As the holiday season rolls around, I can’t help but think about the memories I have had during this wonderful time of year. One main memory that comes to mind is having to watch The Polar Express every single year at my elementary school, Wanamaker. 

Did anyone else’s school gather them during Christmas time into a room to watch The Polar Express? Well, in my opinion there are so many other Christmas movies and I don’t understand why this is the one movie the school had us watch every year. Some classics that would have been way better are Elf, Home Alone, A Christmas Story, or The Grinch.

If you have ever really thought about The Polar Express, you would realize that it actually is a super creepy movie. I researched why the movie had this effect and it’s called the Uncanny Valley. The characters seem really creepy because the animators tried to make them look like real humans instead of exaggerated caricatures of humans we usually see.

But, I knew this wasn’t the only thing that unsettled me whenever I watched the movie. First of all, it makes you feel that if a strange man comes to your house in the middle of the night demanding you get on a train with an unspecified destination, the only answer is to ride the train instead of declining the invitation. And every movie has a theme, right? Well, when you think about The Polar Express theme, it is telling kids that don’t believe in Santa, to believe in Santa. Which at this point in our lives, we all know is a lie.