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This hero was proposed but rejected by the community for not being admirable enough or lacks what is necessary to be a purely good hero. Therefore, this hero shall be added to our "Never Again List", where proposed heroes rejected by the community shall be placed to prevent future proposals of the same do-gooder. They can be proposed again (with the permission of an administrator) if new elements appear in their series that can change their status as non-PG heroes.

Any act of adding this hero to the Pure Good category without a proposal or creating a proposal for this hero without the permission of an administrator will result in a ban.
Additional Notice: This template is meant for admin maintenance only. Users who misuse the template will be blocked for a week minimum.

Hero Overview

On Christmas Eve, many years ago, I laid quietly in my bed. I did not rustle the sheets, I breathed slowly and silently. I was listening for a sound I was afraid I'd never hear: the ringing bells, of Santa's sleigh.
~ Hero Boy (as an adult)
You're just a bitter old toy! Christmas isn't about toys. It's about giving and sharing.
~ Hero Boy confronting Ebenezer Scrooge.
I believe.
~ Hero Boy

Chris, better known as the Hero Boy, is the main protagonist of The Polar Express. He always tries to help children to get on the Polar Express Train to get to the North Pole, and has the will to beleive in Christmas. In the video game, it is his destiny to recover all the children's tickets and defeat Ebenezer Scrooge.

He was portrayed by Tom Hanks (who also portrayed the Conducter and Hobo in the same film, Scott Turner in Turner & Hooch, the title character in Forrest Gump, Woody in the Toy Story franchise, John H. Miller in Saving Private Ryan, Paul Edgecomb in The Green Mile, Carl Hanratty in Catch Me If You Can, Viktor Navorski in The Terminal, Robert Langdon in Angels & Demons, Mister Rogers in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and Geppetto in the 2022 remake of Pinocchio), who only did his adult narrative voice and motion-capture, but his on-screen voice is done by Daryl Sabara, who also plays Juni Cortez in the Spy Kids franchise. He is modeled after Josh Hutcherson, who also played Jesse Aarons in Bridge to Terabithia and Walter in Zathura, another movie based on a book by Chris Van Allsburg.

Biography[]

At first, Hero Boy did not want to come aboard the train as he found it too crazy to believe that a train was outside his house, but he ends up running aboard the train before it picks up speed. On the train he encounters multiple events with the Hero Girl a Hobo/Ghost, and the Conductor. Throughout the whole ride to the North Pole, he questions whether any of the events were real or if it was all just a dream. That theme occurs throughout the whole film and it is eventually left up to the audience to decide if it was a dream or not.

At the North Pole, he, the Hero Girl, and Billy (unknowingly followed by Know-It-All) end up accidentally exploring most of the area due to the observation car becoming a runaway. This including Santa's Workshop. After he and Hero Girl chase Billy and his new found gift in the workshop, they end up in Santa's Bag with the Know-It-All kid who had followed them around the whole time (but was unseen). After that, Santa Claus arrives, but the Hero Boy cannot see him, nor can hear "the most beautiful sounding bells in the world" according to the Hero Girl. When a bells falls off a reindeer and lands at his feet, he still can not hear it until he says to himself, "I believe." After that, Santa walks up to him and gives him the first gift of Christmas: the sleigh bell that landed at the boy's feet just then.

When he got back on the train, he discovered, because of the hole in his pocket, the sleigh bell was gone, yet the next Christmas morning, Sarah, the Hero Boy's sister, finds a present which contains the sleigh bell and a note from Santa Claus himself, telling the Hero Boy he had dropped it on his sleigh the night before. The boy's parents could not hear it but the boy and sister did believe, which was the only way to hear it. The boy as a grown-up narrates the end saying even as he grew up he could still hear the bell, but most of his friends, including Sarah, could not. This ending leads the audience to believe the whole story was not a dream, but it is up to them to decide.

Quote[]

Chris: Are we really going to the north pole?
Holly: Mm-hmm. Isn't that wonderful?
~ Chris trusting Holly.
[sighs] Tastey!
~ Chris ejoying Hot Chocolate.
I don't think we're supposed to leave our seats.
~ Chris
She didn't lose her ticket, I did. I was trying to return it to you, but the wind blew it outta my hand.
~ Chris blaming himself.
I'm looking for a girl. I have her ticket.
~ Chris meeing the Hobo.
You!? I thought you got thrown off and... you're driving the train?!
~ Christ realizing Holly's in charge of controlling the train.
I wanted to do that my whole life!
~ Chris after blowing the train whistle.
Chris: SIR, LOOK THERE!
Conductor: TRACKS... DEAD AHEAD!
~ Chris on a frozen lake spotting a canyon with train tracks dead ahead.
What're they doing here?
~ Chris in the abandoned train car with suffered toys.
[shrieks] What the-?!
~ Chris frightened encounter by his archnemisis, the Ebenezer Scrooge Puppet.
Look, I don't know if Christmas is gonna work out for you or not, but this is Christmas eve! Don't stay here by yourself!
~ Chris convinving Billy to join the other kids.
At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell. But as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found, one Christmas, that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old... ...the bell still rings for me. As it does for all who truly believe.
~ Hero Boy's last narration.

Trivia[]

  • While Hero Boy's real name is never mentioned in neither the book nor the film, a book containing information about the film says that his name is Chris, a reference to the author, Chris Van Allsburg.
  • He is similar to Giovanni in a sense, As both characters board a magical express train and learn a lesson upon returning, For Giovanni it was to stay strong throughout life, while for Hero Boy it was believing in Santa Claus and the magic of Christmas.
  • Hero Boy is partially inspired by Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol.

External links[]

Navigation[]

           The Polar Express Logo Heroes

Hero Boy | Hero Girl | Billy the Lonely Boy | Conductor | The Hobo | Smokey and Steamer

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