Sofa, So Good

I finally got around to seeing "The Polar Express," and I was completely blown away. The rich, compelling CGI visuals, the engaging, timeless story, the booming soundtrack, and the 3D IMAX experience made the presentation more like an E-ticket ride than a typical movie. And any number of sequences within the film, such as the roller-coaster-like runaway train or the Space-Mountain-ish pneumatic tube ride, seems to be begging to be adapted into a theme park attraction. While a Polar Express ride may or may not be coming to a park near you, the film is another example of the powerful influence theme parks have on films, restaurants, hotels, retail stores, casinos, museums, and more. In fact, I saw the film at a 3D IMAX theater in--get this--a furniture store. Jordan's, a chain of furniture stores in the Boston area, offers a motion simulator ride, an animated Mardi Gras parade presentation, an indoor fireworks display, animatronic characters, and other jazzy theme park features to lure customers into its showrooms. It IS a themed world, after all. BTW, you don't necessarily have to make your way through displays of dinette sets, but I'd highly recommend you seek out the 3D IMAX version of "The Polar Express" if it's available in your area. I can't imagine that the standard 2D version would be nearly as enjoyable.
It's a Themed World After All