It amazes me seeing the whole train crew work together like a well oiled machine to get the train back on track, spot on communication and split second decisions to salvage a life-threatening situation. I love this scene
Even more impressively, this is a track based vehicle with no steering. The engineer successfully pulled this off with zero steering capability. All he had was forward, brake, and reverse.
The polar express train has to make it to the other side of the ice before the ice breaks all the way through when the train is at the other side of the ice.
Well the train actually has equal weight on all sides it's basically throwing a wooden board on the ice but the pin was such a small pointed object it got lodged in the ice and broke it
This scene is seared into my brain ever since I saw it as a kid. So much happening at the same time, and the little touches like one of the conductors using his hair pin to fix a crank, really makes it so enthralling.
This scene makes perfect sense when you acknowledge the fact that the train is magic, so of course it wont follow basic laws of physics if not needed to.
I'm just wondering what this whole situation must have been like from the kids inside the coaches. I can only guess thatr they'd be f..king traumatized and or dizzy from being bounced around in those coaches as the train kept veering left and right for that one one in a million chance of RE-railing.
@supermariof0521 I know there's no evidence for this, but I like to imagine The Hobo Ghost was in the train cars, keeping the kids calm. Notice how he constantly protects the passengers of The Polar Express? Always saving people from falling off and, later on, showing Hero Boy the emergency brake on the run away train car. Again, there's no evidence in the film that he kept the kids calm while the train was on the ice, but I just like to think that he did.
There's no way. Not trying to ruin the movie for you but I just had to vent. I've been unable to brake before because my car was sliding on ice and I've fallen on ice a couple times (didn't break a bone or anything) and just seeing an animated train skid on the ice is scary to me. Also, the fact that the kid's ticket blew away so he was considered a stowaway. And then there were the creepy hobo ghost, the puppets and the annoying know-it-all kid, no thanks. I just like the scenes of the train going through the snow and the soundtrack.
One of the best scenes in movie history. As unrealistic as this is, it still shows how powerful steam locomotives are. The Polar Express is indeed a magic train and watching it power through the ice breaking onto the tracks always gives me goosebumps.
Yeah maintenance is gonna be pissed with how fucked the locomotives tires are after this (yes steam trains do have tires their just metal instead of rubber
I don't care about what people think about this scene yes its unrealistic but come on be honest with yourself this was awesome, intense, and thrilling the roller coaster and the ice scene are one of my favorite scenes in The Polar Express
@@supermariof0521 Surely the Know-It-All Kid had something to say about it later when the Hero Boy makes it back to the passenger coach after a spooky encounter with the Scrooge puppet that was being controlled by the hobo. I'm amazed the Scrooge puppet even survived into The Polar Express video game, and believe me I think the gameplay and story was probably the best I've ever seen.
The conductor nearly fall off the train and landed on the ice again like so many years ago when the conductor was a kid and the conductor didn't fall off the train so many years ago and many years later.
At the start the engineer is peeking out his head to see where the track is But later go inside and focus at the braking This shows on how much he trusted the conductor
It's literally just both of them fighting for life (credits to the fireman too) how could you not trust the conductor it's both of them die or everyone survive
Same! Seeing the massive machine slowly moving its wheels and to quickly gain pace is amazing. Despite it being pure fiction, seeing a machine work like that is a beauty. This movie is probably what got me into tanks.
The polar express has be my favorite christmas movie for a long time and i even have a lionel ho scale polar express train to play with for the rest of my life.
Being the school's train autist after this film came out was a goddamn dream. My teacher even asked me to bring in a toy train to put around the classroom Christmas tree and I was the designated engineer for the Christmas season
so let me get this straight... first, Steamer is arguably the only person ever to pull off a J-Turn with a train. And not just a lone locomotive, but an entire, fucking, TRAIN! next he manages to throw it back into "forward" at the exact moment for it to be pointed at the tracks leading towards their original route (instead of just racing off in some random direction) when it straightens out. then with some guidance from the Conductor, he manages to not only slalom the train towards the track, but when the ice finally gives way, the entire train lands perfectly on the submerged rails, with not a single wheel being off-rail. finally, (and this concerns the locomotive more so than Steamer) it being able to pull the entire rolling stock up a 45-degree incline while the whole train - including the locomotive for a brief moment - was almost entirely underwater as if it was a leisurely hike, even as it threw up sparks from the drive wheels when it hit the hill. in short, the train was drifting
Also steamer has probably worked that train for decades and knows literally everything that can happen on the locomotive and tracks and this is 100% not the first time it happened to him
@@heyitsmegokukai I think how everyone reacted, this was 100% their first time. How steamer has a panicked face, how urgent everything is definitely a first
Steamer (engineer) Smokey (fireman) AND the Conductor ALL managed to save themselves and everyone of those kids on board through effective communication and split-second reaction times. One of the most badass scenes of pure adrenaline pumping action I’ve ever seen.
Same actually - though this was the first time I’ve ever seen it. I was just at some Christmas party recently and it was Polar Express themed so it was on in the background, and I saw this scene for the first time. I was astounded to say the least.
Just noticed that when Smokey (the engineer) leans out the window trying to direct the train to the tracks, the locomotive’s wheels aren’t turning. Look at the running gear
I've noticed that there are multiple scenes where the wagons are either not animated and following a straight line or that only a few are animated, making the others disconnect temporarily.
This and the roller coaster bit are very easily the best parts of this movie. As well as honestly two of the best scenes that Robert Zemeckis has ever directed.
When I was a kid, I loved this movie. Looking at it now, while the animation is slightly outdated, it’s not that bad. I’ll be sure that my kids watch this movie. 👌
For anyone not knowing this, one of the various reasons the polar express was able to drift was because it has built in mechanical parts into the wheels suggesting that this isn’t the first time this has happened
The engineers are trying to turn the train around and the train made it to the other side of the ice and the train had to hurry to get to the north pole on time before midnight and when the train arrived at the north pole the train was pulling 20 or 30 cars or more.
My younger self would be relishing in the moment of how awesome this scene is (unrealistic or not still goes hard to this day), ill be making sure my kids and grandkids watch this movie! Love the polar express
This was the most insane yet coolest action scene as a kid and now that I’m older, it is still awesome to watch None of this movie has realistic logic and when you embrace that, you enjoy the experience a lot more, especially scenes like this
For anyone who says "Its completely unrealistic" for this to happen: According to real train engineers, this is technically physically possible, as long as the ice is thick enough and can support the train's weight. Let that sink in for a moment.
The cotter pin would have either side ent to hold it in place. We do the same for Sling loads in Air Assult missions. Also its 100 % possible if the ice were 12 inches or thicker for a train to drive on ice. The only thing i dont understand is the throttle and controls for causing it to be steered
I cannot for the life of me imagine the sheer levels of inner "ohfuckohfuckohfuck" the engineer had that entire time. That and the editing combined with the music is bonkers! Which is why this scene always puts me at the edge of my seat, even after all these years and despite knowing much better about realism than kid me did when I basically broke every year from watching it during christmas!
Can you imagine if Thomas and his friends were all there on the ice with The Polar Express, pulling coaches of their own, while trying to get back on the tracks with him?
This scene is the top one in my list of tv and movie moments I wish I could see again for the first time. So f-kin awesome, the OG drift king right here.
This movie broke a Guinness World Record in 2006 for being the first all-digital capture film, and it amazes me as well how the reception was mixed on the characters as being in the uncanny valley. I get it since computer animation and graphics were still kind of young even years after Toy Story was released in 1995 and the 2000s were not exactly the best in terms of realism yet, but still it's a great movie to rewatch over and over again for Christmas. Man, even year round!
I do believe that the pin cracked the ice but it got bigger trying to follow the weight of the locomotive, especially when the train landed back on its wheels
I rememeber high school sophomore year december 2006 playing this in symphonic eind orchestra in my high achool back in Hawaii for our christmas concert.......though my island doesn't get snow like the Big iskand and Maui, it still got down to 49. I remember seeing parents and kids filing in with cocoa and coffee.......now 18 years later, i still remember the standing ovation we got when we finished. Such an amazing movie and fantastic score 🎄🎁
Smokey used his hairpin to repair the throttle. “What in the name of Mike?” The conductor yells “Get us the blazes out of here!” I love the music as the train goes straight again. I love some sounds the wheels make. He advises: “Keep up with me!” Chris and Holly each grab her ticket. They work together to get the train back on track, before the ice gives way, and manage just as the ice cracks under them. He overhears Chris & Holly & finally punches Holly’s ticket. LE.
I dont give a damn if this scene is nonsensical its still hands down my favorite scene in the whole movie and none of you will ever change my mind on that
1:40 I’m pretty sure that 100% throttle to 0% in half a second; and then the slamming into full forward and full reverse to “steer” the train over the tracks underwater just put a ton of wear and stress on the running gear.
@@its_wheffle Agreed. If Walt Disney himself was in charge of overseeing the production of this movie and it was in live-action, I'm sure he'd make sure to have the locomotive in good condition and not actually go through all of the troubles of riding down a large track made for oversized roller coasters or going through an icy lake out in the north. Hollywood these days, even in the early days of filmmaking in general, has kind of been a bit rough and a little blatant to true steam railroading. Imagine all of the damages and cleanup a railroad/railway company owning the locomotives and rolling stock would have to go through after filming multiple shots a day, week or even a whole year.
This movie is 20 years old and I will stand by my argument that the train engineer has spent a considerable amount of time with his tofu delivery cousin in Japan that lives in the Hakone Mountains.
Can we talk about how great the sound design is?
It was done by the one and only Skywalker Sound.
The film won an award for its sound design.
I want to talk about how amazing the train driver drives on ice with a freaking steam train.
Some of the metal/ice scraping sounds were also used in Titanic during the iceberg scene.
Can we talk about how fire that scene was?
We need to give the engineer props, guys. Even with years of experience that couldn't have been easy
It amazes me seeing the whole train crew work together like a well oiled machine to get the train back on track, spot on communication and split second decisions to salvage a life-threatening situation. I love this scene
The polar express is one of the greatest christmas movies ever made for the holiday season of christmas and christmas is my favorite holiday.
@@AllenHayes-tk8koexactly! I loved this movie as a kid and its a tradition for me to watch it again every Christmas eve
Engineer is so cracked at his job, he can drive a train left to right and back again!
Even more impressively, this is a track based vehicle with no steering. The engineer successfully pulled this off with zero steering capability. All he had was forward, brake, and reverse.
This was without a doubt the dopest (albeit most nonsensical) thing kid me had ever seen. And it still goes extremely hard.
The polar express train has to make it to the other side of the ice before the ice breaks all the way through when the train is at the other side of the ice.
Kinda like how the one ultra sharp piece of a spark plug is enough to shatter a cars window.
I like how the train that weighs hundreds of tons doesn’t break the ice but a tiny piece of metal does
Well the train actually has equal weight on all sides it's basically throwing a wooden board on the ice but the pin was such a small pointed object it got lodged in the ice and broke it
Think of this if you put a balloon on 100 tacs nothing happens but if you put a balloon on 1 tac it pops
Think of the ice as the balloon the train as 100 tacs and the pin as one tac
@@heyitsmegokukai
Thank you for the explanation kind stranger.
Plus it’s a magic train.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate the siderods being animated correctly? I could watch those close-ups all day
I know, right? It is super satisfying!!
I think that scene is why I've been obsessed with operating heavy machinery ever since I was a kid.
Exactly what I was thinking
@@ZeeTheNerdyVampire Tell me about it.
And the fact the model has the sand pipes. They did not need to model that, they are never used in the movie.
This scene is seared into my brain ever since I saw it as a kid. So much happening at the same time, and the little touches like one of the conductors using his hair pin to fix a crank, really makes it so enthralling.
well that's the engineer, the conductor would be the one telling the engineers to go left or right in the scene
@@Tr0llTh3W0rldthe one with the hair would be the fireman as he is not the one driving or giving orders; he'd be shoveling coal.
@Matttrainz07 i got beet to it and he is shoveling thow out the seen keeping that fire going as it chuses thow that coal
This scene makes perfect sense when you acknowledge the fact that the train is magic, so of course it wont follow basic laws of physics if not needed to.
I'm just wondering what this whole situation must have been like from the kids inside the coaches. I can only guess thatr they'd be f..king traumatized and or dizzy from being bounced around in those coaches as the train kept veering left and right for that one one in a million chance of RE-railing.
@supermariof0521 I know there's no evidence for this, but I like to imagine The Hobo Ghost was in the train cars, keeping the kids calm. Notice how he constantly protects the passengers of The Polar Express? Always saving people from falling off and, later on, showing Hero Boy the emergency brake on the run away train car. Again, there's no evidence in the film that he kept the kids calm while the train was on the ice, but I just like to think that he did.
@@supermariof0521That’s exactly what I would have felt
@@supermariof0521 You shoulda seen how they got there.
@@ninjabunnywholivesinsideaw8216 He makes me feel the opposite of calm, ghosts tend to have that effect.
Let's face it, as kids, we all would've wanted to be on this crazy ride.
I was 11 when this movie came out. And I would feel the same way almost as I would if I was invited on the Hogwarts Express
There's no way. Not trying to ruin the movie for you but I just had to vent. I've been unable to brake before because my car was sliding on ice and I've fallen on ice a couple times (didn't break a bone or anything) and just seeing an animated train skid on the ice is scary to me.
Also, the fact that the kid's ticket blew away so he was considered a stowaway. And then there were the creepy hobo ghost, the puppets and the annoying know-it-all kid, no thanks. I just like the scenes of the train going through the snow and the soundtrack.
I wanted to be the one running it. That engineer working overtime would be my magnum opus
@@sarahberkner Sorry to hear this.
@@sarahberknervery cool
One of the best scenes in movie history. As unrealistic as this is, it still shows how powerful steam locomotives are. The Polar Express is indeed a magic train and watching it power through the ice breaking onto the tracks always gives me goosebumps.
Yeah maintenance is gonna be pissed with how fucked the locomotives tires are after this (yes steam trains do have tires their just metal instead of rubber
@@KiRiTO72987 no kidding
I don't care about what people think about this scene yes its unrealistic but come on be honest with yourself this was awesome, intense, and thrilling the roller coaster and the ice scene are one of my favorite scenes in The Polar Express
I'm just wondering what this whole situation must have been like from the kids inside the coaches.
It’s magic just don’t question it you’ll never get an answer
I agree
@@supermariof0521 Surely the Know-It-All Kid had something to say about it later when the Hero Boy makes it back to the passenger coach after a spooky encounter with the Scrooge puppet that was being controlled by the hobo. I'm amazed the Scrooge puppet even survived into The Polar Express video game, and believe me I think the gameplay and story was probably the best I've ever seen.
If people are bitching about a kids movie being unrealistic then they're pathetic humans
Anyone noticed how the conductor held onto the train with only his feet the whole time
The conductor is a Chad, nothing else to be said about him.
@@KuroHebi He even does a beastly dab at 1:41
Tom Hanks doest skip leg day
The conductor nearly fall off the train and landed on the ice again like so many years ago when the conductor was a kid and the conductor didn't fall off the train so many years ago and many years later.
Santa got him those anti grav boots for Christmas😂
At the start the engineer is peeking out his head to see where the track is
But later go inside and focus at the braking
This shows on how much he trusted the conductor
You mean steamer or Smokey?
It's literally just both of them fighting for life (credits to the fireman too) how could you not trust the conductor it's both of them die or everyone survive
@@Fb1_agent-b2oSteamer. Smokey’s the fireman. He used his hairpin to repair the throttle.
Honestly one of the best scenes and soundtracks in this amazing cristmas movie.
The polar express has been slipping on the ice and try to make it to the other side before the ice breaks when the train makes it to the other side.
1:27 is my favorite part. I would ALWAYS rewind it when I was younger.
Same dude
I love the way the wheels turn it's what got me into loving steam trains
@@heyitsmegokukai Heck, Yeah!
Same the wheels
Same!
Seeing the massive machine slowly moving its wheels and to quickly gain pace is amazing. Despite it being pure fiction, seeing a machine work like that is a beauty.
This movie is probably what got me into tanks.
The Polar Express always be my favorite moving no matter how old I get one of the best Christmas movie ever in my opinion. I love that movie so much.
The polar express has be my favorite christmas movie for a long time and i even have a lionel ho scale polar express train to play with for the rest of my life.
Man... 2000s Christmas vibes watching this as a kid in school... I'll never feel those again. take me back 😭
I was in 5th grade when it came out
I wasn’t even 1 when it came out
Being the school's train autist after this film came out was a goddamn dream. My teacher even asked me to bring in a toy train to put around the classroom Christmas tree and I was the designated engineer for the Christmas season
1:38 The driver literally does a 180 with a train on ice to avoid sinking, badass.
And complete with the Thomas The Tank Engine brake sound!
Anyone who can drift a train is badass this scene is so cool 🆒
@@DerekBackofen I'm gonna go try to do that
not to mention the conductor did a sick dab while the train was drifting
I swear one of things I loved most when watching this movie was hearing all the sounds the train made. This scene is a great example.
Problably because most of the engine sounds were recorded from an actual steam locomotive
so let me get this straight...
first, Steamer is arguably the only person ever to pull off a J-Turn with a train. And not just a lone locomotive, but an entire, fucking, TRAIN!
next he manages to throw it back into "forward" at the exact moment for it to be pointed at the tracks leading towards their original route (instead of just racing off in some random direction) when it straightens out. then with some guidance from the Conductor, he manages to not only slalom the train towards the track, but when the ice finally gives way, the entire train lands perfectly on the submerged rails, with not a single wheel being off-rail.
finally, (and this concerns the locomotive more so than Steamer) it being able to pull the entire rolling stock up a 45-degree incline while the whole train - including the locomotive for a brief moment - was almost entirely underwater as if it was a leisurely hike, even as it threw up sparks from the drive wheels when it hit the hill.
in short, the train was drifting
And if none of that happened then we wouldn't have the rest of the movie would we?
Also steamer has probably worked that train for decades and knows literally everything that can happen on the locomotive and tracks and this is 100% not the first time it happened to him
IDK about literally every single wheel being put back on track though... Probably the best luck in the world
@@heyitsmegokukai I think how everyone reacted, this was 100% their first time. How steamer has a panicked face, how urgent everything is definitely a first
@@personal9146well if someone was yelling at me to back an entire train up with no explanation i would also be panicking
A Christmas movie did not need to go this hard
It is Robert Zemekis
Although you can watch it any season like summer winter fall and uhhhhh ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmjmmmmmmm idk…..
@@Twiddlefinger_nuggetspring?
@@Bacteriaboi29no, not suspension part, he forgot season name
Can we just appreciate how badass the Engineer was? He deserves a raise for saving everyone's lives!
Bro had to Lock in 😭🔥
@@playboimar2336He didn’t have a choice! 😅
Steamer (engineer) Smokey (fireman) AND the Conductor ALL managed to save themselves and everyone of those kids on board through effective communication and split-second reaction times.
One of the most badass scenes of pure adrenaline pumping action I’ve ever seen.
first the conductor was an ex Tokyo drifter second the kids in the carriages were like: everything is fine.
The polar express engine and carriages was slipping and sliding across the ice.
Still a guy who can drift a train on ice is really cool 😎
Watched this for the first time since I was a kid (I'm 18 now). I still felt the goosebumps once they landed on the rail.
Same actually - though this was the first time I’ve ever seen it. I was just at some Christmas party recently and it was Polar Express themed so it was on in the background, and I saw this scene for the first time. I was astounded to say the least.
I'm 19 now.
This scene makes literally zero sense but it's still cool as hell
Which a lot of movies could stand to take inspiration from. Random shit for the sake of fun.
Its a magic train :3
@@jas4541ye ;3
It’s magic just don’t question it
Plot armor
Just noticed that when Smokey (the engineer) leans out the window trying to direct the train to the tracks, the locomotive’s wheels aren’t turning. Look at the running gear
I’ve noticed that too!
I've noticed that there are multiple scenes where the wagons are either not animated and following a straight line or that only a few are animated, making the others disconnect temporarily.
It's a small animation mistake that anyone not paying attention would miss
either way, they did put many small details into the movie that I think not many others would have pur
Time?
One of my favourite movies of all time
The polar express is the best Christmas movie to watch at Christmas time each year.
This is Warner Bros.' Magnum Opus of Christmas movies.
Seeing the train navigating through a frozen lake is impressive. This was my absolute favorite scene as a kid!
20 years later and this scene still lives in my head rent free
same, it really is fucking iconic
This has to be the most badass "hold my beer" scene in any scene in any movie in history😂
bro locked in so hard 😭🙏
Hold my hot chocolate
i know its probably the most unrealistic scene in the movie, but man its so awesome
One of the most epic escenes I saw in my childhood
This and the roller coaster bit are very easily the best parts of this movie. As well as honestly two of the best scenes that Robert Zemeckis has ever directed.
When I was a kid, I loved this movie. Looking at it now, while the animation is slightly outdated, it’s not that bad.
I’ll be sure that my kids watch this movie. 👌
This is (and always will be) my favorite Polar Express scene
For anyone not knowing this, one of the various reasons the polar express was able to drift was because it has built in mechanical parts into the wheels suggesting that this isn’t the first time this has happened
Car drivers: Trains can't drift.
Smokey (Engineer): Hold my coal.
Actually Steamer is the engineer. Smokey is the fireman. I looked their names up on Wikipedia.
🤓👆
Get us the "blazes" out of here. They must have recorded an adult version of that line 😂
The engineers are trying to turn the train around and the train made it to the other side of the ice and the train had to hurry to get to the north pole on time before midnight and when the train arrived at the north pole the train was pulling 20 or 30 cars or more.
@@AllenHayes-tk8ko its a magic train
True. Sort of like what LS mark said about what jimmy said about wishing timmy was "gone" in his "the greatest crossover in history".😂😢
1:42 did he just dab?
Bro needed them extra style points
Its seems but in reality was trying to balance his self
@@michaelvelez6699if the train is magical then so is the conductor.
My younger self would be relishing in the moment of how awesome this scene is (unrealistic or not still goes hard to this day), ill be making sure my kids and grandkids watch this movie! Love the polar express
This scene has NO BUSINESS going so hard 🔥🔥
For some reason, I always like the fact that the conductor uses multiple words for right and left
Most likely different languages
@@GhostFrost524And naval tactics too
This was the most insane yet coolest action scene as a kid and now that I’m older, it is still awesome to watch
None of this movie has realistic logic and when you embrace that, you enjoy the experience a lot more, especially scenes like this
1:15 I use this at work a lot.
Ok
For anyone who says "Its completely unrealistic" for this to happen:
According to real train engineers, this is technically physically possible, as long as the ice is thick enough and can support the train's weight.
Let that sink in for a moment.
But,what about the pin?
@Bacteriaboi29 Alright that's admittedly some actual artistic liscence. But hey, it's a movie, what are you gonna do, NOT have drama?
The cotter pin would have either side ent to hold it in place. We do the same for Sling loads in Air Assult missions.
Also its 100 % possible if the ice were 12 inches or thicker for a train to drive on ice.
The only thing i dont understand is the throttle and controls for causing it to be steered
@Bacteriaboi29it had a more focused point of impact so it pierced the ice
This is the best scene in the movie for me because the animations on the train are so good and the music in the background!
2:27 When the ominous chorus joins in it really adds into the tension in the scene
Imagine being 10 and seeing this in theaters I’d lose my mind
I was 11 when it came out and I know how you feel. I didn’t know entirely the kind of Christmas movie I was in for.
I was 11 too
Then you know exactly how those of us who did felt, because I know it blew my mind.
This the hardest shit ever to be put out on cinema
😂💯
They really just dropped the hardest drift scene in cinema history
nothing can drift like a train
@@jimmyg3835expect this one
This is one of my favorite scenes in the movie. It always gives me goosebumps.
I cannot for the life of me imagine the sheer levels of inner "ohfuckohfuckohfuck" the engineer had that entire time. That and the editing combined with the music is bonkers! Which is why this scene always puts me at the edge of my seat, even after all these years and despite knowing much better about realism than kid me did when I basically broke every year from watching it during christmas!
I remember always recreating this scene in the kitchen with my Tomy Thomas toys. I always used Henry as The Polar Express
Can you imagine if Thomas and his friends were all there on the ice with The Polar Express, pulling coaches of their own, while trying to get back on the tracks with him?
I’ve probably watched this clip 1000 times in under a week
My Whole Family Loved This Scene
This scene is the top one in my list of tv and movie moments I wish I could see again for the first time. So f-kin awesome, the OG drift king right here.
Engineers have to give the medal for this
When I first saw this particular scene, my heart was literally pounding the whole time.
This scene has no right to go this hard.
Seeing this scene at the movie theater during my 2nd grade field trip was such a breathtaking experience
They used the locomotive's wheels as ice skates. There's why i love this scene.
How the hell did i not realize this was animated til 18 years later lmao
I always thought it was live action
To be fair, it was Motion-Capture. That’s about as close as you get to merging the lines between Live Action and Animation.
This movie broke a Guinness World Record in 2006 for being the first all-digital capture film, and it amazes me as well how the reception was mixed on the characters as being in the uncanny valley. I get it since computer animation and graphics were still kind of young even years after Toy Story was released in 1995 and the 2000s were not exactly the best in terms of realism yet, but still it's a great movie to rewatch over and over again for Christmas. Man, even year round!
1:24- I still end up quoting that to this day…
Gotta love how the combined multi hundred tonne locomotives and carriages don’t go thought the ice but that tiny pin shatters it
I do believe that the pin cracked the ice but it got bigger trying to follow the weight of the locomotive, especially when the train landed back on its wheels
1:38 1:47 2:06 2:12 2:19 2:25 2:30 2:34 The sounds, the wheels, everything in these moments are amazing! This is why I especially love steam trains today!
I do too!
Same here. This movie came out a couple months before I was born.
1:47 when you’re trying to escape the police in nfs heat
If this happened in real life I don’t think the train would've made it to the other side in time.
I don’t think it would’ve made it through the roller coaster scene 🤣
They almost didn’t, actually. They managed to get the train back on track, literally, just as the ice collapsed.
@@olivijastrandjord ik
It's magic 👌👌
Ice can be dangerous and really slippery but the polar express made it through without any troubles crossing the ice.
Oh your Honda can drift? How cute. Watch what my Lima Berkshire can do
Didn't expect to see one of my favorite youtubers in this comment section
Oh your black and white 1974 Dodge Sedan blues mobile can drift from the Blues Brothers? Absolutely groundbreaking. Watch what my Soviet AA20 can do.
I will forever be amazed by just how beautiful the polar express is, like the absolute detail puts practically everything to shame
I love how everyone else on the train was completely fine after all this
I rememeber high school sophomore year december 2006 playing this in symphonic eind orchestra in my high achool back in Hawaii for our christmas concert.......though my island doesn't get snow like the Big iskand and Maui, it still got down to 49. I remember seeing parents and kids filing in with cocoa and coffee.......now 18 years later, i still remember the standing ovation we got when we finished. Such an amazing movie and fantastic score 🎄🎁
One of the best scenes in animated history right here. So much level of detail.
Yang (Yin Yang Yo): "Look there!"
Diane Foxington: (Sees railroad tracks up ahead) "Tracks! Dead ahead!"
Im 21 and almost 22 but this scene is still stuck in my brain. These line deliveries are second to none and help this scene out so much.
1:40 my favorite scene in the entire movie
Whoever came up with the idea of a steam locomotive drifting on an ice lake deserves some kind of award.
Smokey used his hairpin to repair the throttle. “What in the name of Mike?” The conductor yells “Get us the blazes out of here!” I love the music as the train goes straight again. I love some sounds the wheels make. He advises: “Keep up with me!” Chris and Holly each grab her ticket. They work together to get the train back on track, before the ice gives way, and manage just as the ice cracks under them. He overhears Chris & Holly & finally punches Holly’s ticket. LE.
God the shots of the drive wheels stopping and going the other way is so fucking good
I dont give a damn if this scene is nonsensical its still hands down my favorite scene in the whole movie and none of you will ever change my mind on that
1:40 I’m pretty sure that 100% throttle to 0% in half a second; and then the slamming into full forward and full reverse to “steer” the train over the tracks underwater just put a ton of wear and stress on the running gear.
Unfortunately yes, this movie does not do a lot of justice for genuine train mechanics.
Can we have a moment of silence for the flanges?
@@its_wheffle Agreed. If Walt Disney himself was in charge of overseeing the production of this movie and it was in live-action, I'm sure he'd make sure to have the locomotive in good condition and not actually go through all of the troubles of riding down a large track made for oversized roller coasters or going through an icy lake out in the north. Hollywood these days, even in the early days of filmmaking in general, has kind of been a bit rough and a little blatant to true steam railroading. Imagine all of the damages and cleanup a railroad/railway company owning the locomotives and rolling stock would have to go through after filming multiple shots a day, week or even a whole year.
@@crftrainzandgaming However. Can we appreciate that the running gear IS ANIMATED PROPERLY.
This was the coolest shit my childhood has ever witnessed
While this scene is bonkers! Its still pretty damn awesome. The engineer drifted a train for christ sake.
My favorite scene in the whole movie
The sounds when the train slide on the ice are the same boises used in Titanic when it hits the iceberg
Normal people: we can drift cars
Conductor and engineer: alright kids stand back
0:37 me when there is a group project
0:15 IS THIS PIN THE SQUIRREL FROM ICE AGE!?!?
Nah, it's that Squirrel's Acorn from Ige Age!
Polar express is in WWE
@@sunnnyfactory what?
@ WHATTTTT
@ yo replied too soon
This gave me my love of trains being a kid
This movie is 20 years old and I will stand by my argument that the train engineer has spent a considerable amount of time with his tofu delivery cousin in Japan that lives in the Hakone Mountains.
0:52 Brake sound from Thomas and friends
As a kid I always thought “toss a ritchie!” Was “toss it with chili!”
0:02 0:07 0:18 0:53 2:19 3:16 the sound animation is so incredible
Im just hearing the "GAS GAS GASSS IMMA STEP ON THE GAS" in my ears
Always wondered if it was. Possible to control a steam locomotive’s wheels independently on each side like a tank
No you can't 😅
There's only only three switches for driver to control the train:
Throttle, Brake, and reverse switch
The axels and Axel rods would literally never let that happen
I love this movie!!!
0:12 this part always made me laugh.
I love these goofy methed up conductors so much 😂
GET US THE BLAZES OUTTA HERE!!!
1:27
I assumed I would find this super cringe rewatching it like 10 years after I first did but it still goes so hard
1:24
Conductor: GET US THE BLAZES OUT OF HERE!!!!
This is the scene that reminds you this movie was directed by Robert Zemeckis. It has the exact same energy as the lightning strike scene form BTTF
And this movie introduced me to his creative genius!
Just hearing the train shift from fowerd into reverse. it makes me happy that I was born to see this movie