The Polar Express

On Saturday, instead of writing 1,526 words of my novel, I was laughing my head off at a screening of The Polar Express, the new computer-animated Christmas movie with Tom Hanks.

I laughed at the animation because it was sheer eye candy. Thanks to motion capture, the humans looked more realistic in their subtle facial expressions and movements, like walking through the snow. Although they were incredible, Gollum is still my favorite character using that digital process.

I laughed joyfully at the journey of the train ticket, a wildly imaginative tale within a tale. With wolves, waterfalls and an eagle, it provided some of the most breathtaking animation.

I laughed hysterically at the random musical sequences. One involved acrobatic waiters singing and tumbling while pouring hot chocolate for children on a high-speed train. Thank goodness for suspended disbelief. The other involved two children singing "When Christmas Comes To Town", which I'm sure is a nice song, but the Scrooge in me thinks it tried too hard to be an endearing Christmas carol.

I laughed at the elves because they were scary. Some had Brooklyn accents, some sounded like munchkins and one was Steven Tyler of Aerosmith. Tyler as a human is freaky. Tyler as a scary elf screaming a Christmas song is just wrong.

I laughed at the end because I knew what was going to happen, yet I wanted it to happen anyway. As we grow up and learn the "truth" about the big guy in red, something magical is lost. It's nice to think that children, on the brink of not believing, will watch the movie and have their faith renewed, if only for another season.

Somewhere inside, I want to believe that I still believe in the man with all the toys. I want to believe that on Christmas Eve, he will land on my roof without leaving hoof prints or skid marks, bypass my home's security system, fit through the exhaust flue of my energy-efficient gas fireplace and place a present under my fake tree (an iPod or Powerbook, if you happen to be reading this, hint hint). Deep down, I want to believe that if I were to hold a sleigh bell up to my ear and shake it, I could hear it ring.

On Tuesday, I'll be skipping another chance to write 1,526 words to see the movie again, but this time in IMAX 3D. It should be great, except for the Steven Tyler scene.