Using a revolutionary new performance-capture technique, director Robert Zemeckis and his workshop of animation elves have transposed the precise facial expressions and body movements of Tom Hanks (in six roles!) and his human co-stars to the entirely computer-generated make-believe world of the movie. Projected on a two-dimensional theater screen, the range of emotions is positively striking, the eyes bright and alive, and yet the characters themselves seem like glorified sock puppets. There's something not quite right with the way they look, and their mouths and bodies move with the underwater sluggishness of video-game characters.

But see it in IMAX 3-D, and the characters seem less like zombified CG-puppets and more like your genuine flesh-and-blood companions on this wild ride. You find yourself immersed in this dreamlike place, as though you've stepped into a Thomas Kincade painting or the pages of Van Allsburg's book itself. Snow falls within arm's reach, and you'll find yourself gripping your armrests when the ''Pol-Ex'' reaches the top of Glacier Gulch, a 179-degree precipice halfway to the North Pole. Why is the route to Santa's village so dangerous, you ask? Such questions only matter when you're not fully engaged in the story, which is why my recommendation slips a full star for the version that, sadly, more than 99 percent of audiences will see. In 3-D, the adventure happens to you instead of just on-screen.

Since everything was rendered on computers, there are no cameras involved, which means that Zemeckis could literally go anywhere and show anything (through keyholes or peering up from the iced-over cobblestones of Santa's village). Watch how Zemeckis tells the story and you'll see how this risky experiment lends itself to 3-D without resorting to the usual gimmicks, like jabbing things in the audience's faces. Wherever possible, he favors a subjective point of view, which means you're constantly seeing things through the children's eyes. He wants you to identify, which no doubt explains why none of the characters have names.

After all, this is every child's personal Christmas fantasy – the chance to go to visit the North Pole and see Santa for yourself – governed only by the 15 magical illustrations in Van Allsburg's book. Each of those unforgettable images is faithfully acknowledged in this radically innovative new format, thanks to an executive producer who believed in the material's power to resonate with all audiences. Remember, Hanks has been there since the beginning, lending his voice to Woody in the first fully computer-generated feature, Toy Story, and it was Zemeckis who married animation and live action 16 years ago in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? While Pixar continues to dazzle us with their techniques, this pair is driving forward the cinematic medium once again. The key to enjoying this unique experiment rests, fittingly, on whether you are willing to set aside your own skepticism and go along with the movie's well-meaning and unmistakably original spirit. If so, it can truly be an exhilarating ride.

[as featured in The Miami Herald]