Polar Express Theory: Is Everything A Dream? 

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I loved The Polar Express ever since it came out 13 years ago. There's never a doubt in my mind that this is one of the best Christmas movies ever made along with Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, and The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen. And I also really love your theory videos too Issac, keep up the great work. ❤❤

“Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?”

QOTD: Do you think The Polar Express is a dream?

The Polar Express having the ability to halt time may suggest the train is actually a time machine. There was a Flux Capacitor hidden in the locomotive's cab after all

*rings bell* Parents: "I can't hear it." Hero boy: *You wouldn't get it.*

The way The Polar Express is told is kind of similar to the Nutcracker where we are never really sure if the Nutcracker actually came to life or if it was just a dream. Some retellings heavily imply that it was a dream, while others make it look like it was a dream but then SURPRISE! Here is the handsome prince in the real world, and now you're not sure what to think. That said, I like ambiguous endings like these because it allows you to interpret it for yourself and as a result, you learn more about what kind of person you are. Great video!

The bell is literal proof that it actually happened

He sees you when your sleeping so he might have seen his dream and granted his wish.

In a way I had my own Polar Express experience. There was one year I didn't believe in Christmas and became a grinch nearly all year. It wasn't until Christmas Eve is when somehow I couldn't sleep for some reason. Then as I did went to sleep, I heard something sneezed next to my window and I saw a red glow through my curtains (and they were thin at the time). After that I couldn't sleep at all. It wasn't until the next morning I went outside and I noticed my lemon bush was busted and I saw hoof prints all over the ground in the mud. That's when i believe in Christmas again. Another proof is when a couple of years ago, after my godson was born, I wrote a letter to Santa asking to not give me anymore presents cause I'm older now and wanted him to give someone less fortunate to have my presents and to help my godson to believe if he ever slipped like I did. The next morning I got a present with the words SC on it and I showed it to mom and dad, they couldn't believe their eyes since that's not their hand writing. After that I always hear the bells on Christmas Eve. My Polar Express may not be like Hero Boys, but I think it was close enough.

Maybe Santa repaired the boy's robe when he dropped of the present.

I've always wanted to do this one but I never got to it! It's such an awesome movie :D :D

Of course it occurred in a dream. Why should that mean it wasn't real? Maybe the Polar Express exists in a universe only accessible in our dreams?

If I could present an interesting theory as to how it remains five minutes to midnight throughout most of the movie, at one point, we can see inside the cab of the engine itself that there is a working flux capacitor among the gauges. You could say that this is just a little reference to back to the future, but I think it also implies that the polar express is a time machine, which is why clocks halt at five minutes to midnight whenever the train arrives

I love that movie! I realize that everyone gets to a certain age,it's called the age of not believing(you hear the song in Bedknobs and Broomsticks). I believe that it's not a dream for the boy,you see glimpses of it not being a dream when he returns. The gift from Santa, only the kids hearing the bells,how each child on the express is taught a specific lesson about themselves and believing in wonderful things and kindness.

My theory is that he sees his future self in the train conductor because at the end of the movie and they do a close up shot of the tree there’s a train going around it

I love this movie! It’s definitely a magical story, full of wonder and excitement. In this cynical society, kids really are growing up too fast, and their imaginations don’t get nearly enough exercise. We really need stories like this one. Have you ever noticed that while Hero Boy’s clock is fading out, the sound of Santa’s bell in reverse is fading in? Maybe it symbolizes the transition between real time and Polar Express time, or the growth of true belief the boy is about to experience. I’m totally blind, so audible details like this really interest me. Great video! By the way, I’ve entered your giveaway 4 or 5 times. No luck yet.

One Thing About Trains It Doesn’t Matter Where You’re Going What Matters is Desiding To Get On ~ Tom Hanks (Polar Express)

I think it was a dream. I've always believed that. But the ending with that note throws me off.

I LOVE THE POLAR EXPRESS!!! It's one of my favorite movies and train along side Casey Jr, Snow White, Pinocchio, and Peter Pan, and now Marry Poppins.

I've found the dream theory particularly convincing, especially with the time standing still. There's just too much evidence of that for me to not believe that. As for the bell on Christmas morning, it's possible that the boy wanted a bell from "Santa" at the mall or in a letter in the first place. The parents acting like they did not know what he wanted from Santa is pretty common. Parents always act surprised with their kids even though they really are not. He may have originally wanted one of the bells from Santa's sleigh as a test to see whether Santa was real or not. If he was real, then Santa would be able to deliver such a special kind of bell from his sleigh, proving the sleigh was real and hence Santa being the deliverer. If not, then Santa's existence would be dubious if he could not deliver such a simple gift, and those giving him presents in the name of Santa would be his dad (notice his Santa hat after tucking in Sarah) conning him. That's a thought anyway.

When I saw the polar express in theater I instantly knew it was going to be a christmas classic shown for years.

I just realized that he finds some magnificient friends and never sees them again. Now this story seems so sad. A kid finds some friends and discovers santa is real only to wake up and never see them again...

So glad you did a video on The Polar Express! I've always wondered so much about it. Also, it's one of my favorite animated movies of all time.

Finally a video about this!

This video is amazing, Isaac! The Polar Express is one of my favourite movies of all time and defenitly my favourite Christmas movie! For me the Polar Express journey happened in the boy's head, but that doesn't make it less real. Everything he experienced still ment something to him and formed his opinion of believing in Santa, and for me that's why he has the bell: it was real, even if in another dimension (his dreams). I think this topic was really well explored and I just really really enjoy your videos (even though I might not comment much... sorry!) :)

Great video, but one thing you said bothered me a bit. You mentioned how the rip in his robe was evidence that it was a dream. But when it rips the first time, he can only get two fingers through, which is shown several times. And when he then rips it later, the hole is huge and his entire hand fits in. Like it got ripped even more

I too have questioned the realness of the Hero Boy's journey. While during my most recent watch of the movie, I was trying to think of who the hobo and conductor really could be. My first theory when recently watching it, was that this whole movie was maybe a physical/watchable timeline for any of these three unknown men (Hero Boy, the hobo, and the conductor). I also was thinking that maybe the hobo could have been a spirit or maybe even the spirit of the Polar Express itself.

I think the movie is a dream the boy has but one caused by magic. I've heard something about how dreams can all take place in a really short amount of time. Like several hours could pass in a dream but in real life its only been a few minutes. I think something like this could be happening in the movie as shown by time "stopping" when the boy's adventure starts. This is one of my all time favorite Christmas movies. And it helped revive the spirit in me in a time I really needed some magic. No matter how many times I've seen Polar Express. I always watch it when it's on. It always makes me feel like theres really some kind of magic on the world.

There is one piece of evidence that people often overlook that hints that it all could be real. The tickets. It’s been proven that it is impossible to either write or read clearly in a dream, yet the words the conductor punches into the tickets are clearly written out for the kids to read.

The Polar Express is the Best Xmas Movie of all time! CHANGE MY MIND!

I suppose we all have our...crucial year so to speak. I had a interesting experience many years ago one Christmas Eve.... I'm not sure if it was really but it did change me to say the least.

Yasss!! I'm in chorus at school and we sang believe, the outro song!!! This movie is soooo good!

I loved this book so much as a kid. I never knew why I connected to it so much

Did you know that I liked The Polar Express and that The Polar Express turned out to be my top favorite main reason why I like to see trains outside my gang of windows?

I think it’s a dream, reason being is because of many things, for one, the fact the polar express literally came down his suburban street. For two, the changes in the train itself given to the situation, such as the connection of the last car and the main car turning from an inside train connector, to a scary Icy one, with almost no way to get from car to car. Also the changing of the size, speed, and capability of the train. The cars going from what seems like never ending in the first appearance, to 5 cars, to 19 cars, back to 5. The massive locomotive going what seems like Mach 1 on very small tracks, the train drifting on an icy river. The setting is also dreamy, being that it’s so snowy in some places that you literally can’t see anything whatsoever. With all this in mind, + more I haven’t listed, I believe the polar express is a story told by the hero boy to his child of a dream he had many a year ago.

I have so many memories from this movie. ☺💕 One of the best Christmas movies ever! Thanks Isaac for this video!

Love the video! This still bugs me to this day. I watched this movie so long ago when I was little. It still is one of my favorite Christmas movies. And to this day I don't know if I believe it was real... or a dream. My inner child says it was real, while me being a cynical adult says it's a dream. Ah...The continuous Polar Express Conundrum. Thank you for the video! Happy Holidays everyone! 😁

This movie came out 17 years ago soon to be 18 years ago!!!! Its december 2021 and im 18, i cant ever say I've felt old lol

I'm kind of going off the idea that Santa just knew what he was dreaming about and just decided to confirm it with him that being what his dream was very important to him..... I mean come on a guy with that much magic who can see all the children of the world couldn't really? see their dreams....I don't think that's that far off to imagine

That bell and the train its self Are characters in thier own way

The holiday season adventure is in real life it doesn't matter where they are going what matters is deciding to get on board the express train the adventure to the north pole is exciting and joyful to everyone for many years to come.🎆

When he pretended to fall asleep, he accidentally fell asleep.

Hi isaac happy holiday nice vids as always

Maybe it all was real, and the bell is just a reminder that he shouldn't forget it and deny it, no matter how much it looked like a dream

"See ya" I died 😂😂😂

I think that in the film Santa and Christmas magic are real, but because "Heroboy" (what's his name actually?) and the other kids don't believe, the magic makes them dream this! It was their spirits to go there! And the characters on the train are Santa's servants to do so. It is to make them believe in Christmas again! And so that the kids continue to do so, he gave them something to be sure it wasn't "just a dream" after all. So it was a like "a dream", but not really, since it was magic. :D

Whilst the story always leant on being a dream, it also cant be a dream so I dont think theres a solid explanation. But in any case, magic was at work.

My favorite Halliday Movie 🎥 is how the grinch stole Christmas 🎄

So, you CAN do Non-Disney movies. Can you?

There is a functioning flux capacitor in the cab of the Polar Express in the movie. Is the Polar Express a time machine?

I hope you manage to make another video on The Polar Express this year. I love this movie and watch it every year during the Christmas Season.

“One word, ACID” -the wife-

Your the best

I think it was a dream because the hole in the pocket was alittle bigger in the end then the one in the beginning

I watch this movie all the time it's my favorite Christmas movie😃 love it 💓

I love the Polar Express! My family and i went to a museum where they had this aditorium with rumbling chairs and a huge screen, and i was super scared and i didn't like it for awhile, but... i think it was amazing?

The Polar Express has a lot of mysteries and odd little details if you look further into it. For example, when the boy re-enters the train for the back trip and puts his ticket in his pocket, you can see the ticket vanish/turn invisible. And during the hot chocolate scenes, you can see the waiters put their towels on thin air as if there was a table there, even though there is no table visible. This could either be explained with "it's a magic train", but it also makes everything feel like a dream where tiny details don't make sense. To be honest, "it's a magic train" can either explain everything or nothing, really. Besides the obvious time travel with the clock being stuck at 5 before 12 and the clock stopping to tick in the beginning, there are other odd details: When the train arrives at the boys home in the beginning you can see steam shooting out of the heater at the same time the train whistles, which could also point to the boy dreaming of a whistling train because he hears the heater steam while asleep. Then there is also the fact how his parents and all the people in the neighbourhood don't wake up from the loud train at all, the boy is the only one waken up by the train who runs outside. Also at the end you see an outside shot of the garden, with no train tracks visible (but this could be either explained with the tracks being covered with snow or "it's a magic train" again). Interesting how ambiguous this movie by making it feel like a dream and a real experience at the same time. And it has other interesting mysteries as well, like why the girl was given the task to drive the train after she lost her ticket, why they even need tickets on a free tour, or what the hobo represents or where he comes from.

Inception?

So… last night I saw the movie for the first time and one thing stuck out. Billy. I watch how after he got on he was distant from the other kids. And rather stay on the train instead of seeing Santa. And how he claims Christmas isn’t great for him at his home. Plus he didn’t want to let go of his Christmas present one he saw it. So I though 3 theories of this kid. 1st theory . He’s being abused by his parents. When he sees the conductor he at first hesitant to get on the train or speak to the conductor for he looks similar to a cop and been manipulated to never talk to cops. But the moment the train starts to leave Billy goes after it seeing his chance of freedom slipping away he changes his mind and gets on the train. And his ticket at the end of the movie being “ lean on, count on” showing that he has people that will help him and don’t be afraid to ask for help. And he got the confidence to sit with the other kids on the way back home. Theory 2. His parents are neglecting him. Billy’s parents are neglecting him , ether busy with their jobs or something. Billy believes if he quiet speak when spoken to his parents will pay attention to him. He also does go sit with the kids on the train and goes sit by himself on the other cart.( probably his parents telling him to constantly be quiet )Billy comment on how Christmas doesn’t work out for him could be due to being lonely on Christmas and at his house Christmas is nothing yo his parents and treat it as a regular day like nothing happens. Theory 3. Billy is poor. His parents are barely working to get bye where they can’t afford a Christmas present for him. Again Billy distances himself from the other kids while on the train believing he not on the same status to have hot chocolate believing he can’t afford those simple pleasures. And seeing his Christmas present and claiming he always wanted be could hit how years before his parents couldn’t afford a present or Christmas decorations for Christmas, and the looks of his house could lead to that until the end of the movie that shows his house having a lit up Christmas tree and his present was delivered to him could lead to his father finally having the money to get him a presents. If I missed anything let me know or I’m just thinking too deep into this character

NO IT CAN'T BE A DREAM 😭💕

It took place in a time warp … there is a flux converter in the engine …. That explains the conflicting evidence

Polar Express is my all time favorite Christmas movie from my childhood!!!!❤️💚😊😃

Merry Christmas Issac! Polar Express is also one of my favorite holiday films also.

I think Santa worked a little Christmas magic so the time stayed the same and the Hero Boy began to believe and Santa fixed his pocket I guess and sent him the bell only he could hear

I loved this video merry Christmas wotso videos

I love than movie

Are you going to talk about the last Jedi as soon as you watch it please? I just saw it and....... WOW! Im hoping you could help me process what happened. :-P

Also, in one of the parts of the movie with the hobo, he gets hit by an archway (I think) and instead of falling from the hit to the head, he disappears into snow.

I love this movie. My all time favorite Christmas movie

Lol the fact that we dont know if what happen was real or a dream is the same plot in the movie of itself 😂

Now that’s just plain intelligence. Loved your explanation and love the movie!

ok i know this was a while ago but I want to point out a few things, 1st the reason time stays at 5 min to midnight is because if you look in the engine room in the back on a wall there is a time fluctuate compasitor and if you have seen the film back to the future you'd know that it allows you to travel in time, 2nd if it were a dream then everything that happened would not have had any risk, 3rd the bell at the end of the film, 4th who said Santa didn't sew the boy's (turns out his name is Chris in the book this film was based on) cloak/ robe before leaving? now to counter myself... a train shows up out of nowhere, 2nd the know it all kid could have been "Chris" (the boy)'s background thought that I cant think of the name... pointing out things that the boy knew but didn't realize, 3rd the ghost hobo points everything out and makes "Chris" begin thinking logically, and 4th the lonely boy could be his mind trying to decide whether to believe or not.🦊😺

it is entirely possible for the time line being reset or it being an out of body experience

Honestly i think its just magic. But more on the dream side. Maybe thats how he could comprehend something like going to the north pole. Thats why he chose familiar faces for his journey. To replace someone else.

2nd favorite Christmas movie 🙂

came up with the same conclusion!

The dream idea reminds of "The Nutcracker" just as the Hobo Ghost with the Scrooge puppet reminds me of "The Christmas Carol".

Nice intro Isaac

I loved The Polar Express ever since it came out years ago.

As Dumbledore puts it “of course it’s all happening inside your head. But who’s to say it isn’t real?”

This is a good question! I always wondered that myself. But here is a new theory: The Hobo is A-No.1 from Emperor of the North Pole (another old railroad movie) It's got NO evidence but it's something that could be true. He does call himself King of the North Pole.

I firmly believe in The Christmas Magic! Merry Christmas, Everyone!

i Think That it Was All A Dream, But i Really Hate That Because i Love The Polar Express, And i Love Situations in The Movie Like When The Hero Boy Makes New Friends On The Train including The Conductor When He Meets Santa Claus And Even When He Gets The First Gift Of Chrismas, So For That i Prefer To Think That it Was All REAL!

given what we know regarding the film ALONE, what if: the trip DID take place AS a dream, but it was a "shared state" through time - that way, everybody meets up in the same place at around the same time, so the "dream" seems real, HOWEVER, the Magic of Santa is that even though it was a "dream", the events really did take place, in another world, but Santa can go from world-to-world to deliver presents and THAT'S how he got the REAL bell?

How the overtakes from the Kingdom keepers were created?

I Think it was a dream, but I Also Think that santa claus is real. And santa is magical right. So my theory here is that it was dream but santa can see/know doubtfulls Dreams and decided to give him the bell.

I love this channel! 💓

I believe it's real. Just like Cinderella magic everything would soon go back to normal.

I feel like this is a thing that each of us as a person is called to make our own ending. Is it real? Is it just a dream? What does make me feel like it’s a dream is the ripped robe and the fact that the train tracks aren’t on the road once he is woken up by his sister.. but the magic of Christmas is what got him to the north pole. It’s interesting, when he closes his eyes and opens them quickly again, notice the time. When he comes back home the time hasn’t changed.

If it were a dream then How did the bell show up on Xmas day?

Hi like your video

I agree with you to a point, but I think the boy's journey goes deeper than that. It may well have been a dream he was having, but i think it was a dream steeped in reality. You skipped a very important detail when you were talking about time being frozen in the boy's journey. It is indeed frozen at 11:55 when the boy wakes up and it remains so on the train ride to the North Pole and even after they arrive (hence why the Conductor thinks they have arrived early), but it doesn't resume when the boy returns home. The clock finally chimes 12 and time resumes, not when Santa arrives (because that is when the Conductor says he will) but JUST before the boy meets Father Christmas, when the boy chooses to believe in the spirit of Christmas. If you notice, the little girl keeps telling him that she hears the sleigh bells ringing, but at first the boy can't hear them....its only AFTER he makes that oh so important choice to believe that he hears the bell's chime....and it is also in this moment that he can finally see Santa Claus....before this, Santa was just a shadow. The Conductor and the Hobo are two opposite manifestations of the boy's belief....the Conductor believes in Christmas while the Hobo thinks its ridiculous and each try to persuade the boy of their belief. But once the boy makes his choice, the Hobo vanishes and the Conductor takes him home. And I think Santa leaves the boy a note telling him that the bell was lost when it fell through the boy's ripped pocket and Santa returned it....which would explain why the robe was ripped twice. Here is why I don't think the boy's experience was a dream in the classical sense of the word....if it truly WAS a dream, HOW then did the boy get the bell? And why can only he hear it, even after he leaves his childhood behind and becomes a man? His parents don't seem to know where the bell came from and they can't hear its magical ring. If it was just an ordinary bell, wouldn't his parents have heard it too? Also, the note from Santa Claus confirms the origin of the bell....that it was left on the seat of the sleigh when he was giving Santa his Christmas wish...so logically, since we acknowledge that he IS awake and with his family again, he would have had to have really been there to have lost the bell.

Wotso videos can you do a video on why there are no humans in the lion king movie?

I believe the train is a magic train as said by the hero girl. One of the reasons I believe it's magic is its ability to obtain coaches, in the once scene of the ticket falling we can see a ton of cars, and in the ice scene we can see less cars. But we may never know, if you can can you actually take this as a video idea ty ^^

Maybe it’s both, in a way. Maybe his physical body was asleep but his spirit went to the actual North Pole and he saw Santa or The *Spirit* of Christmas

Okay so just in time before christmas, wild theory here: Lets imagine the boy has been at the north pole for real but it seems like a dream because (ugh this is though to explain it in english because its not my native language but I'll give it my best lmao) what if the boy did something like a out of body experience? So his real body stayed in bed without him realizing and only his soul traveled? If you believe it being possible or not is an entirely different story but if we just imagine it would be a thing some people can do; willingly (or unconsciously) have their soul leave their body and if we believe that the stories people tell about such "journeys" are true, then it would make sense if he experienced it like a dream and would pull a string to the "only some kids get the ticket" and stuff like that because not every child is able to attend the journey. Its very hard to explain at the moment but I hope anyone gets me >->

If he slept in the "dream" he could've been dreaming in his dream.

The boy could easily prove it was a dream or not by simply finding Billy's house, he probably remembers the address. Talk to Billy and if Billy remembers what happened then it wasn't a dream, unless t was a collective dream magically shared by multiple kids.

Quite honestly, I think it was reality. Mainly because when he gets the first gift of Christmas and loses it, he regains it on Christmas morning.