The trailer for The Polar Express: The Beginning opens with a snowy landscape under a starlit sky. A small, quiet town is introduced, and the camera pans to a young boy, James, staring wistfully out his frosty window at the falling snow. The voiceover of an older James begins: “Before the magic, before the train, there was a moment where everything changed.”
The scene shifts to James and his sister, Clara, marveling at a mysterious steam engine sitting dormant in an abandoned railyard near the edge of town. James, curious and adventurous, sneaks onto the train and discovers intricate blueprints of a grand design labeled “Polar Express.” A flashback reveals an eccentric inventor, Mr. Abernathy, who dreamed of building a magical train that could travel beyond ordinary realms.
The trailer then reveals Abernathy’s downfall—his creation was deemed too fantastical, and he vanished under mysterious circumstances, leaving the train unfinished. Young James discovers Abernathy is still alive, hiding in a snowy mountaintop workshop, and convinces him to complete the train. “It’s not just a train,” Abernathy explains, “it’s a journey of hope and belief.”
As the train begins to awaken, enchanting visuals fill the screen: glowing rails appearing out of thin air, snowflakes crystallizing into intricate patterns, and the train’s engine roaring to life. However, an ominous figure—The Conductor’s predecessor—emerges, seeking to claim the train’s power for selfish purposes, threatening to destroy its magic before it can fulfill its purpose.
The trailer crescendos with James, Clara, and Abernathy racing against time to protect the Polar Express. They battle through avalanches, icy ravines, and shadowy figures trying to derail their mission. The final scene shows the train’s first journey, its whistle echoing through the night, as James whispers, “This is just the beginning.”
