Tom Hanks voices six characters in The Polar Express. He portrays the Hero Boy, the boy’s father, the Conductor, the Hobo, Ebenezer Scrooge, and Santa Claus in the 2004 motion-capture Christmas film.
The movie was directed by Robert Zemeckis and adapted from Chris Van Allsburg’s 1985 children’s book. It follows a skeptical boy who boards a magical train bound for the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Hanks also served as one of the film’s producers.
The production used motion capture to record actors’ movements and performances before creating digitally animated characters. The technology allowed Hanks to appear in several distinct roles, but it also gave the film a deliberately stylized visual appearance that prompted discussion among viewers.
Some lists count only Hanks’s major speaking performances or omit Scrooge, which can produce lower totals. The standard credited count is six roles. Michael Jeter voiced the Smoky and Steamer characters, while Josh Hutcherson provided the Hero Boy’s speaking voice as a child performer.