Few holiday films have managed to achieve the timeless, almost ritualistic appeal of The Polar Express. Since its release in 2004, the animated Christmas classic has become a seasonal favorite for children and adults alike, returning year after year on television and streaming platforms. While its magical story, snowy visuals, and heartwarming message play a major role in its longevity, one of the most fascinating aspects of the film often goes unnoticed: Tom Hanks played six different characters in the movie, including Santa Claus himself.
The film is based on the beloved 1985 picture book by Chris Van Allsburg, which tells the story of a young boy whose extraordinary train journey to the North Pole restores his belief in Santa Claus. Despite the book’s popularity, Van Allsburg initially doubted whether the story could ever be successfully adapted for the big screen. The book lacked talking toys, slapstick humor, or pop-culture jokes—elements often considered essential for animated children’s films at the time. He was also skeptical that animation could create convincing human characters without drifting into caricature.
That changed when Tom Hanks expressed interest in bringing The Polar Express to life. In 2001, Hanks approached Van Allsburg about adapting the book, and it became clear early on that the actor wanted to make something faithful, sincere, and visually distinctive. The goal was not to modernize the story with trendy humor, but to preserve the quiet wonder and emotional depth that made the book special. When the author finally saw the finished film, he felt the movie didn’t just resemble the book—it gave it new life.
A New Kind of Animation Technology
To achieve this vision, Hanks teamed up with director Robert Zemeckis, who was determined to avoid the exaggerated look of traditional animation while also steering clear of live-action limitations. The solution was performance capture technology, which was more advanced than standard motion capture available at the time.
Instead of only tracking body movement, performance capture recorded an actor’s entire physical presence, including subtle facial expressions. Tom Hanks wore a specialized suit covered with up to 150 reflective markers, allowing every movement—from a raised eyebrow to a shift in posture—to be digitally recorded and transferred to animated characters.
Zemeckis wanted the film to exist in a visual space somewhere between realism and animation. A fully live-action version would have been astronomically expensive and technically impractical, while conventional animation wouldn’t have delivered the emotional realism he was aiming for. Performance capture offered a middle ground, allowing human performances to shine through animated forms.
Six Characters, One Actor
What truly sets The Polar Express apart is the sheer number of roles Tom Hanks performed. He didn’t just lend his voice—he physically acted out six distinct characters, each with their own personality, posture, and rhythm.
Hanks played three of the film’s most prominent adult figures:
- The Conductor – Stern, mysterious, and authoritative, guiding the children on their magical journey.
- The Hobo – A ghostly, unsettling figure who lives atop the train and challenges the children’s fears.
- Santa Claus – Warm, commanding, and quietly magical in the film’s emotional climax.
As the Hobo, Hanks also voiced a Scrooge-like puppet that appears in a pivotal moment, further showcasing his range.
Perhaps the most surprising role Hanks played was the film’s protagonist, credited simply as the Hero Boy. While a young actor provided the child’s voice, the body language, facial expressions, and emotional beats came from Hanks. His movements were digitally scaled down to match the boy’s size, allowing the character to feel authentic and emotionally grounded.
Hanks also portrayed the Hero Boy’s father and served as the film’s narrator, bringing his total number of characters to six.
Keeping Track of So Many Roles
Managing so many characters on set was no easy task. Each role required a different physical mindset, and since the actors wore capture suits instead of costumes most of the time, Hanks had to rely on muscle memory and small physical cues to stay grounded in each performance.
He famously changed his shoes depending on which character he was playing. Different footwear helped him adjust his posture and movement—subtle shifts that made a major difference once translated into animation. Because actors only wore their characters’ actual costumes once for reference, remembering these physical distinctions became essential.
While Zemeckis initially joked about Hanks playing every single role in the film, practical limitations made that impossible. There were only so many characters one actor could realistically manage in a single day. Still, the roles Hanks did take on were intentionally designed to be as different from one another as possible, making the challenge creatively rewarding rather than overwhelming.
A Technology That Changed Filmmaking
Beyond its immediate success, The Polar Express became an important milestone in the evolution of performance capture technology. The film proved that animated characters could retain human subtlety and emotional depth without being fully photorealistic.
The movie went on to earn over $300 million worldwide, cementing its place as a holiday box office powerhouse. Over the years, repeated cable broadcasts and streaming availability introduced it to entirely new generations, turning it into a Christmas tradition for many families.
Zemeckis continued exploring performance capture in later projects, including Beowulf and A Christmas Carol. The technology would eventually be embraced on an even larger scale by filmmakers like James Cameron, who used it extensively throughout the Avatar franchise.
Decades later, Hanks and Zemeckis reunited once again to push technological boundaries, this time using digital de-aging techniques in the 2024 drama Here. Their long-running collaboration remains a testament to how storytelling and innovation can evolve together.
A Christmas Classic That Keeps Rolling
More than twenty years after its release, The Polar Express continues to resonate because it never talks down to its audience. Its sincerity, emotional restraint, and belief in wonder feel increasingly rare. Tom Hanks’ multi-layered performance—hidden beneath layers of animation—plays a huge role in that lasting impact.
By giving six distinct characters a shared emotional core, Hanks helped transform a simple children’s book into a cinematic experience that still rings true every holiday season. Like the bell that only believers can hear, the magic of The Polar Express hasn’t faded—it just keeps ringing.