A Polar Express CGI glitch went into the final cut of the film, and VFX artists Corridor Crew explain how it could have been missed.
Although notable for its technology, a polar express The CGI glitch made its way into the final film, as noted by VFX artists Corridor Crew. Based on the children’s novel of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg, the 2004 film centers on a young boy who finds himself invited aboard the titular magic train heading for the North Pole with several other children to meet Santa Claus before leaving at night to deliver Christmas presents. Starring Tom Hanks in multiple roles, The Polar Express became popular for its use of motion capture technology to recreate iconic imagery from Van Allsburg’s picture book.
In the last episode of the group “VFX artists react” series, Corridor Crew looked back on the cult classic Christmas animated adventure, The Polar Express.
The group of VFX artists pay particular attention to a scene near the last part of the film in which the children aboard the eponymous locomotive finally arrive at the North Pole, greeted by a large group of elves. The trio highlight a CGI glitch in the movie where one of the elves ended up without any animation, just causing them to float on the ground. The group continues by discussing how polar express A CGI glitch likely popped up in the movie, citing everything from a potentially broken file to server overload. Check out their breakdown of the issue at 1:10 p.m. in the video above:
How the Polar Express Was a Landmark in CGI Cinema
Although partially used in the years before its release, The Polar Express became a landmark in CGI cinema for being the first entirely motion-captured film. Hanks, who previously worked with Robert Zemeckis on their Oscar-winning film Forrest Gump and Oscar-nominated film Castaway, was the motion capture reference for six characters, including the unnamed main character. Zemeckis originally planned to have him play more characters, but changed that idea after realizing the toll it was having on his star.
At the time of its release, The Polar Express received mixed reviews from critics for his motion capture filmmaking, with some praising the stunning visuals, while others felt he got too close to the Strange Valley. That wouldn’t deter Zemeckis, however, as nearly two decades saw him experiment more with this technology, even a few years later with his adaptation of Beowulf. It would even get back into the holiday spirit with the Jim Carrey-directed adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
As Zemeckis and Hanks’ latest collaboration, Disney’s live-action Pinocchiomay have turned out to be a dud, there’s no denying that the groundwork was laid for the fully motion-captured films the two made with The Polar Express. The unique CGI technology has since become a trademark for much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as well as that of James Cameron. Avatar movies. As Zemeckis embarks on a number of new projects, including a film adaptation of Here uniting it with Forrest Gump collaborators Hanks, Robin Wright and screenwriter Eric Roth, it will be interesting to see if he looks back on the technology he helped popularize.
Source: Corridor Crew
