Gee, if you're going to be a Scrooge, there's no point to even watching this movie. I read the negative postings on every film I see, and it's amazing to me how much energy people put into picking apart what's intended to be a holiday entertainment. Especially these days with the advance in computer generated effects. There used to be a time when clay-mation was the rage, and how realistic was that? How about considering the message - I for one would be darned upset if there was no more magic left in the world. It's evident every time my little two year old granddaughter runs in the room and tells her gaga (that would be me),to 'sit' so we could play or watch a movie like this together. This one got around to showing 'Santy', and you have to marvel when a mere child sits enthralled by the spectacle of color and motion the way it's presented here. For a while during my adult life, there was probably a time when I didn't hear that bell, but as I get older the sound is coming back, even as my hearing diminishes. I guess you'd call it the magic of kids and Christmas together, and you can count me in when the conductor calls 'All Aboard'.

Don't get me wrong, I liked this movie very much. It is nice to watch around Christmas time. The film respects the book of the same name, which I think is a great one. Actually it was one of my favourites, a timeless Christmas story about the power of belief, faith and hope. Back to the film, one thing that was a definite plus was the visuals. They were phenomenal, colourful and looked as though the animators had gone to extreme lengths to make it neat. The character animation was just as impressive. The music is very good, with sparkling motifs and haunting secondary themes. The end credits song is truly beautiful. Another plus was the voice cast, Tom Hanks stands out obviously. He voices five or six characters here, and he was great as always. However, the film does take a while to get going, and the script is rather simplistic. And while the visuals were outstanding, the story while respectfully true to the book(while adding characters and changing existing ones) just isn't compelling enough, and is made up of disconnected,unexplained and sometimes rushed scenes in terms of story telling. All in all, a nice Christmas film that is well worth watching chiefly for the visuals. 7/10 Bethany Cox

It's the first big attempt at motion capture all CGI animation full length movie. It is commendable of director Robert Zemeckis to attempt such a feat. It is a technological step forward. But the creepy eyes.... the creepy dead eyes.

A boy is doubting the reality of Santa. A mysterious train comes to his house. He boards it and finds other kids going to the North Pole. The fact is this is not a very magical voyage. The song and dance isn't that good. There is an air of hollow fake fun in this movie. And that doesn't include the creepy eyes.... The creepy dead eyes.

And I didn't really see any magic in the North Pole. It felt more like an old industrial English town. I really wanted more magic for the workshop. And then there were the creepy eyes.... the creepy dead eyes.