As you might have been able to tell by now, I’m slightly obsessed with The Polar Express, both the movie and the book. Christmas time was extremely important to me as a kid, and this Chris Van Allsburg masterpiece (in my humble opinion) has worked its way into my family’s annual Christmas traditions in a number of ways.

Today I thought I’d write about some of the more interesting facts about this Christmas classic that you might not know.

1: Hero Boy actually does have a name (sort of)

Although Hero Boy is never given a name in either the book or the movie, there are several art books that refer to him as Chris, most likely after the author, Chriss Van Allsburg. Tom Hanks also referred to Hero Boy as Chris in a behind-the-scenes interview.

2: It was the first full-length film made entirely with motion capture

While previous films had used motion capture for some scenes and sequences before, The Polar Express was the first full-length Hollywood film to only use motion capture for all of the characters. This earned it a spot in the Guinness Book of Records as a groundbreaking film in this regard.

3: Tom Hanks is the hero of the show, seven times over

Tom Hanks really showed off his range and talents in this Christmas classic! He plays a full seven different characters in the movie, including Hero Boy, his father, the enigmatic train conductor (my favourite), the hobo, Santa Claus, the Scrooge puppet, and the role of the narrator.

4: You can ride The Polar Express yourself!

While I couldn’t find any real magical trains to the north pole myself, there are a lot of railways around the world that offer the next best thing. Theme parks and railways from as far as the Grand Canyon and the Badlands of Canada, recreate the experience year after year, allowing children, and their childlike parents, to discover the magic of Christmas again.

5: Watch out for the Back to the Future references

The director of The Polar Express, Robert Zemeckis, hid plenty of easter eggs referring to his biggest hit, Back to the Future, in The Polar Express. From the newspaper clipping about Santas on strike at Twin Pines Mall (where Marty McFly first travelled to in BttF), the flux capacitor hidden in the locomotive, and Hero Boy saying “I’ve wanted to do that my whole life!”, he just couldn’t help but give sharp-eyed viewers something to get excited about.

6: The Polar Express is modelled after a real train

When the animators of The Polar Express were looking for inspiration for what the train should look and sound like, they found the Pere Marquette 1225. At the time, it was one of the biggest steam trains operating in the US; and it served as a base model for the look and sounds of the movie version.

7: No one knows how long The Polar Express train is

The first time we see The Polar Express, as it pulls up outside Hero Boy’s house, we can clearly count five carriages. In the author’s original illustrations it varies between 2 and 8 cars. While it’s travelling up Corkscrew Mountain, we can count between 18 and 20 cars. Where do these extra cars come from? What is their purpose? I guess only the conductor would ever know.

8: The elves know the children’s names, but we don’t

When the children finally make it to the north pole and into Santa’s toy factory, they catch sight of some elves monitoring children around the world to see if they’ve been naughty or nice. All the children on their screens are named, but in spite of this, the only child whose name we learn in the movie is Billy.

9: The Polar Express runs on magic time

In real life, trains tend to operate on strict schedules with precise times. It seems that magical ones don’t have this restriction though, as the conductor repeatedly pulls out a pocket watch to check up on their progress. Instead of actually showing the time, it only indicates whether they are late, on time, or early. Could we make this the standard everywhere?

10: The soundtrack is as magical as the story

The Polar Express features a rich and varied soundtrack, filled with classic Christmas carols and original compositions. One of its biggest hits is ‘Believe’ performed by the incredibly talented Josh Groban. This title was the first ever in animated film history to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Since then, it’s been covered by various artists and it’s as popular today as when it was released.

There you have it. A list of 10 of my favourite things you might not have known about this Christmas hit. Next time you watch it, keep your eyes peeled to see if you can spot these easter eggs and hidden nods for yourself.