Chris Van Allsburg’s classic children’s book has been in highly secretive production now for over a year, with another 12 months still to go before its debut as a big special effects filled film next November. Directed by the amazing Robert Zemeckis (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Back To The Future), and starring Tom Hanks (the Toy Stories, Cast Away), the two are joining again to push visual effects to the next level. The Polar Express has been completely filmed on special effects screen stages, with the completed backdrops and further characters created and enhanced with CGI technology to retain the illustrative feel of the original book.

Though the official site still carries only the teaser poster image for the film, those keeping an eye on Apple’s Movie Trailers page have a big surprise for them: an early look at the film in the form of a full teaser trailer featuring the first images of a CGI Tom Hanks! Expect The Polar Express to be a big hit next year, and change the face of computer created effects into the bargain.