The Sunrise Theater's SunFlix Series will present two free showings of the Oscar-nominated film from 2004 "The Polar Express," Thursday, Dec. 24, at 2:30 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 26, at 7:30 p.m.

This famous family adventure is based on the classic book by Chris Van Allsburg and is directed by Robert Zemeckis.

Rated G, for general audiences, the film stars Tom Hanks, Michael Jeter, Chris Coppola, Peter Scolari and Nona Gaye. It runs for 1 hour and 40 minutes.

The following summary is provided by the film's official Web site:

"A young boy lies awake in his room one snowy Christmas Eve, excited and alert. Breathing silently. Hardly moving. Waiting. He's listening for a sound he's afraid that he might never hear -- the ringing bells of Santa's sleigh. The time is five minutes to midnight.

"Suddenly, the boy is startled by a thunderous roar. Clearing the mist from his window he sees the most amazing sight -- a gleaming black train rumbles to a stop right in front of his house, the steam from its powerful engine hissing through the night sky and the softly falling snowflakes.

"The boy rushes outside, clad only in his pajamas and slippers, and is met by the train's conductor who seems to be waiting just for him.

"Well, are you coming?" the conductor inquires.

"Where?" the boy asks.

"Why, to the North Pole -- of course. This is the Polar Express!"

What unfolds is an adventure which follows a doubting young boy, who takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole; during this ride, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery which shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that "The Polar Express is a movie for more than one season; it will become a perennial, shared by the generations. It has a haunting, magical quality because it has imagined its world freshly and played true to it, sidestepping all the tiresome Christmas cliches that children have inflicted on them this time of year. The conductor tells Hero Boy he thinks he really should get on the train, and I have the same advice for you."

The historical Sunrise Theater is located at 250 NW Broad St. in Southern Pines. This movie is being shown free of charge. Refreshments are available. All Sunrise Theater movies are commercial free.

For more information, contact the theater at (910) 692-3611 or visit www.sunrisetheater.com.