10 Hidden Scenes in The Polar Express

Following is our collection of The Polar Express facts. Handpicked and verified, these little-known details can be obscure enough most people will miss. These behind the scene easter eggs and hidden messages will give you another view of The Polar Express film message.

The turn radius of the track on this uphill spiral is so tight that the train cars have to bend.
The turn radius of the track on this uphill spiral is so tight that the train cars have to bend.

Just before the main character finally declares, "I believe," depending on your speakers, you may or may not have been able to hear a barely audible voice inside the bell whispering to him, "Doubter... Doubter..."

The Polar Express Movie Trivia Facts

These trivia from Reddit and other sources can be used as questions with answers in quizzes or games.

  1. Just before the train arrives, the boy's clock stops at exactly five minutes to midnight. Later, near the end of the movie, the know-it-all boy notes "it was five minutes to midnight four minutes ago," meaning time was frozen for almost the entire movie.

  2. The main characters ticket is the only one punched behind the conductors back - highlighting the fact that believing isn't about what you can see.

The Polar Express Easter Eggs

Hidden objects, characters, easter eggs, and their meanings are wonderful ways to discover the filmmaker's perspectives of any given movie.

  • 1 - As the train begins to enter the North Pole, a memorial statue to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is briefly seen out of the window.
    As the train begins to enter the North Pole, a memorial statue to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is briefly seen out of the window.

  • The amount of train cars never stays consistent

  • 1 - After being seperated from the rest of the passengers, the three protagonists try to regroup with the train. Near the city center, the Girl and Billy hear bells ringing but the Boy can't. However a record is repeating the lines "Ring-a-ling" clueing the audience to the bells.
    After being seperated from the rest of the passengers, the three protagonists try to regroup with the train. Near the city center, the Girl and Billy hear bells ringing but the Boy can't. However a record is repeating the lines "Ring-a-ling" clueing the audience to the bells.

The Polar Express Hidden Facts

When the boy and the hobo are skiing down the top of the train you can see the light flickering on the front of the train before the engineers change it in the next scene.

When the boy puts the bell from Santa in his pocket, there is a subtle thud as it falls through and hits the sleigh floor (1:42 in this video)

The Polar Express poster
The Polar Express poster

The Polar Express Plot

On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.

Cast and Details

Here are the full cast and crew of The Polar Express. The goofs, crazy credits, and trivia they have performed may have not taken your attention. Some are hidden for a reason, while others randomly forgotten.

Genre Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy, Musical
Director Robert Zemeckis
Stars Tom Hanks, Leslie Zemeckis, Eddie Deezen, Nona Gaye
IMDB score 6.6

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