The original film, directed by Robert Zemeckis and co-written by Zemeckis and William Broyles Jr., received mixed reviews upon its release. While some critics praised it as an "instant Christmas classic," others criticized the characters as being "lifeless zombies."
The Polar Express has since become a cultural phenomenon, with its animation style and story frequently referenced in mainstream media and social media discussions amongst fans. The film utilized a combination of live-action and motion capture computer animation to bring its human characters to life, with Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks leading the cast. It went on to achieve success at the box office, earning a worldwide gross of $314.2 million from a budget of approximately $165-170 million.
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As Gary Goetzman sets his sights on a sequel to this holiday classic, fans eagerly await the continuation of the magical adventure that captivated audiences over a decade ago.
As per Goetzman's statement, the production team behind the original Polar Express film is actively pursuing the development of Polar Express 2, despite potential challenges. Goetzman expressed his enthusiasm for the sequel, mentioning that there are numerous other classic films that he and his team would like to revisit with either a sequel or a prequel. He specifically mentioned his interest in creating a sequel for the book-based film "Where The Wild Things Are." However, he acknowledged that the process of developing sequels involves various complexities, including determining the ownership of artistic property. It's not merely a matter of deciding to proceed with another project without any limitations. This means that the development of sequels takes time.
Since there was never a sequel to the original children's book, a "Polar Express" sequel would require a whole new storyline to be written from scratch.
Source: Dailymail