You’re watching The Polar Express, it’s Christmas Eve, and you start to notice something. That voice. It sounds familiar. Then the next guy speaks. Wait, that sounds familiar too. Pretty soon, you’re squinting at the screen wondering if Tom Hanks is basically the only person in the entire North Pole.
Honestly, you aren't that far off.
Back in 2004, when Robert Zemeckis decided to adapt Chris Van Allsburg’s classic book, he didn't just want a voice actor. He wanted a "performance capture" pioneer. He tapped Tom Hanks to play a staggering number of roles—not just as a voice, but as the physical foundation for the characters using then-experimental motion capture suits.
So, exactly what characters does tom hanks play in polar express? If you count them up, there are six (and sometimes people argue for seven). It’s a literal one-man show that defined the movie’s unique, if slightly "uncanny valley," vibe.
The Big Five (And the Ones You Definitely Noticed)
Most people can spot Hanks as the Conductor. It’s the face. Those digital eyes look exactly like the guy from Forrest Gump. But the list goes way deeper than the man punching the tickets.
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1. The Conductor
This is the most obvious one. The Conductor is the heart of the train, obsessed with punctuality and "keeping to the schedule." Hanks modeled this performance on a mix of authority and kindness. If you watch the behind-the-scenes footage, he’s wearing a Velcro suit with little reflective balls all over it, stomping around a gym-like stage to get that rigid, "I-have-a-train-to-run" walk just right.
2. The Hero Boy (Chris)
Here is where it gets tricky. If you look at the credits, Daryl Sabara (from Spy Kids) is credited as the voice of the Hero Boy. However, Tom Hanks did the motion capture for the boy.
This means every time the main kid shifts his weight, looks up in awe, or shuffles his feet, that’s Tom Hanks acting like an eight-year-old. Hanks reportedly found this part the most difficult because he had to remember how a child moves—the lack of self-consciousness, the way they carry their heads. He also provided the voice for the adult version of the boy who narrates the beginning and the end.
3. The Hobo
The ghost on the roof? Yep, that’s Tom too. The Hobo is essentially the "anti-conductor." Where the Conductor is about rules and schedules, the Hobo is about skepticism and freedom. Hanks used a much raspier, more eccentric tone for this guy. Interestingly, the Hobo was a character added specifically for the movie to act as a foil to the boy’s growing faith.
4. Santa Claus
It wouldn't be a Christmas movie without the Big Man. Hanks plays Santa with a booming, warm authority. By the time the train reaches the North Pole, Hanks had already been playing four other guys, so he had to find a voice that felt "legendary" enough to stand apart.
5. The Hero Boy’s Father
At the very start and end of the film, we see the boy’s father. We don't see his face clearly, but that’s Hanks again. It creates a weirdly beautiful thematic loop: the father, the conductor, the hobo, and Santa are all voiced/performed by the same man. Some film theorists think this suggests the entire journey is happening in the boy's head, with his brain using his father's voice to populate the dream.
The "Secret" Sixth Character: The Scrooge Puppet
There’s a scene that used to terrify me as a kid—and honestly, it’s still kind of creepy. When the boy is in the abandoned toy car, he encounters a Flat Top puppet and an Ebenezer Scrooge puppet.
Tom Hanks plays the Scrooge puppet.
He goes full ham on this one. It’s high-pitched, mocking, and cynical. Since the puppet is being controlled by the Hobo (also Hanks), it makes sense. It’s a performance within a performance.
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Why Did He Play So Many Roles?
You might wonder if this was just a massive ego trip or a way to save money. Actually, it was neither. Robert Zemeckis was obsessed with the idea that digital technology could allow an actor to play anything regardless of age, height, or look.
Hanks actually wanted to play every role in the movie at one point.
"Initially, Bob [Zemeckis] said, 'I think you should play every role in this movie because then we can just make it one singular vision,'" Hanks said in a 2004 interview.
Eventually, they realized that was insane. It would have taken years. They brought in other actors like Nona Gaye and Eddie Deezen to fill out the cast, but the "core" of the movie remained Tom.
How the Tech Actually Worked
This wasn't traditional animation. In 2004, The Polar Express was the first feature film ever to be shot entirely using motion capture.
- The Volume: They worked on a stage called "The Volume."
- The Sensors: Hanks wore about 150 infrared sensors on his face alone to capture his expressions.
- The Playback: Because there were no sets—just wireframes—Hanks had to imagine everything.
This is why the movie has that "dream-like" (or "zombie-like," depending on who you ask) quality. The technology couldn't quite capture the "spark" in the eyes yet, a problem known as the Uncanny Valley. Even with Tom Hanks giving 110%, the computers in 2004 struggled to translate his soul into the pixels.
Is Tom Hanks Also the Narrator?
Yes. The voice you hear at the very end—the one talking about the bell and how it only rings for those who truly believe—is Tom Hanks. He’s playing the adult version of the Hero Boy.
So, if we’re keeping a strict tally:
- The Conductor (Voice & MoCap)
- The Hobo (Voice & MoCap)
- Santa Claus (Voice & MoCap)
- The Father (Voice & MoCap)
- The Narrator (Voice only)
- The Scrooge Puppet (Voice & MoCap)
- The Hero Boy (MoCap only)
That's a lot of work for one paycheck.
Common Misconceptions
A lot of people think Hanks played the "Know-It-All" kid (the one who talks about the train's brakes). He didn't. That was Eddie Deezen, who you might recognize as Mandark from Dexter’s Laboratory.
People also get confused about the Hero Boy. Because the kid looks a bit like a young Tom Hanks, they assume he did the voice too. But the voice is definitely Daryl Sabara. Hanks basically provided the "soul" and the movement, while Sabara provided the "sound."
What to Watch For Next Time
Next time you sit down with a mug of hot chocolate to watch this, pay attention to the hands. Tom Hanks has very specific hand gestures—a sort of pointed, rhythmic way of moving when he’s explaining something.
You’ll see it in the Conductor when he’s talking about the tickets. Then, look at the way the Hero Boy reaches for the bell. It’s the same "acting" language. It’s a masterclass in how much an actor’s physicality matters, even when they’re hidden under layers of CGI.
Actionable Insights for Fans
If you want to dive deeper into the "Hanks-verse" of this movie:
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- Watch the credits carefully. You'll see "Additional Motion Capture" credits for Josh Hutcherson (before he was in Hunger Games), who helped fill in for the boy when Hanks was busy being Santa.
- Listen for the "Hobo" laugh. Compare it to Hanks’ laugh in The Ladykillers (released the same year). You can hear the crossover in his character work.
- Check out the 20th Anniversary 4K release. The higher resolution actually makes it easier to see the nuance in the motion capture that was lost on old DVDs.
The movie isn't just a Christmas story; it's a timestamp of a moment when Hollywood thought actors might never need to wear makeup again. While we didn't quite end up in a world of 100% digital actors, The Polar Express remains the weirdest, most ambitious thing Tom Hanks has ever done.