History Characters / ThePolarExpress

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Even though he can be a bit strict at times, he is much more of a nice guy than he lets on at first. Not only is he willing to forgive Chris when he pulls the emergency brake switch so Billy can board the train (even giving the impression that he feels like a jackass for getting worked up over it), he even happily goes to deliver hot chocolate to the latter with Holly and even allows the latter to help run the train when it appears that she lost her ticket, possibly to exploit a loophole that the staff presumably don't need tickets. When Chris stops the train for the caribou, he initially believes Chris is "bound and determined" to stop the train from ''ever'' reaching the North Pole, but when alerted to the caribou, he turns his anger towards them. Even after that, several times throughout the movie he helps ensure the safety of all the children on the train and protects Chris and Holly from danger whenever the train is in a perilous situation.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Even though he can be a bit strict at times, he is much more of a nice guy than he lets on at first. Not only is he willing to forgive Chris when he pulls the emergency brake switch so Billy can board the train (even giving the impression that he feels like a jackass for getting worked up over it), he even happily goes to deliver hot chocolate to the latter with Holly and even allows the latter to help run the train when it appears that she lost her ticket, possibly to exploit a loophole that the staff presumably don't need tickets. When Chris stops the train for the caribou, he initially believes Chris is "bound and determined" that the train not reach the North Pole at all, but when alerted to the caribou, he turns his anger towards them. Even after that, several times throughout the movie he helps ensure the safety of all the children on the train and protects Chris and Holly from danger whenever the train is in a perilous situation.

* AmbiguouslyHuman: He has a the unnatural ability to dissolve his body into snowflakes, yet is only ever seen interacting with Chris.

* AmbiguousSituation: Its unclear exactly what he wants from Chris. He encourages Chris's skepticism about Santa Claus at first, but later angrily scolds him for being a "doubter" via the Scrooge puppet, and although there's a vaguely sinister quality to him, he saves Chris's life on three separate occasions.

[[folder: Santa Claus]]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/TomHanks (motion capture and voice)
[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/santa_claus_9.png]]
The legendary hero of Christmas, who travels around the world in one night to deliver toys to all the good children.

* BigGood: Comes with the territory. The titular train was specifically sent so a few lucky kids could see him before his Christmas Eve run, and even takes the time to give one of them the first gift of the season. He also started a "re-bicycling" program to have the train pick up discarded and abandoned toys and take them back to the North Pole for refurbishment so they can get new homes.
* TheGoodKing: {{Discussed}}. When the Hobo claims he's the King of the North Pole, Chris asks how that can be, since Santa--the definition of the BigGood--is supposed to be the King of the North Pole.
* LovedByAll: Everyone in the North Pole loves Santa.
* SantaClaus: [[TropeNamer Of course.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: He's a lot gentler than most examples, and it only takes a few words, but he sets Lenny straight when the boy begs to be the one who gets the first gift.
-->'''Santa Claus''': Young man...patience. And, a smidgen of humility might also serve you well.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Polar Express]]
->'''Portrayed by:''' Pere Marquette 1225 (design-wise and sound-wise), Sierra Railway 3 (whistle)
[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/polar_express.png]]
The titular train, a 2-8-4 Berkshire steam locomotive that hauls children to the North Pole every Christmas Eve for a once-in-a-lifetime experience--and an important life lesson along the way.
----

->'''Portrayed by:''' Pere Marquette 1225 (design-wise), Sierra Railway 3 (whistle)

* RunawayTrain: When the throttle pin wears out and pops loose, she winds up flying all over Glacier Gulch's steep inclines before she jumps the tracks at a frozen lake.

-->'''Santa Claus''': Young man...patience. And, a smidgen humility might also serve you well.

-->'''Santa Claus''': Young man...patience. And, a little humility.

* BerserkButton: Don't mess with the schedule on his watch. Come unnecessarily pulling the emergency brake or throwing a heard of caribou in the train's way, he's not gonna be a happy customer. That being said, he will back off if the hazard in question happened for good reason, or was beyond his control.

->'''Portrayed by:''' Creator/TomHanks (motion capture), Creator/DarylSabara (voice)

* BadassBaritone: He has a very deep voice and is a living legend in every way.

[[quoteright:245:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ebenezer_scrooge_puppet.png]]

* EvilLaugh: Laughs a nazal one several times in the game.

* OneHundredPercentAdorationRating: Everyone in the North Pole loves Santa.

** CoolButInefficient: That said, before the Caribou Crossing, her headlight gives out. Then a worn pin in the throttle causes her to runaway when Glacier Gulch comes up.

* TheAllegedCar: For the most part, she holds up pretty well, but before the Caribou Crossing, her headlight gives out. Then a bad pin in the throttle causes her to runaway when Glacier Gulch comes up.

* CoolTrain: Not only is it sleek and fancy, but it has a catchy theme song, and manages to ice-skate over a frozen lake, not to mention its job is to take kids to see Santa Claus.

* RunawayTrain: When a bad pin in the throttle pops loose, she winds up flying all over Glacier Gulch's steep inclines before she jumps the tracks at a frozen lake.

** In Chris's room, there's a pendant for the University of Michigan. 1225 was displayed there from 1957 to 1983, and served as the basis for the inspiration behind the book the movie is based on.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He is very rough around the edges; he uses a puppet of [[Literature/AChristmasCarol Ebenezer Scrooge]] to scare the Hero Boy at one point. He is also very vague and unhelpful whenever he answers the kid's questions, but he also saves his life on numerous occasions as well, and is implied to have done the same for the Conductor in the past.* NoNameGiven: While everyone else of the main cast has their name either said in the film (Billy) or revealed in supplementary material (everyone else), the Hobo goes unnamed.