahead, and orders the train to be stopped. The hero boy applies the brakes, and the crew witness a big herd of caribou. The conductor pulls Smokey’s beard several times, causing him to let out animal-like sound effects, and the caribou horde moves away. Afterwards, the cotter pin of the throttle sheers off, causing the train to speed up and run out of control as it crosses Glacier Gulch, and encounters a frozen lake. The lost cotter pin pierces the ice, causing it to crack. Smokey uses his hairpin to repair the throttle. The train eventually makes it to the other side of the tracks just before the ice collapses completely. The hero boy returns the girl’s lost ticket for the conductor to punch. The conductor takes the two kids to a train car where there are many abandoned toys. The hobo scares the hero boy with an Ebenezer Scrooge puppet by calling him a doubter, and the boy retreats to the observation car. The train encounters auroras and finally reaches the North Pole.

text: Upon arrival, all the kids prepare to see Santa, while the hero boy and girl see Billy still depressed and alone in the dining car. They encourage Billy to go, but the carriage is separated when the hero boy accidentally steps on the coupler cut lever. While trying to find their way back to the group, the trio explores the city's industrial area, until falling on Santa’s pile of presents. Meanwhile, the kids discover that the know-it-all kid is also in the sack. The gargantuan bag is placed on Santa’s sleigh, and elves remove the kids. As the reindeer are prepared, Santa arrives, who the hero boy desperately tries to look at but can’t see. A bell breaks loose from a harness, and the hero boy retrieves it. He first hears nothing, but when he believes, he hears the bell ring. Santa appears behind him and entrusts the boy with the bell, and then he leaves with his reindeer.

text: The elves re-attach the lost car back to the train, and the kids prepare to head home. The kids request the hero boy show the bell, but is devastated to learn that he has lost it through a hole in a pocket. As the kids are returned home, the hero boy sees Billy has already been visited by Santa. He is taken home, and everyone else bids him farewell. On Christmas morning, the boy's sister wakes him up to open presents, including the bell that he lost, which comes with a note from Santa, saying he found it on the seat of his sleigh. The parents hear no sound from the bell, but the narrator tells that he can still hear it, as the bell only rings for those who truly believe.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Tom Hanks as the Hero Boy (motion-capture only), the Hero Boy's father, the Conductor, the Hobo, Santa Claus, and the Narrator

Daryl Sabara as the Hero Boy (voice)
Josh Hutcherson as the Hero Boy (additional motion-capture)

Leslie Zemeckis as Sister Sarah (motion-capture only) and the Hero Boy's mother

Isabella Peregrina as Sister Sarah (voice)
Ashly Holloway as Sister Sarah (additional motion-capture)

Eddie Deezen as Know-It-All

Jimmy 'Jax' Pinchak as Know-It-All (additional motion-capture)

Nona Gaye as the Hero Girl

Chantel Valdivieso as the Hero Girl (additional motion-capture)
Meagan Moore as the Hero Girl (singing voice)
Tinashe as the Hero Girl (motion-capture modeling)

Peter Scolari as Billy the Lonely Boy (motion-capture only)

Hayden McFarland as Billy the Lonely Boy (additional motion-capture)
Jimmy Bennett as Billy the Lonely Boy (voice)
Matthew Hall as Billy the Lonely Boy (singing voice)

Dylan Cash as Boy on Train (voice)
Brendan King and Andy Pellick as the Pastry Chefs
Josh Eli, Rolandas Hendricks, Jon Scott, Sean Scott, Mark Mendonca, Mark Goodman, Gregory Gast, and Gordon Hart as the Waiters
Andre Sogliuzzo as Smokey and Steamer (voice)

Michael Jeter as Smokey and Steamer (motion-capture only)

Chris Coppola as Gus the Toothless Boy and an Elf

Connor Matheus as the Toothless Boy (additional motion-capture)

Julene Renee as the Red Head Girl and an Elf
Phil Fondacaro, Debbie Lee Carrington, Mark Povinelli, and Ed Gale as Elves
Charles Fleischer as the Elf General
Steven Tyler as the Elf Lieutenant and the Elf Singer
Dante Pastula as the Little Boy
Eric Newton, Aidan O'Shea, Aaron Hendry, Kevin C. Carr, Bee Jay Joyer, Jena Carpenter, Karine Mauffrey, Beth Carpenter, Bill Forchion, Devin Henderson, and Sagiv Ben-Binyamin as Acrobatic Elves
Evan Sabara as a Young Boy (additional motion-capture)

text: Production[edit]

text: Architecture[edit]

text: The buildings at the North Pole refer to a number of buildings related to American railroading history. The buildings in the square at the city's center are loosely based on the Pullman Factory in Chicago's Pullman neighborhood.[5]

text: Polar Express Locomotive[edit]

text: The locomotive featured in the film is an American 2-8-4 Berkshire type steam locomotive, with a cowcatcher, modeled after the Pere Marquette 1225, which had spent many years on static display near Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan on the campus of Michigan State University, where Chris Van Allsburg recalled playing on the engine when attending football games as a child.[6]

text: In July 2002, Warner Bros. approached the engine's owner, the Steam Railroading Institute, to study the engine.[7] The engine in the film is modeled from the PM #1225's drawings and the sounds from recordings made of the 1225 operating under steam.[8] The whistle, however, was taken from Sierra Railway #3.

text: IMAX 3D version[edit]

text: In addition to standard theatrical 35mm format, a 3-D version for IMAX was also released, generated from the same 3-D digital models used for the standard version.[9]

text: Home media release[edit]

text: The film was released on DVD as separated widescreen and full-screen versions in single and two-disc special editions (with bonus features) and on VHS on November 22, 2005, one year after the film came out.[10] It was released on Blu-ray with bonus features and presented in the original widescreen aspect ratio on October 30, 2007.

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
PERFORMER(S)
TITLE
LENGTH

Tom Hanks
"The Polar Express"
3:25

Matthew Hall & Meagan Moore
"When Christmas Comes to Town"
4:07

Steven Tyler
"Rockin' on the Top of the World"
2:35

Josh Groban
"Believe"
4:18

Tom Hanks
"Hot Chocolate"
2:33

Alan Silvestri
"Spirit of the Season"
2:34

Frank Sinatra
"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town"
2:35

Alan Silvestri
"Seeing Is Believing"
3:47

Bing Crosby
"White Christmas"
3:05

The Andrews Sisters
"Winter Wonderland"
2:43

Perry Como &The Fontane Sisters
"It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"
2:40

Kate Smith
"Silver Bells"
2:39

Bing Crosby & The Andrews Sisters
"Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)"
3:04

Alan Silvestri
"Suite from the Polar Express"
6:02

tag: table

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating to reviews, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11] On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 55% based on 202 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Though the movie is visually stunning overall, the animation for the human characters isn't lifelike enough, and the story is padded."[12] Despite the polarized reception from critics, The Polar Express has been popular among audiences. The Independent reported in 2011 that the film "is now seen by many as a classic".[13] CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film a rare "A+" grade.[14]

text: Roger Ebert gave the film his highest rating of four stars, saying, "There's a deeper, shivery tone, instead of the mindless jolliness of the usual Christmas movie." And "It has a haunting, magical quality ..." Acknowledging comments by other reviewers, Ebert said, "It's a little creepy. Not creepy in an unpleasant way, but in that sneaky, teasing way that lets you know eerie things could happen."[15] Richard Roeper gave a glowing review to the film as well, saying that it "remains true to the book, right down to the bittersweet final image."[this quote needs a citation] James Berardinelli gave it a 3.5/4, stating that it is "a delightful tale guaranteed to enthrall viewers of all ages", and ranked it as the 10th best film of 2004.[16]

text: The character design and animation were criticized for dipping into the uncanny valley.[17] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film a 1 out of 4 stars, and called it "a failed and lifeless experiment in which everything goes wrong".[18] Stephanie Zacharek of Salon gave the film 1.5 stars out of 5 and said, "I could probably have tolerated the incessant jitteriness of The Polar Express if the look of it didn't give me the creeps."[19] Geoff Pevere of the Toronto Star stated, "If I were a child, I'd have nightmares. Come to think of it, I did anyway."[20] Paul Clinton from CNN called it "at best disconcerting, and at worst, a wee bit horrifying".[21]

text: Box office[edit]

text: The film opened at #2 and earned $23,323,463 from approximately 7,000 screens at 3,650 theaters, for a per-theater average of $6,390 and a per-screen average of $3,332 in its opening weekend. It also brought in a total of $30,629,146 since its Wednesday launch. The weekend total also included $2,100,000 from 59 IMAX theaters, for an IMAX theater average of $35,593, and had a $3,000,000 take since Wednesday. In its second weekend, it grossed another $15,668,101, averaging $4,293 from 3,650 venues and boosting the 12-day cumulative to $51,463,282 and over Thanksgiving weekend made another $19,389,927, averaging $5,312 from 3,650 venues and raising the 19-day cumulative to $81,479,861.[citation needed] The film has made $185,618,322 domestically (including IMAX re-releases), and $124,140,582 overseas for a total worldwide gross of $309,758,904.[2]

text: The film had its network TV premiere on ABC, December 1, 2006. The airing brought in 13.2 million viewers, winning its timeslot and ranking 20th in the Nielsen ratings that week, according to TVTango.com.

text: Awards and honors[edit]

text: The film was nominated for three Academy Awards:

text:
Best Sound Editing (Randy Thom and Dennis Leonard)
Best Sound Mixing (Randy Thom, Tom Johnson, Dennis S. Sands and William B. Kaplan)
Best Original Song for "Believe."[22]

text: In 2008, the American Film Institute nominated The Polar Express for its Top 10 Animated Films list.[23]

text: The "Polar Express Experience"[edit]

text: In November 2007, SeaWorld Orlando debuted the Polar Express Experience, a Motion Simulator ride based on the film. The attraction is a temporary replacement for the Wild Arctic attraction. The building housing the attraction was also temporarily re-themed to a railroad station and ride vehicles painted to resemble Polar Express passenger cars. The plot for the ride revolves around a trip to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Guests feel the motion of the locomotive as well as the swinging of the train on ice and feeling of ice crumbling beneath them. The attraction was available until January 1, 2008,[24] and is now open annually during the Christmas season.

text: The 4D film, distributed by SimEx-Iwerks, has been shown at other amusement parks around the world including Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, Dollywood (during the annual Smoky Mountain Christmas event), Vancouver Aquarium (2009 — 2010),[25] and Warner Bros. Movie World (during the White Christmas events in 2010 and 2011).