PREDICTION TIME

I find trailers instructive.

I think "The Polar Express" is going to bomb. Two reasons:

a. I have no idea from the trailer what the obstacle is. Or even the goal. The hero is a little boy who takes a train to the North Pole, and there's a lot of singing and dancing. But why does he want to go? What is he running from? What does he dream of? And what's in the way of his getting to it?

b. The animation is creepy. There's too much detail for it to be a cartoon, and not enough to look human. It will tank fro the same reason Final Fantasy tanked. You can't appreciate the characters as caricatures, and they are obviously not real actors feeling real feelings. Too close or too far.