Grand Rapids, Mich. - A brooding black steam engine stands waiting on a dark, cold night. The passenger cars lined up behind it glow with yellow lamplight and children's laughter. The snow floats down in the silent twilight.

It's time to head to the North Pole.

The haunting and magical images of Chris Van Allsburg's "The Polar Express" have been enchanting children for nearly 20 years.

The original book tells a story about a young boy who hops aboard a magical train on Christmas Eve and travels to the North Pole. There, he receives the first gift of Christmas, a sleigh bell, from Santa Claus himself.

The bell can only be heard by those who believe in Santa Claus - something most adults lose faith in over time.

When history senior Reneé Becker was a little girl, she believed.

"My sister and I would ring the bell and my parents would pretend they couldn't hear it," she said, adding that her version of the book came with a bell. "It just made me believe in something that you can't see. There's more out there than what's in front of your face."

The best-selling book is renowned for Van Allsburg's Caldecott Medal-winning illustrations and its touching story about childhood, faith and the magic of Christmas.

Now those images are brought to life on film to captivate a new generation of children looking to believe.

On Friday, more than a 1,000 people in winter formal wear spilled out of limos and buses onto the red carpet leading into Grand Rapids' Celebration! Cinema for the Midwest premiere of "The Polar Express," which stars Tom Hanks and arrives in theaters today.

Van Allsburg's hometown theater was transformed into a glitzy winter wonderland, complete with blaring holiday music and a Christmas tree that stretched to the ceiling - from where fake snow fell.

About 1,400 people paid $250 a ticket to see the movie based on Van Allsburg's book and attend the premiere party to benefit Hospice of Michigan's pediatric program.

"It's hard to think of a more poignant combination of words than Hospice and pediatric," Van Allsburg said. "It's something that goes right to your heart, and when we heard that was the cause that was going to benefit from the premiere, both my wife and I were ready to do it."

With the help of ticket-holders and sponsors, some who donated more than $10,000 each, $1.3 million was raised for The Big Picture Project, a nearly two-year undertaking to raise money and awareness for the pediatric Hospice in Michigan.

Van Allsburg kicked off the day's festivities with a press conference where he spoke to young readers from across the state. He fielded questions about the new film, his art and the meaning of Christmas.

When one audience member asked if Van Allsburg could still hear "the bell," the magical symbol that only rings for true believers, the author didn't hesitate for a second.

"Of course I do," he said. "I have the strongest feelings around Christmas. They aren't the exact ones I had as a child, but they're very similar.

"That's the thing I was afraid of losing when I was 8, that I wouldn't be able to feel it again - but I can. On the 24th, if I step outside and it's snowing, I get those feelings. It happens."

Van Allsburg, who now lives in Providence, R.I., is the author of more than 15 picture books for children, including "The Garden of Abdul Gasazi," "The Widow's Broom" and "Jumanji," which was adapted into a film starring Robin Williams in 1995.

The University of Michigan graduate said he felt more comfortable watching "The Polar Express" come to life than he did "Jumanji."

"When that film came out it wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be and I was a little disappointed," the author said. "My opinion of it has changed over the years, because I've seen so many films that were so much worse that I now think it's a pretty good movie."

Since "The Polar Express" storyline is only about 12 minutes long, the film's plot had to be extended. Van Allsburg said he was happy with the filmmakers' choices.

As for his stylized artwork, Van Allsburg said he insisted the film's animation captures his original vision. The result is a new animation technique that is based primarily on real actors' movements.

Perhaps "The Polar Express" was easily transferred to the screen since Van Allsburg had already envisioned the story as a film in his mind before he wrote the book.

"I've already taken the trip in my imagination," he said. "I am just describing what happened to me."

Whether Van Allsburg really did take a ride on the Polar Express is a question of faith to skeptics.

"Sometimes when you write a story, you make a story up," he said. "But sometimes when you work on a story, it doesn't seem as much like making it up as remembering it.

"'The Polar Express' did happen because it seems just like a memory to me."

Van Allsburg said, although a lot of people see "The Polar Express" as a story about faith and believing, it's actually more about holding on to childhood.

"You can reach a certain age and you can feel your childhood slipping away," he said. "If you're lucky, a train will pick you up and show you how to keep it intact."

Or readers can just hop in line for one of Van Allsburg's book signings, where he said first-generation fans, now in their early 20s, come to talk about their childhood memories and replace their worn-out copies.

Many of these older fans tell Van Allsburg about reading "The Polar Express" every Christmas Eve with their families, he said. They ask him to sign their books and then give them to their parents.

"It's not only the idea that someone's memories of their own childhood with their family include my story, but now there's a point in a young adult's life where it still sort of holds the family together," he said. "That's a great gratification. I feel fortunate for it."

Katie Griffen, 18, said "The Polar Express" takes her to a "happy wonderland" when she remembers it.

"It reminds me of when I was little," the special education freshman said. "It brings you back."

It's that same type of sentiment and fondness for "The Polar Express" that brought a new generation of fans to film's premiere Friday.

Nine-year-old Jackson Byam of Grand Rapids clutched onto his copy of the book as he walked around the movie theater in a tuxedo, beaming with excitement.

His mother, Lisa Byam, canceled a trip to Florida so her family could attend the premiere. The book has been one of Jackson's favorites since his great-grandmother gave it to him when he was 4 years old.

"She just recently passed away," Lisa Byam said. "It's his special book. It's all warped; he's read it so much."

Stacey and Clarence Grimm traveled for two hours from Niles, Mich., to see the movie. As educators, they have been sharing "The Polar Express" with their students since its publication.

"It's been a lot of fun," Stacey Grimm said about the premiere. "We're not used to doing this, we're just teachers."

The Grimms were among the guests taken to the DeVos Place in downtown Grand Rapids for a dinner party after the film. Once inside, they were emerged in Van Allsburg's illustrated world, recreated in floor-to-ceiling murals by Kendall College of Art and Design students.

Clarence Grimm said attending the premiere was well worth it. He said the movie was much better than he expected, and his wife agreed.

"It's going to be a classic like 'Rudolph' and 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town,'" Stacey Grimm said.

But unlike those other stories, "The Polar Express" maintains its elusive mystery still today. The story, and Van Allsburg, continue to challenge their readers, tempting them to ask in hesitant wonder - 'is there really a Polar Express?'

"I know that there is because I rode it," Van Allsburg said. "But I only rode it once. And I'm pretty sure that's the only time you get to do it: You've got to be 8, 9, maybe 7.

"But it's there - and it might take you North."