The Polar Express is a 2004 motion capture computer-animated film based on the children's book of the same title by Chris Van Allsburg. Written, produced, and directed by Robert Zemeckis, the human characters in the film were animated using live action performance capture technique, with the exception of the waiters who dispense hot chocolate on the train, because their feats were impossible for live actors to achieve. Performance capture technology incorporates the movements of live actors into animated characters. The film stars Daryl Sabara, Nona Gaye, Jimmy Bennett, and Eddie Deezen, with... Tom Hanks in six distinct roles. The film also included a performance by Tinashe at age 9, who later gained exposure as a pop singer in 2010, as the CGI-model for "Hero Girl". The film was produced by Castle Rock Entertainment in association with Shangri-La Entertainment, ImageMovers, Playtone and Golden Mean, for Warner Bros. The visual effects and performance capture were done at Sony Pictures Imageworks. The studio first released the $170 million film in both conventional and IMAX 3D theaters on Wednesday, November 10, 2004.
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| Release date: | October 21, 2004 |
| Directed by: | Robert Zemeckis |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 100 Minutes |
| Producer: | Robert Zemeckis, Gary Goetzman, Steve Starkey, William Teitler |
| Editor: | Jeremiah O'Driscoll, R. Orlando Duenas |
| Music by: | Alan Silvestri |
| Cinematography: | Don Burgess, Robert Presley |
| Screenplay by: | Robert Zemeckis, William Broyles Jr. |
| Estimated budget: | $150,000,000 |
| Adapted from: | The Polar Express |
| Genre: | Fantasy, Animation |