Tom Hanks’ Fantasy Classic With 7 Different Roles Is Officially Returning To Streaming

Published Oct 25, 2026, 2:00 PM EDT Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts. Tom Hanks' classic fantasy movie where he plays seven different roles is officially returning to streaming, right at the perfect time of the year. Hanks has many movies amongst his lineup that always manage to tug at the heartstrings. From the heartfelt events of Forrest Gump to his emotional performance in The Green Mile, there have been a plethora of movies across the decades where he's impacted audiences with his performance. This includes in the realm of fantasy, with one more in particular considered one of his best classics. That film is The Polar Express, a 2004 animated Christmas movie using motion capture to bring its characters to life. Based on the picture book by Chris Van Allsburg, the movie follows an unnamed boy who is whisked away on the fantastical Polar Express, a magical train going to the North Pole. The movie follows the boy as he struggles with his belief in Santa Claus, makes unexpected new friends, and goes on a whirlwind adventure. It's notable for Hanks as well, who plays seven roles across the entire movie. Hanks' The Polar Express Is Welcoming HBO Max Viewers Aboard Next Month All can board the Polar Express on HBO Max next month, with the movie getting a streaming return just in time for the holiday season. The Polar Express arrives on HBO Max on November 1, 2026, giving viewers ample opportunity to watch the movie before Christmas day. It's one of multiple holiday-themed films coming to the streaming service on the same day, including DreamWorks' Rise of the Guardians, Tim Allen's Christmas with the Kranks, and both Bad Santa movies. However, The Polar Express is the most classic of the Christmas movies coming to the streaming service that day. The level of heart that comes from the movie and its wrestling with seeing versus believing makes it a unique film for the holidays. It helps that it embraces plenty of adventure movie tropes, while still maintaining a core focus on the holidays. This furthers its standing as a classic movie amongst Hanks' lineup, made even better by its historical importance for his career. The Fantasy Classic Remains A Rare Outing For Hanks As one of Hanks' classic fantasy movies, The Polar Express has multiple attributes that make it unique contrasted to some of his other films. For one, Hanks is playing a multitude of vital roles in the movie, lending his voice and motion-capture appearance to the Narrator, the Conductor, the Hobo, the Ebenezer Scrooge puppet, the Father, and Santa Claus. He also did motion capture for the main character, but didn't voice him. In addition, it's one of Hanks' only motion-capture roles throughout his film career. The rare elements of The Polar Express only make the movie all the more special. As a fun, adventure-filled Christmas outing, the movie delivers on an experience that evokes the Christmas spirit, all while giving viewers a special event that's perfect for the holiday season. With the Hanks-led movie joining the ranks of HBO Max just in time, its new streaming home means more eyeballs on it as the holidays approach. Release Date November 10, 2004 Runtime 100 minutes Director Robert Zemeckis Cast Hero Boy / Father / Conductor / Hobo / Scrooge / Santa Claus Leslie Zemeckis Sister Sarah / Mother Writers Robert Zemeckis, William Broyles Jr. Producers Gary Goetzman, Steve Starkey, Robert Zemeckis, William Teitler