The Polar Express Pitch Meeting

Step inside the pitch meeting that led to The Polar Express!
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Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks teaming up has been a recipe for box-office success, with collaborations like Forrest Gump and Cast Away receiving tons of awards and nominations. Critics seemed to change their tune a little when the pair brought “The Polar Express” to life, based on a short children’s picture book of the same name.
The Polar Express movie definitely raises some questions. Like why did they think they could make a non-horrifying animated kids movie using entirely motion capture? What’s up with that hobo? Why does “Hero Boy” spend a bunch of time trying to give a girl her ticket back? What’s up with Tom Hanks playing all these characters? How does the kid still not believe while standing in the middle of the North Pole? Why is this all so unsettling and scary?
To answer all these questions and more, step inside the Pitch Meeting that led to The Polar Express! It’ll be super easy, barely an inconvenience.
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[@vsf_dave811]

The fact that Santa exists in the movie but just blatantly doesn’t bring poor kids any gifts always cracked me up😂

[@shanelawrence7438]

well- I heard this from a different christmas movie. He gives good little girls and boys toys, and bad ones get coal? right? No, the poor ones get coal, it will keep their home warms and that is a better gift than any toy. But for the bad kids? they get nothing.

[@rebekanickell8451]

@@shanelawrence7438 why doesn't he bring them money, or food lol

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@ravensshade Weird because he brings candy and fruit in stockings

[@tapoemt3995]

@@ravensshade Ok, A really expensive toy he can turn in for money... I'm looking at you PS 5!

[@bladeoftheruinedking2543]

Maybe he doesn't have the letter to send to santa

[@jamesmoriarty4439]

As a kid, I never ever understood anything in this movie. Now, seeing this, I get why.

[@sarahnour5561]

Read the book. It's beautiful.

[@helloemor]

My parent in laws have an inexplicable love for this awful movie, it’s one of my least favorite things about them

[@Сайтамен]

Yeah, but action with the train is awesome.

[@theharoldsshow]

This is how I felt about Sharkboy and Lavagirl

[@TheGingiGamer]

@@helloemor how is it awful?

[@xarfram]

The conductor managing to drift a train across a frozen lake is probably one of the most metal scenes in any movie

[@DuyNghia7]

You're goddamn right XD

[@tomwansleeben2458]

MuLtI-tRaCk DrIfTiNg!!!

[@Radnick0024]

I'm no locomotive expert, but can engines have inverted axles?? Not even regular cars have that, lol

[@Jasmine-gk4re]

oh, my goodness, that scene terrified me as a kid lol!

[@blackhat1018]

You mean the Engineer?

[@ManicPandaz]

“Well you see he’s visibly poor. That’s gross. Santa hates that.” You know what... that sounds credible.

[@wesleyoldham-cartoonsandtv1962]

If Santa said it, it must be true

[@Zartu_3rd_Overlord_of_Blargon7]

Well if you rearrange the letters that spell Santa in a specific way...you get Satan.

[@wesleyoldham-cartoonsandtv1962]

@@Zartu_3rd_Overlord_of_Blargon7 And that leads to problems like devil worshippers selling their souls to Santa

[@mattwhalley6723]

@@wesleyoldham-cartoonsandtv1962 I'm sure at least one person with dyslexia sold their soul to santa on accident

[@mattwhalley6723]

@@wesleyoldham-cartoonsandtv1962 or on purpose

[@jainadreamer]

"The thing is this kid is visibly poor, and you know....that's gross, Santa doesn't like that."

[@e.starling141]

I laughed so freaking hard at that. 🤣

[@Tigerman1138]

Santa is known for his compassion.

[@zjpdarkblaze]

i roflmaoed

[@silentshadow3894]

Now Santa knows that you’ve been good and you want a ps4 but the reason you’re not gonna get it is ‘cous Santa hates the poor.

[@gauravjoshi1909]

This was tooo funny bwahaha!

[@WaffleDragon]

''Did he have any railroad tracks outside his house?'' ''No, why?'' ''So, how did the train get there?'' ''Unclear.''

[@oregonrailfan7046]

MAGIK *Snort* *Snort*

[@NadDew]

fair enough!

[@schabe6419]

The train is a symbol. "One thing about trains: It doesn't matter where there going, what matters is to deciding to get on." isn't how train works, it's how life works. A more actual variant can be "I will keep moving forward". Okay... the whole quote is "I will keep moving forward until I exterminate the enemy!" (Shingeki no Kyojin) but this sounds a bit rough. The point is that you cannot plan life to it's end and whatever happens you must decide to go forward somehow.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@schabe6419 Cringe

[@schabe6419]

​@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 Sounds maybe less cringer when you know what he says when someone comment that he's murdering innocent children during his extermination: "It's not over yet!" ... -_- But back to the train metapher it's the same: Everyone has to make decisions... that doesn't mean you can change your direction by chosing another train but it's still a train then. Another decision you're chosing and you cannot calculate where it ends but even when it's not the same time maybe you can take a train back. "You can never take this back." is another quote in this scene so... for this character it's barely... an inconveneience... but even without a golden ticket... cause he can power a train with brutal force... can he easily switch direction... a direction of peace and harmony... where all the blood is only tomato sauce... and the children and enemies are cute puppets... cute ripped smashed puppets without heads... I give up. ^^ Life lesson: If you want the next train back, ask once again wether it's that train that's moving forward into starting a war.

[@jackobrien47]

"It doesn't matter where my vehicle is going, it just matters that you get in" - The abductor Sorry "conductor".

[@barriolimbas]

Tom Hanks.....if the rumors are true

[@silvanvanderhorst7366]

@@barriolimbas What are those rumors then?

[@barriolimbas]

@@silvanvanderhorst7366 Better if you look them up yourself, its KZbin

[@KC-po7xm]

Omfg

[@clashplaya8638]

The Jews are not a fan of that line

[@UnclePhil73]

He brings up a good point about all “Santa is real” universes. When people the world over are getting gifts under their tree that they clearly didn’t buy, how can anyone reasonably doubt he exists, given the tons of proof?

[@samuelhatlestad6676]

That Problem is in every santa movie ever...

[@jakepullman4914]

The parents just assume they bought the gifts.

[@jimdigitalvideo]

The mother just thinks the father bought the gifts, and vice versa!

[@gabeskai]

wait, so you're telling me not a single parent has ever asked the other parent where the other gifts came from? I never knew terrible communication between parents was such an a univeral problem

[@chivasowle286]

Magic

[@booshmcfadden7638]

"Don't think about it too much, I didn't." That's too accurate for a lot of writers these days.

[@alexbennet4195]

Have you seen most shitty older films? This isn't a new thing lol

[@loverrlee]

“He’s probably a ghost, He’s probably dead, whose to say though?” *Literally shows him disintegrating*

[@thenewlollipopjam8248]

Iunno. People did that in Avengers and we're eventually alive.

[@greywolf7577]

@@thenewlollipopjam8248 Yeah, but the point was that they were dead until they were brought back to life.

[@MultiFirelover]

@@thenewlollipopjam8248 context

[@Mimyakko]

@@greywolf7577 were they really dead though? Or did they just turn invisible?

[@stupidchannelwithstupidvid8750]

@@Mimyakko my god... imagine someone marrying another person and their wife/husband is right there watching.

[@lotuzz7409]

These pitch meetings are just getting better and better. Don't get me wrong, the earlier ones are still hilarious, but there is a visible increase in quality over time, and the characters' personalities have developed so much. Every single pitch meeting is top notch, even when I haven't seen the actual movie

[@jodie3950]

For sure. Ryan didn't have the goofy constant smile in the first ones so those feel a bit more serious to me. The latest ones are TIGHT.

[@AirQuotes]

It was super easy barely an inconvenience

[@tpad6]

They really are getting better. It's amazing.

[@wow7863]

Something happened during 2018, none of those are funny

[@marhan36]

yup, i watched pitch meetings from 2 years ago and the recent ones are definitely better in quality

[@SBluesBrotherhood]

I actually used "Super easy! Barely an inconvenience." when an engineer at my company thanked me for making a change to a drawing that he needed pretty quickly. He never questioned it.

[@EEEEEEEE]

E‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎

[@raydunakin]

"Just have one guy play multiple characters? That's kind of a weird gimmick." LOL!!!

[@RKyle-wx6rp]

Funny thing about that; I totally was like “yeah, it is kind of a weird gimmick-“ and then orange shirt Ryan appeared and I remembered that Producer Guy and Writer guy are actually played by the same person too lol

[@meerae4133]

Aren't Ryan George doing this??🤣

[@nickmonks9563]

One guy playing multiple characters is TIGHT!

[@blueskiesandstarrynights]

* alex hirsch has entered the chat*

[@mrsnow4444]

I was 400th like!!!!!!

[@wstine79]

Screen Rant: "Doyou think we'll be able to get our viewers a Christmas present?" Ryan: "Actually it's gonna be super easy, barely an inconvenience."

[@thoryan3057]

Screen Rant: "Oh really?"

[@kiebahow442]

Ryan: “Giving presents is tight”............

[@bryanabbott6169]

Ryan: "I need you to get off my back about this!"

[@omgkid]

Me: *sees a new pitch meeting on a Friday * Me: Wow wow wow wow

[@doncorleole2356]

Seeing this catchphrase in the comments after EVERY SINGLE ONE of these videos is TIGHT

[@ChristinaPrempeh]

I watched this a week ago and only just realized that the poor kid literally MET SANTA and probably STILL doesn't get gifts at Christmas.... Santa really does hate that...

[@rosykindbunny1313]

He gets a gift

[@ChristinaPrempeh]

@@rosykindbunny1313 yep, one 🎁. I still think it's sad that it's probably his only Christmas ever and he had to go all the way to the north pole to get it. 😕

[@Jebu911]

@@ChristinaPrempeh Yeah he gets a "gift" after santa takes 2 tries remembering the poor kids name and the gift is the gift of friendship. Santa is a cheap shitter. They leave instantly after and the poor kid gets jackshit and probably never meets the other kids again as he obviously lives in some slum downtown.

[@aryaxz2255]

@@Jebu911 who hurt you ? he gets a big gift that he said he wanted for his entire life and an apology letter from santa

[@mousetreehouse6833]

@@aryaxz2255 ...and there's always Toys for Tots...

[@predraggrujic2239]

This movie honestly feels like a Christmas themed fever dream

[@JessicaGraceWright]

Don't think about it too much. I didn't!

[@doncorleole2356]

I used to watch this movie like once every couple of months when I was about 8 lol

[@spaghettiman3757]

@@doncorleole2356 I watched it only once for the first time when I was 17 lol

[@EmilisFox]

that is exactly how i felt watching it one time as a kid

[@Digglesisdead]

The hobo is pretty scary.

[@danielopeoluwa9946]

I cant believe Ryan gave is this Christmas gift. He usually posts on sunday tho. Love you Ryan. MERRY CHRISTMAS

[@brandonmusic9712]

Ryan giving us a Christmas gift is tight!

[@MasterBlek]

Tsk tsk tsk... How could you not believe in Ryan? Do we have to put you in a random train too?

[@danielopeoluwa9946]

@@MasterBlek Nooo please. Forgive my insolence 😭😭😭

[@MasterBlek]

@@danielopeoluwa9946 Too late! The vehicle with the stranger is waiting for you! Prepare for The Change of Your Life!!!!

[@danielopeoluwa9946]

@@MasterBlek Oh my God

[@sketchyskies8531]

The way his expression fell when he mentioned the kid getting into a stranger's vehicle made me wheeze

[@hansolo235]

“But in a fun Christmas way!”

[@Dude-xb3xh]

That line made me think of Harry Potter

[@arbaazsaqlain1712]

Ryan : "This kid is visibly poor right. So......" Me : "Aw a heartfelt moment" Ryan : "That is gross, Santa hates that" I have never laughed so hard at any moment in all the pitch meeting series. 😂😂

[@theluftwaffle1]

Makes me think of your favourite martians song “Santa hates poor kids”

[@tammygant4216]

I was about to say the same thing. . .I almost choked on a Christmas peppermint. . .worth it though :D

[@cheshire261]

Same!

[@ReleaseMyKrakken]

That really was so unexpected..... it made it that much more hilarious.

[@Dirtfire]

You also get murdered unless you have a golden ticket. The movie sounds like NWO propaganda to me. I wonder how the ghosts fit in.

[@renierlabuschagne9438]

Did anyone else notice that the characters are actually referred to as “Hero Boy” or “Know it all” if you search up the cast

[@BundasaurusPecs]

Oh wow, just looked it up, and ur right 😂

[@chriskimball5785]

@@BundasaurusPecs same lol

[@Austin-oq3nr]

Yes

[@The_Hush_Dragon]

Hero boys name is Chris and hero girls name is Holly.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@@The_Hush_Dragon Very subtle

[@Izzydragons5163]

It’s so funny when Billie is singing about how Christmas doesn’t work out for him and he doesn’t get gifts and then the little girl starts singing about how Christmas is great and kids get gifts 😂😂😂

[@Luke_Human]

201 likes and no comments let me fix that

[@steventhesmellysprout]

344 likes and only 1 comment let me fix that

[@JohnV170]

Santa doesnt care about poor kids.

[@imlando93]

492 likes and only 2 comments about the likes to comment ratio, let me fix that

[@brentage5000]

575 likes and one comment hoping that everyone who reads this far has a lovely day/morning/afternoon/evening/night.

[@aliensoup2420]

A joke about the movie’s dead-eyed characters was to change the title to Polar Expressionless.

[@alpha_jasperflair1097]

Bipolar Expression

[@jeesonkallukkaran8140]

I was expecting ryan to say "that's the name of the movie!"when he said polar express

[@meslathman1211]

@@eclipsehorse8693 damn eclipse, you e re rally went there

[@jacobandersen6075]

Haha how do you come up with this?😂

[@KalonOrdona2]

666th like, looks like their expressionless faces are the harbingers of doom!

[@Russcob1805]

Ryan playing multiple characters has convinced me so much that they’re actually different people so when he made the joke about one person playing multiple characters, it took me a minute to get it

[@isaaccabal7054]

OOOOOOOOOOH

[@sinjinadams2862]

When I first started watching these, I actually thought they were twins. I was kind of bummed out when I found out it was only the one guy.

[@iambicpentakill]

Yep, the joke didn't register until he blatantly pointed it out.

[@libertymasterchief]

Absolutely love this movie. It was my first film that I saw in theaters. My parents said that I came out of it saying “It was big and loud” Then I had a nightmare about the puppets and have skipped that scene ever since even though I’m an adult now

[@ryandowney8743]

"So is this a musical?" "Occasionally, sure." That just described pretty much every musical ever.

[@TragoudistrosMPH]

Les Miserables sung every word, right? (Heard that from Robot Chicken lol, so a grain of salt!)

[@ilikestew5719]

@@TragoudistrosMPH One of the only ones I like

[@alm2187]

Hamilton's pretty rhythmic, start to finish. Anyway, it's all relative. Imagine a show running ninety minutes. If it only has four musical numbers, an audience member who's never seen a musical might say that's a lot. But say there are nine songs in ninety minutes. Isn't that starting to stretch the definition if we call those songs occasional?

[@cw6544]

@@TragoudistrosMPH Les Miserables is technically an operetta because there are no spoken words (outside of various exclamations made within songs).

[@grunklesam787]

I feel like any type of show would seem unrealistic or stale if it were all musical numbers.

[@seifkarim6785]

“Terrifying Dead Hobo Tom Hanks” I swear Ryan is the only reason I’m subscribed to this channel

[@PikaLink91]

There’s other stuff on here?

[@Ratzfourtyfour]

Oh wait that's not Ryan's channel?

[@samiraperi467]

A hobo that looks like he has a WW2 era infantry helmet? Is the hobo Private Ryan? DID THEY ACTUALLY FAIL IN SAVING HIM?

[@darrylhamlin7475]

Ryan is the only reason for MOST of Screenrants subscribers.

[@prisonmike4971]

Yup

[@wesgleeson]

*"But then he does hear it ring and he gets to see terrifying Tom Hanks Santa Claus"* Best Ryan line ever

[@hueii]

"But when he gets into a stranger's vehicle in the middle of the night, his whole life is going to change" 😂😂😂

[@Marvelfanatic3658]

"Oh god"

[@ShiftNova]

@@Marvelfanatic3658 "No,no. In a fun Christmas way."

[@IamYoshua]

@@ShiftNova oh ok thank goodness.

[@faraja6807]

I was like WHAT???

[@chernobylcoleslaw6698]

Ooooft

[@THX11458]

Guy1: "If Santa is real, why doesn't he just bring this kid toys at Christmas?" Guy2: "Well see the thing is, this kid is visibly poor, right, so that's kind of gross...and Santa hates that." Guy1: "Fair Enough."

[@reallyWyrd]

"But Santa oppresses the proletariat." -- MST3K

[@jeesonkallukkaran8140]

And santa is a racist he don't give me or anybody in my country presents

[@TheReaverOfDarkness]

@Akshay 786 Oh no, the rich families that don't pay taxes have the MOST presents!

[@ThreadBomb]

@Akshay 786 That doesn't make sense. A taxation system is a vital part of any socialist economy.

[@seantds619]

Ohh classism is TIGHT! (Totally a word)

[@glittery_cucumber]

I like how Ryan was aware enough that we’d forget he’s taking to himself so he introduced the coffee guy around the 3 minute mark to remind us. Very clever

[@jackcoleman5955]

Plot summarized: “Don’t think about it too much...I didn’t!”

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

This Movies plot is basically about Young Tom Hanks who gets peer-pressured onto Tom Hanks Time-Travelling Train, gets Hot Chocolate from Tom Hanks Chef Army, meets Tom Hanks above the Train, and meets God Hanks at the North Pole, so Young Tom Hanks faith is restored in Tom Hanks.

[@medexamtoolscom]

In fact, don't even watch it at all. That's the best way of not dedicating one moment of your time to thinking about it.

[@TheMandaloreFett]

Are you the Jedi Master Coleman Kacj reincarnated?

[@raydunakin]

Merry Christmas, Ryan!

[@banelemkhabela3229]

Merry Christmas

[@seanclough7810]

wut he sed

[@conorleneghan3055]

Trash grammar

[@Marctersmantoll]

Grammar and spelling are two different things. Mary chrismas

[@banelemkhabela3229]

@@Marctersmantoll merry Christmas

[@escotanner]

0:14 His smile slowly fading away kills me.

[@EEEEEEEE]

‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎E

[@wesleyoldham-cartoonsandtv1962]

"You guys want a coffee?" "Scalding hot, directly into my mouth. Don't you let it cool! Don't let it cool at all!" 🤣🤣

[@carlost856]

Thermodynamicaly impossible orders are tight!

[@infra_r3d133]

“Yeah, he’s pretty into that.”

[@danielrodrigues4903]

Everyone has their fetishes! 🤷‍♂️

[@jeesonkallukkaran8140]

I just read this while the dialogue just happened in the video (forgive my english)

[@astridpreston2174]

yes, we watched the video, too.

[@joelyt1682]

My favorite Christmas movie "Tom Hanks is Every Character: The Polar Express."

[@thenewlollipopjam8248]

Featuring Tom Hanks. And Tom Hanks. And Tom Hanks. And also, Tom Hanks.

[@hahahaaha7208]

Rob Schneider iiiiiisssss.... A STAPLER!!!

[@eternalreign2313]

This was your favorite christmas movie? Die Hard would like to know your location.

[@ashandar.1572]

after watching so many of these pitch meetings I've come to realize just how many times I've had to suspend my disbelief to actually enjoy the movies

[@edge3220]

Writer: "Don't think about it too much. I didn't!"

[@hermask815]

Ryan keeps up this channel because writers don’t think about their scripts too much. That’s.. fair enough.

[@gp2917]

I shot egg nog through my nose when he said that 😂

[@turdfurgeson1643]

Not thinking about things is tight!

[@korliyon2283]

"So what are the characters' names?" "Oh, they don't have ones." "What?" "Yeah, I didn't feel like naming them, you know." "But why, screenwriter guy?" "I don't know, producer guy, I just didn't."

[@danielrodrigues4903]

😂😂👏👏

[@zaidlacksalastname4905]

The way his face fell at the beginning is just Ryan flexing his acting on us

[@johndetlie7853]

Me every morning of my two and a half years as a barista: "Hey, you want some espresso?" "YES I DO, SCALDING HOT, RIGHT INTO MY MOUTH."

[@GerardPerry]

I feel like this is the only way to prepare coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc...

[@gingin4920]

🤣🤣🤣

[@wesleyoldham-cartoonsandtv1962]

Do you serve the espresso with 8 identical twins?

[@tessajohnson8351]

I can't believe Ryan didn't mention the puppet car part. Or was that just a collective nightmare we all had?

[@voguelactose9468]

I just remembered that after repressing it for so long. I don’t know why Polar Express and the motion-capture Christmas Carrol were so dedicated to terrifying audiences at Christmas time.

[@chessred6152]

I actually had a nightmare about that once it was terrifying

[@shockning]

I was 17 before I could fully survive that scene

[@tessajohnson8351]

@@shockning i still will leave the room when it comes on.

[@notfamedtvpersonalitydrphil]

Dude that scene was absolutely terrifying

[@theladyamalthea]

“Don’t give it a lot of thought; I didn’t” “Okay!” 😂😂😂

[@ossianback]

Semicolons are tight!

[@DBlanks28]

"When he gets in some stranger's vehicle at night his whole life changes." "Oh god"

[@michaela8395]

Ryan has gotten SO GOOD at letting all life drain from his eyes at these moments lately.

[@DBlanks28]

@@michaela8395 yes indeed he has.

[@manny7369]

Poor kid: Why havent you brought me toys? Santa: You are visibly poor, and I hate that.

[@caffinatedirl8466]

"Just have one guy playing multiple characters? Seems like a weird gimmick..." Third Ryan: " anyone want coffee?" 🤣🤣🤣

[@daneast]

I was hoping for many more Ryans after that.

[@TristenSarelvun]

I've watched so many Ryan George videos that I literally did not notice the joke for a moment.

[@a.singgih7182]

People probably also miss it when Ryan made a joke about how the people in charge to give choco have a similar face and later the other Ryan gives a choco

[@crazypeopleonsunday7864]

Ryan knows we need reminders that he's only one person.

[@christophercarrigg3775]

Ten thousand of us just searched "people attacking the screen at a Polar Express screening" and somewhere a Google engineer is puzzled by the sudden surge in traffic for random subject

[@lvvylwy961]

I'm inclined to believe that the writers were high when they made this movie.

[@Saint_nobody]

Well yes, but high off,what?

[@monsoon861]

@@Saint_nobody hmmmmm

[@JimmyMon666]

All writers are high.

[@JessicaGraceWright]

@@JimmyMon666 Am a writer. Can confirm.

[@starseed96]

It had writers?

[@jamesb5764]

I took my three year old daughter to see this in the theater. When it got to the part with the train going down the steep hill and off the rails she got EXTREMELY scared and started screaming. So I took her outside and calmed her down. We returned just at the marionette scene. That was it. She noped right out. Years later, in middle school, they showed this flick at a Christmas party type event. It’s now her favorite Christmas film.

[@HanalaSagal]

Can't wait to see your Wonder Woman 1984 pitch, it has barely an inconvenience all over it. Dry comedy, it ain't.

[@kittyfox123]

That movie was just...😔 A bland, confusing, Wonder Woman-Irrelevant, 2 hour mess

[@mkccrosby8169]

No it wasn't. How dare you.

[@HanalaSagal]

I mean, if he's been hanging around her all this time, shouldn't he know what a trash can is?

[@whoknew2273]

We just move on lol

[@AJ-xm4xc]

@@HanalaSagal Exactly.

[@gmansgnarlyscienceshow2820]

Pitcher: But when he gets into a strangers vehicle in the middle of the night, his whole life changes! Exec: ..... Oh GoD!

[@stitchlover4381]

that KILLED me XD

[@KnightRaymund]

yeah that was gold

[@stitchlover4381]

@@KnightRaymund Ryan George's writing is hilariously BRILLIANT XD

[@HighFiveTheTodd]

Loved it when "intern Ryan" came in and asked for coffee!

[@gaspytheghost]

"And when he gets into a stranger's vehicle at night, his whole life is going to change" "..." "Oh god" "But in a fun Christmas way" "Oh ok"

[@maximusw01]

That was the best part XD

[@eternalreign2313]

Usually when you get into a stranger's vehicle at night your whole is about to end.

[@jerryakatony5724]

I wonder what producer guy was thinking....

[@driggsquad01]

That was the best part about this whole thing as soon as I heard him say that I started dying 😂😂😂😂

[@TotallyHuman]

I must've been the only one warding off intrusive thoughts trying to pull me into flashbacks I never had.

[@jacobd1984]

"Just the most annoying and arrogant kid you can imagine." Worse than Janet from The Magic School Bus? Yikes.

[@thenewlollipopjam8248]

Yes. Worse than Janet.

[@Bizzaro_Pope]

“People will want attack the theater screen”

[@floricel_112]

I really doubt there's a worse character than Janet. She bought a star just to mess with their gift plan

[@seantds619]

@@floricel_112 Joffrey? Frodo?

[@floricel_112]

@@seantds619 neither are kid's shows

[@johnjsal]

That "Oh they do?" at 3:39 is priceless. It's basically a shorthand way of saying "Yeah sure, that might as well happen too," and it perfectly captures the way I felt about all the filler in the movie! :)

[@whitwaltman5137]

"He's literally standing in the North Pole surrounded by elves." "Yeah, that's not cutting it for this kid--he's still like, 'Eh, maybe not.'" "Oh, *very* high standards."

[@PolybiusMaximus]

I don't get it.

[@lyidspino7653]

@@PolybiusMaximus he still doesnt believe in santa even though he is surrounded by elves.

[@PolybiusMaximus]

@@lyidspino7653 What do you mean?

[@Lilyrobbins101]

@@PolybiusMaximus Santa is known to make toys for children with the help of his elves. This happens in the North Pole. Santa delivers the toys the night before Christmas. His elves are the ones that make the toys. Elves are made up and often shown to be pointy-eared children. Since the kid is at the place where the toys are made and sees the mythical creatures that make the toys, it's still kind of crazy that the boy doesn't believe in Santa since everything else related to Santa he is able to see.

[@PolybiusMaximus]

@@Lilyrobbins101 I'm not following. You're not making any sense.

[@charlesunlimited2510]

""One thing about trains. It doesn't matter where they're going... Because we'll be together!" *INCEPTION EXPRESS*

[@AbsentMinded619]

Never let a guy with a weird mustache tell you it doesn’t matter where the train is going

[@thegamedanalyst2169]

This was the first pitch meeting I saw. Admittedly, I never really completely understood the attitudes people have with this movie, just never clicked for some reason. Fortunately, Ryan was able to break it down in a way that made understanding it super easy, barely an inconvenience

[@zaya234]

I love how he didn't just make up random names for these characters and he's calling them the actual names that the writers gave them. That's only something you know if you know

[@mr.e7541]

Exactly. You wouldn't have known that if you didn't know that

[@lurrielee2755]

@TheGrimmRetails But imagine if you didn’t! Then you wouldn’t have!

[@onepoeticromancer]

I can't imagine not knowing that and knowing it at the same time.

[@HaveanOreshnik]

"He gets into a strangers vehicle in the middle of the night and his whole life is gonna change" Ryan: *shocked* "oh god"

[@dnlglvn87]

O gawd 😲

[@letit023]

It ok he enjoyed the Ride 😉

[@vietnamd0820]

Yep that got immediately dark 😂

[@Greendalewitch]

@Fentanyl Floyd ohhhhh little boys are TIGHT *Knock on the door* "FBI OPEN UP"

[@Maazitung]

Maybe that was the kidnapped Ryan from "The first guy to ever kidnap someone" -video and he got some PTSD?

[@GamingWithMagnum]

When I was in elementary school, our computer lab supervisor went to school with Chris Van Allsburg. He was her friends younger brother. She said he was always super polite and passionate about art. I just thought it was a neat story, as his books and the movies of them have always been some of my favorite

[@jojo1cool]

In case some people don't know yet, Ryan is a youtuber & has his own YT channel on his name "Ryan George" and he posts many fun videos. I just feel this needs to be mentioned in each video because Screen Rant are doing poor credits for him, not a single mention of his channel, just his twitter user!

[@whateverlolawants]

He's among my very favorite KZbinrs. His videos always crack me up.

[@jakeofalltrades9478]

Yeah his channel should at least be in the description

[@otakumangastudios3617]

To be honest, cuz humor very much resembles my dad's sense of humor lol By the way, my dad was the one who introduced me to the pitch meetings lol

[@herbnfizz4113]

I came to screen rant after discovering and watching every episode Ryan George has made

[@WalnutAnimations]

@@herbnfizz4113 Same

[@kingsleycy3450]

"I am afraid the animation might look unnatural and horrifying." "But think of it like this: aren't all animation unnatural?" "Wow, you just completely destroyed my argument. Let's do it."

[@astridpreston2174]

the dark side of the force is a path to many unnatural abilities, oh wait, wrong movie

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

@@astridpreston2174 The Prequels are always the right movie.

[@dogeimations9255]

"But when he gets into a stranger's vehicle in the middle of the night, his whole life is going to change" "Oh god" I almost choked on the grapes i was eating at this part

[@wesleyoldham-cartoonsandtv1962]

"One thing about trains. It doesn't matter where they're going. What matters is deciding to get on." Does this include a "train of thought"? Because I'm not sure they knew where this one was going.

[@Nikolaos-Koemtzis]

It's going to crash, I'm pretty sure.

[@actin9294]

Savage 😂

[@musicrinda]

Whoops!

[@InsertCreativeusername_]

Honestly Hanks deserves all the money this movie made for having him play half of the characters. And the same goes for Ryan

[@JordanICM]

Technically Hank deserves half for playing half, and Ryan deserves all for playing all. *Channeling annoying know-it-all kid from movie*

[@arugulaempire8779]

Hanks deserves NOTHING.

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

@@arugulaempire8779 You mispelled everything.

[@KiwiBubbles5]

See, this movie has, like, very few redeeming qualities - if any - but I still honestly love it. Nostalgia reasons. Any time in school we had a Christmas movie party or we were picking something to watch after finishing finals before winter break, this movie was chosen a lot. Reminds me of good times and having fun with my classmates 🥰

[@ravenmorrigana1093]

"Oh no...I guess" is my new catchphrase for all faux-intense scenes

[@punkrckr6889]

"Tom Hanks the whole dang thing" could have been the entire pitch and it still would have been greenlit.

[@WheeliePhiloslothical]

It probably was

[@supershirtgun8411]

i watched this when i was young those dolls you didn't mention were the scariest thing

[@LeigerGaming]

4:28 - "Don't they see him like every day?" GENIUS.

[@melontusk7358]

The Screenwriter was teasing *"The Prestige"* and "Anomalisa" Pitch Meetings when both of them started addressing the fact there were *multiple people with the same face* on a train, and they all have *commanding mustaches.*

[@SomethingWittyRW]

"See, this kid is visibly poor and Santa thinks that's kinda gross" Jesus this is hilarious and sad at the same time.

[@robvollman]

The same actor playing several parts? Yeah I’m not sure that ever works.

[@vietnamd0820]

Ryan’s the man 😁👍

[@monsoon861]

No he has clones

[@insignificantgnat9334]

Peter Sellers has entered the chat.

[@SmashLiXs]

jim carrey did that in series of unfortunate events & a christmas carol

[@josephrondon8900]

@@monsoon861 they are not clones they are other people obviously

[@JohnTaylor-fh4et]

The true meaning of Christmas, money.

[@carter_lovejoy]

-Mr. Krabs (obviously)

[@youwanagethi]

Oh, money is tight!

[@JohnTaylor-fh4et]

@@youwanagethi til it's not. Everything burns.

[@SidPil]

Cashing in on Christmas is super easy barely an incovenience

[@mannymarc24]

Zemekis just can't shake this convention on his his high yield films, Back to the future, Forrest Gump, a CC, but to be fair,the cgi films were designed to be seen in IMAX 3D(money again) but the experience was worth it.

[@SubzeroBlack68]

3:55 is super funny to me, cuz my stand told me a story how he was really poor growing up and on his street was pretty much all the poor people and the next street over were nice houses and middle class people. He said as a kid "Why doesnt Santa ever get us anything for Christmas like the other kids." His friend said "Santa doesnt like poor people" Him and his friends were all sad and kept playing soccer with a taped ball. Its sad, but my dad told it to me as a funny story. he always makes light of his early life.

[@O4C209]

The Polar Express is the result of a bet between two high level executives on if it's possible to make a Tom Hanks movie terrifying.

[@evanneal1039]

The live action Scooby Doo movie is in need for a Pitch Meeting.

[@samuelhatlestad6676]

I thought he already did them

[@Rougarou99]

Which one? There were four.

[@Nikolaos-Koemtzis]

@Shrek Wazowski why Redacted?

[@Nikolaos-Koemtzis]

@Shrek Wazowski yeah I see 🙈

[@TheTexican05]

The writer admitting he doesn’t care or didn’t give it any thought (when questioned about an obvious plot hole) describes 90% of the Hollywood films to come out since 2010… This PM was perfect, Ryan. Thank you for all that hard work and entertainment value. 🍻 ❤️

[@JamoboBorg]

Poor people: life isn't great cause we don't have things Rich people: What are you talking about?

[@justanotherbaptistjew5659]

“It doesn’t matter where the train is going” -1940s German soldier.

[@josephbassey1501]

It doesn't matter where the train is going What matters is our plan

[@landonwyndham979]

Oh god.

[@JohnDoe-wl2ou]

You're waiting for a train. A train that will take you far away. You know where you hope the train will take you, but you can't know for sure. Yet it doesn't matter. Now, tell me why?

[@Nikolaos-Koemtzis]

@@JohnDoe-wl2ou because the destination is always uncertain. Whether it's a trip or life in general. You might have plans once you arrive or you might just simply die. Just don't keep your hopes up till you reach. And enjoy the ride till you arrive. Enjoy the present as long as it lasts. And when you arrive, if you arrive at your desired (or not desired) destination, plan and do accordingly. Merry Christmas partner.

[@leyenda6149]

Dude, that's messed up

[@wrthgdrver710]

I genuinely forget you're just one person sometimes.

[@josephbrown9685]

For Christmas, Screen Rant needs to gift Ryan frequent back massages since he is single handedly carrying the channel on his back.

[@KuraiKingFluff]

Me: Carrying the entire Screenrant channel on your back sounds tough. Ryan: Nope, it's super easy, barely an inconvenience.

[@unclecreepy4185]

The one thing about my windowless van filled with candy, it doesn’t matter where it’s going, what matters is deciding to get in.

[@billc.2627]

Wow. Wow. Wow. A Pitch Meeting on Christmas Day! I do believe in Ryan, I do believe in Ryan!

[@softy8088]

I don't know if I believe. I can't even hear this video. Oh wait, I just had it muted...

[@forwhomthetacobelltolls]

"so the kids come across these elves." "Oh are they super cheerful and helpful to the kids?" "They are not. They're like Joe Pesci if he inhaled helium."

[@jaymontana13]

"So the kids get to the North Pole and they come across these elves." "Oh are they super cheerful and helpful to the kids?" "No sir, not at all. They're like Joe Pesci if he inhaled HELIUM." "Oh my God! That sounds kind of terrifying!" "Yes sir, it will be. So anyways..."

[@CrazedMilkMan]

The first 20 seconds of this really makes you forget this is the Polar Express for a moment

[@duescaymania2940]

I can’t believe you didn’t mention how the conductor Tokyo drifts a train

[@PhilBagels]

And how the train is sometimes a roller coaster.

[@Raeprim]

Multi-Ice Track drifto

[@ttd0000]

"Deja vu I've just been in this place before..."

[@magatetus]

Don't worry it's gonna be super easy, barely an inconvenience.

[@oregonrailfan7046]

But the conductor wasn’t driving the train he was just shouting commands at the engineer from the roof of the cab

[@dunklerreiter486]

Pitch Meeting > Honest Trailers > Cinemasins

[@carter_lovejoy]

Don’t forget to put CinemaWins between Pitch Meetings and Honest Trailers

[@BabysitterSky]

I'd but CS over HT but to each their own :)

[@mastodon0124]

Birdman's "everything wrong with cinemasins" > Cinemasins

[@justanotherglorpsdaymornin5097]

@@mastodon0124 most things > Cinemasins

[@Glitch_in_the_Matrix]

The souless eyes of the Polar Express

[@4137Swords]

This is favorite adaptation of the Scrooge story ever, for real. We got a main character that doesn't believe in Santa, a poor kid, an optimistic side character, 3 kind of magical guys that all play a part into changing the main character's view (the conductor, the ghost hobo, and Santa), and a magical adventure that happens when the main character goes to sleep on Christmas Eve where they wake up with their new perspective and changed attitude. Love it

[@melontusk7358]

SG: "This whole thing might have been a dream" PG: "So is this *The Matrix* or *Inception?"* SG: "No, but what if we made a commercial about *LEGO minifigures coming to life* in a boy's imagination or dream or whatever?" PG: "Super easy and barely and inconvenience. Making money is *TIGHT"*

[@astridpreston2174]

"The hobo was a ghost this whole time? That's got to be a plot twist for another movie, right? My sixth sense's telling me that"

[@njay4399]

"So it's about this little kid right and he's not sure he believes in santa anymore. " "Oh VERY sad!" "yeah but one day he goes in a stranger's vehicle in the middle of the night and it changes his life forever! *"oh, God"*

[@stefanfilipovits21]

😂🤣💀

[@bryceneuberger3460]

It would be funny to point out how all kids movies focus heavily on how parents don't actually believe in Santa while the parents who take them home then continue to pretend as if they believe in Santa...

[@ashxcounts]

“So then this ticket flies up into the air for a little bit, then next to some wolves, and then picked up by an Eagle who brings it over a waterfall, then a baby eagle tries to eat it & spits it up, so then it becomes a snowball, then it hits the front of the train,then a hobos face, then back into the train car, & stuck to a vent. It’s going to take several minutes...” “Okay so it’s just back in the train now?” “It’s back in the train now.” This movie is to preoccupy the kiddies for awhile😂

[@benzaiten933]

hey at least it wasn't stuck in a ball of poop for a while.

[@pisscvre69]

tbh that weird scene was my fav of the movie, its pretty nonsense, the rest of the movie is unnerving nonsense LOL

[@jakespacepiratee3740]

@Akshay 786 You are now the Know-It-All-Kid.

[@birdmcturd1626]

Do a ‘Chitty Chitty bang bang’ pitch meeting. That film was on over Christmas and it is *insane* ,it actually kinda surprised me and I saw it when I was younger! And I’m not the type to be easily surprised

[@silvanvanderhorst7366]

Maybe also Office Christmas party?

[@lauren2112]

Oohhhhh yes

[@lhaviland8602]

IIRC the car kills at least one person by running them over, or do I have the wrong movie?

[@user-pw8zd7ns3p]

I showed my mom this video, and at the end, she told me, "Those guys are funny." (She realized what she said after I asked her.)

[@catdogmousecheese]

I can't believe he didn't talk about that creepy as Hell scene with the train car full of broken toys. Why was the scene even there? It's just like the tunnel scene in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

[@hannahcraig6763]

If he described every scene in this movie that doesn't make any sense this video would have been an hour long 😂

[@jessodum3103]

@@hannahcraig6763 Probably 1h 40m.

[@catdogmousecheese]

You know when I was in middle school some of the kids actually did an entire dance routine on stage to the hot chocolate song. It was impressive, one kid a full back flip.

[@GlassesnMouthplates]

RIP kid who played as the Bad Guy and his neck.

[@ferrisnoctario5165]

My favorite theory is that every character played by Tom Hanks is the same character.

[@danielcharland1374]

Yes, that version of Christmas Carol is a horror movie, not question.