The problem is not really to do with Silvestri’s score, or the excellence of the musical aspect of the songs, but with Glen Ballard’s lyrics, and with the vocal performance of Tom Hanks.
#THE POLAR EXPRESS SOUNDTRACK OPENING TITLES FULL#
The six-minute suite acts as an all-encompassing round-up of the score’s main themes, from another version of the “Believe” theme (this time with a full choir, which makes it sound even more like Edward Scissorhands) to the bold and jazzy “Polar Express” theme, with its rousing, caper-like effervescence and echoes of Roger Rabbit the light, childlike orchestral version of “When Christmas Comes To Town” and a second, sumptuous performance of “Spirit of the Season” without lyrics. “Seeing is Believing” builds from a mysterious, Elfmanesque celeste opening and a bold rhythmic middle section into enormous full-orchestral renditions of both ‘Jingle Bells’ and ‘Deck The Halls’, before concluding with a lush rendition of the lovely “Believe” theme (the basis of the Josh Groban song of the same name). “Spirit of the Season” is Silvestri’s own original Christmas carol, a kindred spirit to John Williams’s “Star of Bethlehem”, with a soaring mixed-voice choir singing festive lyrics over a stirring, twinkly orchestral anthem which receives a rapturous, string-led refrain towards the end of the cue. Scores like Williams’s Home Alone, Elfman’s Edward Scissorhands and Bruce Broughton’s Miracle on 34th Street have it, and so does The Polar Express. I’m a sucker for Christmas music, and all the wonderful clichés it brings: soaring brasses, magical strings, choirs, chimes and sleigh bells, and that overall sense of warmth and whimsy. Three cuts of Silvestri’s score – “Spirit of the Season”, “Seeing is Believing” and “Suite from The Polar Express” – appear on the Warner album, amounting to just over 12 minutes of orchestral music. The cantankerous but kindly conductor invites the boy on board to accompany several other children on a magical journey to prove that Santa does exist, and that the spirit of the season is alive and well in those who still believe.Ĭontinuing with the most fruitful directorial collaboration of his career, Alan Silvestri caps off a stellar year with one of the best outright scores of his career.
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However, late on Christmas Eve night, while the boy is lying in bed listening for the sound of reindeer hooves on the roof, he is amazed to discover a steam engine pulling up outside his bedroom window. Using the revolutionary “motion capture” technique that brought Gollum to life in Lord of the Rings, state-of-the-art animation, and featuring Tom Hanks in a number of vocal roles, The Polar Express brings to life the adventures of a nameless little boy who has come to believe that Santa Claus does not exist. A film surely destined to be a future Christmas classic, Robert Zemeckis’s film version of Chris Von Allsberg’s children’s tale The Polar Express is one of the most anticipated films of late 2004.