I took my children to see this film when it first came out at the cinema. It was just a few days before xmas and I had been running round like a headless chicken - as most of us are.

I didnt really know what to expect as it was an animated/CGI film with Tom Hanks narrating as a number of characters.

The young boy in it has stopped "believing" in Father Christmas and is obviously quite down and a bit bitter.

On Xmas Eve - he is in bed when he hears a train approaching right outside his house (The Polar Express) . Of course he goes outside in to the snow to investigate.

He is invited to hop on board by the conductor (Hanks, to go to the North Pole. When he gets on he finds a number of other children on board who again - all no longer believe.

There journey is full of hazzards and problems and the young lad tries to escape. He meets a "ghost" tramp (again narrated by Hanks) who offers him words of wisdom.

They eventually make it to the North Pole to find the hundreds of elves preparing Santa's sleigh with toys etc and getting ready for Santa to give the "gift of xmas" before setting off on his travels.

Of course some of the children want to know if they are getting presents and what they may be...so they go off on their own investigating. Of course this backfires and they end up on a long trip and eventually onto a shute down onto the large pile of presents on the sleigh.

They are rescued by the elves and then there is the final ceremony where the man himself appears (Hanks). The reindeer are restless and ready to go and as they are jumping up and down one of the bells falls off the reigns. The boy picks it up and shakes it - but cannot hear anything.

Santa then asks who he sould select to give the gift of xmas to and selects the boy.

It ends up with the boy asking for the bell as a gift. If he received this - he would surely believe.

The train goes back and drops all the children back at home. The boy wakes Xmas Day and wonders was it all a dream?? Until he finds a the bell wrapped up under the tree! He shakes it - and can hear the ring of the bell again! He believes again.

It is quite funny at the end when the parents pick the bell up and shake it and hear nothing.......

It certainly put me in the mood for Xmas and made me "believe" again in the spirit of Xmas.