A train stopping outside your house at midnight is usually a problem. In The Polar Express, it is the start of a beautiful trip, several close calls, and 120 questions about the book and 2004 movie.
Chris Van Allsburg’s Original Book
Q: Who wrote and illustrated The Polar Express?
A: Chris Van Allsburg wrote and illustrated it.
Q: In what year was The Polar Express published?
A: It was published in 1985.
Q: Which publisher released the original book?
A: Houghton Mifflin published it.
Q: What form does The Polar Express take?
A: It is an illustrated children's picture book.
Q: Who narrates the story?
A: An unnamed boy recounts his childhood Christmas Eve journey as an adult.
Q: On what night does the train arrive?
A: It arrives on Christmas Eve.
Q: Where is the boy when he first hears the train?
A: He is lying quietly in bed and listening for Santa's sleigh bells.
Q: What does the boy initially expect to hear?
A: He expects the sound of sleigh bells.
Q: What sound does he hear instead?
A: He hears hissing steam and squealing metal from a train.
Q: Where has the train stopped?
A: It has stopped in the street outside his house.
Q: What is written on the train?
A: The words Polar Express identify it.
Q: Who invites the boy aboard?
A: The conductor invites him.
Q: Where is the train going?
A: It is traveling to the North Pole.
Q: Who is already aboard the passenger cars?
A: Other children in pajamas and nightclothes are aboard.
Q: What refreshments are served on the train?
A: The children receive hot chocolate and candy.
Q: What weather surrounds the train during its journey?
A: It travels through cold forests, mountains, and snowy northern wilderness.
Q: What animals does the train pass in the book?
A: It passes wolves and other creatures in the snowy landscape.
Q: What enormous natural setting does the train cross?
A: It crosses mountains and a vast polar ice cap.
Q: How is the North Pole portrayed?
A: It is a huge city filled with factories, elves, and Christmas preparations.
Q: Why have the children traveled to the North Pole?
A: They will witness Santa choose the first gift of Christmas.
Q: Who selects the child who receives the first gift?
A: Santa Claus selects the narrator.
Q: What gift does the boy request?
A: He requests a silver bell from Santa's sleigh.
Q: Where does Santa cut the bell from?
A: He cuts it from one of the reindeer's harnesses.
Q: Where does the boy place the bell?
A: He puts it in the pocket of his robe.
Q: What happens because the robe pocket has a hole?
A: The bell falls out and is lost.
Q: When does the boy discover that the bell is missing?
A: He discovers the loss while returning home on the train.
Q: Where does the bell reappear?
A: It appears under his family's Christmas tree in a small wrapped box.
Q: Who leaves the bell for him?
A: Santa returns it with a note.
Q: What do the boy's parents hear when he rings the bell?
A: They hear no sound and think it may be broken.
Q: Who can hear the bell?
A: People who truly believe in Santa can hear it.
The 2004 Movie’s Journey & Main Characters
Q: In what year was The Polar Express movie released?
A: It was released in 2004.
Q: Who directed the movie?
A: Robert Zemeckis directed it.
Q: Who plays the Conductor through performance capture and voice?
A: Tom Hanks plays him.
Q: What informal name is commonly used for the central boy?
A: He is commonly called Hero Boy in the credits and related materials.
Q: Who performs Hero Boy's motion capture?
A: Daryl Sabara performs much of Hero Boy's motion capture.
Q: Who provides Hero Boy's speaking voice?
A: Daryl Sabara is credited for the boy's performance, with additional voice work involved in the production.
Q: What doubt troubles Hero Boy at the start?
A: He is beginning to doubt that Santa Claus exists.
Q: What objects has Hero Boy studied as evidence against Santa?
A: He has examined photographs and reference books while questioning the story.
Q: What wakes Hero Boy shortly before midnight?
A: The arrival of a massive steam locomotive shakes his room and street.
Q: What does the Conductor punch into Hero Boy's ticket first?
A: He punches letters that become a message interpreted during the journey.
Q: What other child nearly misses the train?
A: Billy, known as Lonely Boy, initially stays behind.
Q: How does Hero Boy help Billy board?
A: He pulls the emergency brake so Billy can catch up.
Q: Why does Billy sit alone in the observation car?
A: He is shy, poor, and reluctant to join the other children.
Q: What is the confident girl's common credited name?
A: She is called Hero Girl.
Q: What does Hero Girl bring Billy?
A: She brings him a cup of hot chocolate.
Q: Why does Hero Boy leave the passenger car with Hero Girl's ticket?
A: He tries to return the ticket after it is accidentally swept outside.
Q: What happens to Hero Girl when she cannot show her ticket?
A: The Conductor takes her away from the passenger car.
Q: What does Hero Boy fear has happened to Hero Girl?
A: He fears she may have been thrown off the train.
Q: Where does Hero Boy find Hero Girl?
A: He finds her near the locomotive with the Conductor and engineers.
Q: Who are Smokey and Steamer?
A: They are the locomotive's engineer and fireman.
Q: What animal herd blocks the tracks?
A: A huge herd of caribou blocks the train.
Q: How is the caribou herd finally moved?
A: The Conductor pulls Smokey's beard, producing a cry that prompts the herd to clear.
Q: What happens when the train reaches a steep icy descent?
A: It loses control and races down the track.
Q: What has happened to the locomotive's throttle control?
A: A pin or cotter pin is missing, contributing to the uncontrolled speed.
Q: What frozen surface does the train cross?
A: It slides across a frozen lake.
Q: Why must the engineers turn the train on the ice?
A: The tracks ahead have shifted across the cracked ice.
Q: How does the train return to the rails?
A: The crew steers it over the ice and lines it up just before the surface breaks.
Q: What strange passenger does Hero Boy meet atop the train?
A: He meets a mysterious Hobo.
Q: Where does the Hobo say he is king?
A: He calls himself the king of the North Pole.
Q: What question does the Hobo press Hero Boy to consider?
A: He challenges the boy's uncertainty about believing in things he cannot see.
The North Pole, Santa & the Silver Bell
Q: What time must the Polar Express reach the North Pole?
A: It must arrive before midnight for the Christmas launch.
Q: What fills the North Pole city?
A: Elves, workshops, control rooms, gifts, and elaborate delivery machinery fill it.
Q: Why do Hero Boy, Hero Girl, and Billy become separated from the other passengers?
A: Their uncoupled car rolls away through the North Pole.
Q: What kind of car carries them deeper into the city?
A: They are in the observation car.
Q: Where do the children land after their runaway ride?
A: They enter the gift-handling and sorting areas of the North Pole.
Q: What present does Billy recognize among the packages?
A: He finds a present addressed to him.
Q: Why is Billy surprised to have a present?
A: He believes Santa usually overlooks his home.
Q: Which child do the trio find inside a giant sack?
A: They find Know-It-All tangled among the gifts.
Q: What is Know-It-All's defining behavior?
A: He boasts, interrupts, and claims expertise about nearly everything.
Q: How do the children reach the central Christmas gathering?
A: Elves transport them with the enormous sack of presents.
Q: Why can Hero Boy not initially hear the sleigh bells?
A: His doubt prevents him from hearing them.
Q: What does Hero Boy say to himself while holding the loose bell?
A: He says that he believes.
Q: What happens after Hero Boy declares his belief?
A: He finally hears the bell ring clearly.
Q: Who chooses Hero Boy for the first gift of Christmas?
A: Santa Claus chooses him.
Q: What does Hero Boy request from Santa?
A: He asks for one silver bell from the sleigh.
Q: Who plays Santa Claus in the movie?
A: Tom Hanks performs Santa.
Q: Where does Hero Boy put the silver bell?
A: He places it in his robe pocket.
Q: How does the bell fall from Hero Boy's pocket?
A: It slips through a hole as he moves through the crowd.
Q: Why can Hero Boy not retrieve the bell before departure?
A: The train leaves after he realizes it is gone.
Q: What happens when the elves release the sleigh?
A: Santa and the reindeer launch into the Christmas sky.
Q: What phrase does Santa call as the sleigh departs?
A: He wishes everyone a merry Christmas.
Q: How does the Conductor complete each child's ticket message?
A: He punches words tailored to the lesson each child learned.
Q: What word appears on Billy's ticket?
A: His message centers on depend, reminding him to rely on and trust others.
Q: What word appears on Hero Girl's ticket?
A: Her message centers on lead, recognizing her leadership.
Q: What lesson appears on Know-It-All's ticket?
A: It advises him to learn, with wording that warns against excessive certainty.
Q: What message does Hero Boy read from his ticket?
A: He reads believe.
Q: What does Billy discover at his home stop?
A: He discovers that he is no longer alone and has friends who care.
Q: What does Hero Boy receive on Christmas morning?
A: He receives the lost bell in a wrapped box.
Q: What note accompanies the bell?
A: Santa explains that he found it on his sleigh and advises fixing the robe pocket.
Q: Who can no longer hear the bell as they grow older?
A: Hero Boy's sister Sarah and his friends eventually lose the ability to hear it.
Cast, Filmmaking, Music & Hard Polar Express Trivia
Q: What filmmaking process gives the characters their distinctive animated movement?
A: The movie used performance capture to record actors and translate their work into digital characters.
Q: Which company distributed the movie?
A: Warner Bros. Pictures distributed it.
Q: Which studio partners produced the film?
A: Castle Rock Entertainment, Shangri-La Entertainment, and ImageMovers were among the production companies.
Q: Who co-wrote the screenplay with Robert Zemeckis?
A: William Broyles Jr. co-wrote it.
Q: Who composed the movie's score?
A: Alan Silvestri composed it.
Q: Who wrote the original song Believe?
A: Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard wrote it.
Q: Who performs Believe over the closing credits?
A: Josh Groban performs it.
Q: Which song accompanies the elaborate hot-chocolate service?
A: Hot Chocolate accompanies the sequence.
Q: Who performs the Hobo's song about Christmas?
A: Tom Hanks performs the Hobo's musical number.
Q: How many major characters does Tom Hanks perform in the movie?
A: He performs several, including the Conductor, Hobo, Santa, Hero Boy's father, and Scrooge puppet.
Q: Who voices Hero Girl?
A: Nona Gaye voices her.
Q: Who voices Billy, the Lonely Boy?
A: Jimmy Bennett voices him.
Q: Who voices Know-It-All?
A: Eddie Deezen voices him.
Q: Who performs Smokey and Steamer?
A: Michael Jeter performs both characters.
Q: What was significant about Michael Jeter's work on the film?
A: It was one of his final film performances before his death in 2003.
Q: Who voices the adult version of Hero Boy?
A: Tom Hanks voices the adult narrator.
Q: What year does the movie's visual setting suggest?
A: Details such as vehicles and décor suggest the late 1950s, often identified as 1956.
Q: What real locomotive inspired the Polar Express engine?
A: Pere Marquette 1225 inspired its appearance and sound.
Q: What wheel arrangement does Pere Marquette 1225 use?
A: It is a 2-8-4 Berkshire-type steam locomotive.
Q: Why is the number 1225 especially fitting for a Christmas train?
A: It can be read as December 25.
Q: Where is Pere Marquette 1225 based?
A: It is maintained by the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso, Michigan.
Q: What object appears in the Hobo scene as a frightening puppet?
A: A Scrooge marionette confronts Hero Boy.
Q: What happens to the Hobo when Hero Boy thinks he may fall?
A: The figure disappears into swirling snow, leaving his nature ambiguous.
Q: What small animal helps Hero Boy recover Hero Girl's ticket outside?
A: An eagle catches and carries the ticket before it eventually returns.
Q: What happens to the ticket after it flies through the wilderness?
A: It travels through several encounters before blowing back onto the train.
Q: Why does the Conductor check his watch so often?
A: He is determined to keep the train on schedule for the North Pole ceremony.
Q: What does the bell symbolize in both book and movie?
A: It represents belief that survives without physical proof.
Q: What changes about the story's adult narrator over time?
A: He keeps hearing the bell even after others can no longer hear it.
Q: What final idea closes the movie?
A: The bell still rings for those who truly believe.
Q: What major plot expansion distinguishes the movie from the book?
A: The film adds Billy, Hero Girl, Know-It-All, the Hobo, hazards, and a long North Pole adventure.
How Did You Score?
If you heard the bell through all 120 questions, you still believe. I mostly believe the Conductor deserves overtime, hazard pay, and a very quiet January.
Ellie Simons creates and edits Random Trivia. She researches trivia using primary and authoritative sources whenever possible and is currently reviewing the site's older trivia library for accuracy, clarity, and playability. Read more on the About page.
About this quiz
Site editor: Ellie Simons. Read our Trivia Methodology to learn how questions are researched and updated. Page last updated: . Report an error.
Leave a comment