Summary
- Producer Gary Goetzman reveals that The Polar Express 2 is being "worked out."
- It's not clear the sequel will actually happen due to the mixed reviews and poor box office of the original.
- Advances in technology mean that now might be the right time to bring a Polar Express sequel to life.
The Polar Express 2 is now in development, 20 years after the original hit theaters. Released in 2004, director Robert Zemeckis' The Polar Express, which is based on a book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg, chronicles one young boy's journey on Christmas Eve to the North Pole aboard the titular train. The animated movie features Tom Hanks voicing multiple characters, and was made using what was, at the time, a novel animation style.
Now, producer Gary Goetzman tells ComicBook.com that The Polar Express 2 is in the works. Unfortunately, however, the producer doesn't provide any indication regarding how far along this development is or how likely the movie is to actually come to fruition. Check out Goetzman's full comment below when asked about the possibility of a sequel to Zemeckis' Christmas movie:
"Listen, I'd love to. I'd love to do a sequel of Where The Wild Things Are. There's a lot of the things that we've done, if it established itself, branded itself, those movies, studios want another one. That's the way it goes. I'm up for Mamma Mia 3, man. That would be a ball to do right about now. 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."
Will The Polar Express 2 Actually Happen?
Why It Might Be The Right Time For A Sequel
A movie being in development is far from a movie actually getting the green light, and there are several factors that could be standing in the way of a sequel actually happening. Despite the talents of The Polar Express' cast, reviews for the film were mixed, at best, and the film currently holds a middling 56% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score is a little higher at 64%, and the IMDb user score is fairly similar at 6.6 out of 10, with neither suggesting that the movie totally struck a chord with general movie-goers.
There is no Polar Express 2 book, meaning the sequel would seemingly be an original story.
The Polar Express's box office was also disappointing. Made on a record-breaking budget of $165 million, the film managed to earn just over $314 million worldwide. Despite holding an IMAX box office record until Avatar's release in 2009, this still isn't the type of performance that would normally lead to a sequel. It's possible, however, that The Polar Express has since become a hit on home video and streaming.
While it's certainly fair to question why a sequel to The Polar Express is in development, now might also be the perfect time to revisit the world of the film. The Polar Express's animated characters were widely criticized for their "Uncanny Valley" appearance, with Zemeckis opting to give the characters a lifelike look without technology that could achieve this. Now, however, advances in technology mean that, if The Polar Express 2 does happen, it could avoid one of the biggest complaints about the original.
The Polar Express is currently available to stream on AMC Plus.
Source: ComicBook.com
The Polar Express
G
Animation
Adventure
Fantasy
Holiday
Based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg, The Polar Express is an animated holiday-fantasy film by director Robert Zemeckis. A young boy is spirited away on Christmas Eve aboard the magical Polar Express, where he meets new friends on a journey to rediscover their belief in Christmas.
- Release Date
- November 10, 2004
- Director
- Robert Zemeckis
- Cast
- Tom Hanks , Daryl Sabara , Nona Gaye , Jimmy Bennett , Eddie Deezen , Peter Scolari , Michael Jeter
- Runtime
- 100 Minutes
- Writers
- Robert Zemeckis , William Broyles Jr.
- Budget
- $165 Million
- Studio(s)
- Castle Rock Entertainment , Shangri-La Entertainment , Playtone , ImageMovers , Golden Mean
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros. Pictures
