The theme of this movie is NOT subtle. often you will get this in movies that symbolize religion, but if you were over twelve and knew about christianity, you'd easily see the symbolism between believing in Santa and believing in God.
For one thing, the movie is 100% about believing in something you have no proof of believing in. And if that weren't all, that thing the kid doesn't believe in is Santa, a being who is omniscient ("knows when you are bad or good"), omnipresent (can go to every house in the world), and omnipotent (Can make any present in the world).
the plot of the movie is very weird and chaotic. rather than there being a quest of some kind, the movie is about a kid, who's name is never revealed, voiced by Daryl Sabara and motion captured by Tom Hanks, who gets invited, on christmas eve no less, to take a ride on the Polar Express to go to the North Pole. At first he is hesitant, but he gets on luckily before he misses the train. He becomes acquainted with the conductor, voiced by tom hanks, a young girl, a know-it-all, and a young boy who's name is Billy. Billy is the only one who's name is ever revealed and he is very interesting.
The movie, rather than have a traditional story, is more an enchanted road trip, set on a train. Like any road trip, the story is about a bunch of tiny stops along the trip that shows the main character that there is more out there. Typically this is done in comedies for the result of doing skits in different regions, but sometimes a road trip can work for symbolic introspection as well.
Apparently, when on the train, the conductor gives each passenger a ticket where he fancifully punches holes to write letters on them. it is unknown about what happens if you loose your ticket, but the young girl does due to the fault of the main character. He finds it though and tries to give it back. Finding the girl being taken onto the roof of the train, he fears she's going to be thrown off, so he goes on top to find her, only instead, he finds the Hobo.
The Hobo is my favorite character in this movie. He seems to be a ghost due to his constant disappearing and reappearing and his ability to dissolve into the snow. He only seems to come around to question the main character's faith, though he also seems to be looking out for the kid. His mannerisms and performance is very fascinating.
Anyway, after a seen that would make for an interesting roller coaster sequence, he end up in the engine room where he finds the girl, operating the controls while the engineer and fireman try to fix a light. They get it done, and after a sequence involving some character exploration for the little girl, they both stop the train and get it running again.
After some action sequences, they return to their bunks, but before then, the Hobo has one last scare at the main character, attacking him with a scrooge marionette and calling him a non-believer.
The movie then settles down and the make their way to the North Pole. Now, not much exciting happens, but instead of going with the group, the girl, billy, and the main character get lost and end up in the inner workings of the factory. They see how everything works and how the elves operate. There's even some interesting karma to be done to the know-it-all who tries to open his presents early an gets nothing by underwear. I like to believe that there's an enchantment that makes anyone who does this get underwear, as a sort of punishment for impatience and greed.
All in all, they make it to the festival and Santa appears. but due to some strange magic and some great writing, the main character can't see Santa or hear the bells of his sleigh. He finds a loose bells and after finally choosing the believe in everything, he can hear the bell and sees Santa right in front of him. Santa then chooses to offer the first gift of christmas to the main character and asks what he wants. he only whispers it to him, so we can't hear, but Santa gives him the bell he picked up, most likely to make sure he will always remember.
Unfortunately, he looses the bell right away and fears he will never believe in this again. The conductor finishes punching the stamps and reveals word words that impart great meaning and lessons to the kids. The girl getting Lead, the know-it-all getting Learn, the main character getting Believe, and billy getting a cool one that switches from Depend, Rely, and Count On. After which they all return home, bid farewell, and the main character wakes up the next day, unsure if everything was true or not.
But low and behold, Santa found the bell and left it under his tree, his parents unable to hear it, though he could. The bell served as a constant reminder of the existence of Santa, since whenever he stopped being able to hear it, he knew he was loosing faith.
The movie is really good. the subplots surrounding the girl getting confidence in her decisions, billy learning to trust and make friends, and the know-it-all learning humility are all nice subplots, but they also serve as good analogies for those in religious faith.
Billy, a poor kid with no friends, finds it impossible to enjoy christmas due to his poverty, something the well off girl doesn't seem to understand, and it is never really explained to her. Billy, being poor, probably saw christmas as nothing but a disappointment since he never got what he wanted or anything.
The girl in return, represented the everyday believer. Someone who's had no reason not to believe and has found more joy in believing than not believing.
And the know-it-all, who represents those who believe they are perfect because they believe and have no faults. Even though he never outright admits the being perfect, his refusal to wait for christmas to open his presents, his hostility at times, and his general arrogance are clear indicators that he case a very high ego created because of his intellect.
And the main character represents the target audience: those that don't believe for one reason or another and feel empty because of it. Now, this movie is not an attack on atheists, or agnostics, or anyone who follows another religion, but rather those that loose faith in something key and important in their life.
The movie is certainly an art piece, and those that tend to get angry at religious symbolism in general ought not to watch it since the whole core theme of it is faith, but if you want to see a good movie, then this is one.
Also, just a last minute detail, the movie's animation and art quality is incredibly detailed and beautiful. it is lagging a bit due to advancements int technology, but they still have some great bits there. So if you want to see it for a purely artistic merit, go for it.
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