Word on the Street: Could a Sequel to ‘The Polar Express’ Come to a Theater Near You?

On By 18cinemalane

While conducting research for this year’s Sally Solves a Mystery article, I came across an interesting movie news story from the website, ComicBook. Gary Goetzman, one of the producers of the 2004 Christmas film, The Polar Express, is eager to work on a sequel for the aforementioned movie. Despite the excitement, Gary recognizes the challenges of creating a sequel twenty years after the first film. In an article written by Brandon Davis, Gary talks about his film-making plans, stating, “But it becomes, there’s so much involved with, ‘Who’s artistic property would that be? Would that be?’ It’s just not like, ‘Hey, let’s go do another free sailing! So, they all take time and that’s okay because we don’t mind things going slowly. But that is trying to be worked out now, for sure, Polar 2. Yes.”

Railway Train image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/hand-drawn-train-retro-background_1112415.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background vector created by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com.

When I first heard of this piece of movie news, two thoughts came to mind. The first thought was how will the creative team behind a sequel to The Polar Express prevent the film from looking dated? One reason why The Polar Express is such a note-worthy title in cinematic history is the motion capture technology that was applied to the film. In 2004, that style of film-making was revolutionary, viewed then as “ahead of its time”. But twenty years later, some people have criticized The Polar Express for appearing as “uncanny valley” due to how fluid technology is. The second thought was how a sequel to The Polar Express likely won’t have long term success at the box office. 2024 will be oversaturated with sequels, with about twenty-three sequels planning to premiere in theaters. Some notable sequels received disappointing box office results in 2023, such as Fast X, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Shazam: Fury of the Gods. With that said, I think Gary Goetzman should take the money, time, and energy that would have gone toward a sequel to The Polar Express and adapt a different Christmas story.

Santa stationary image created by Freepik at freepik.com. <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/free-vector/creative-christmas-letter-and-envelope-template_3281562.htm’>Designed by Freepik</a>. <a href=”https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/christmas”>Christmas vector created by Freepik</a>. Image found at freepik.com. 

What are your thoughts on this piece of movie news? Do you like the idea of The Polar Express receiving a sequel? Tell me in the comment section!

Have fun at the movies!

Sally Silverscreen

Link to the referenced article: https://comicbook.com/movies/news/polar-express-2-development-gary-goetzman-tom-hanks/

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