NATCHEZ &045; It’s Tom Hanks’ voice, but they are Glen Ballard’s words.

One of the most promoted holiday movies of the season has a very real Natchez connection.

When the theater goes dark and the speakers kick in it is time for Natchez native Ballard’s work to shine.

The musician who attended Cathedral School and graduated from Natchez High said writing and producing eight out of 14 original songs for &uot;The Polar Express&uot; was nothing but fun.

&uot;The challenge was to write Christmas music from the 1940s that makes sense for now,&uot; Ballard said from his Encino, Calif., office. &uot;For me it was liberating and enormous amounts of fun.&uot;

Ballard said writing, producing and putting the songs into the movie was a three-year process.

The first step was working out a script with the director based on the 29-page children’s book. Ballard and the director had to decide how many songs they wanted, blend the songs with the choreography and work with the performers.

&uot;It was a long journey from that little book to what you see on the screen,&uot; Ballard said. &uot;I’m enormously proud of it.&uot;

The animated movie and the soundtrack tell the story of a young boy’s dream about a journey to the North Pole.

Though Ballard, the son of Sally and Basil Ballard, has a long resume of work in the music industry, he said the six songs he authored in &uot;The Polar Express&uot; were the most he’d ever written for a film.

&uot;I’m a musician at heart,&uot; Ballard said. &uot;The opportunity to put music and pictures together is kind of the ultimate luxury. Knowing the look of this thing is so magnificent and being able to put songs in it is a great honor.&uot;

After leaving Natchez for college at Ole Miss, Ballard took a big step and headed to Hollywood to begin the career he knew he wanted to have.

&uot;I got my real education in Hollywood,&uot; he said. &uot;I’ve spent my entire adult life here.&uot;

Ballard said he demonstrated talent early on for music but never considered making a living from it.

&uot;I realized when I got out of college that I was young and stupid enough to think I could pull it off,&uot; he said. &uot;It turned out OK.&uot;

Ballard who now runs his own production company, Aerowave, and his own record company, Java Records, has a resume that includes Alanis Morissette’s album &uot;Jagged Little Pill,&uot; a Lisa Marie Presley single, songs for the Backstreet Boys and Christina Aguilera and Michael Jackson’s &uot;Man in the Mirror,&uot; among many others.

On a daily basis Ballard said he spends his mornings doing the business side of his companies and works from mid-afternoon to midnight writing and producing songs. Though he’d love to be closer to home he said his industry requires that he be where the action is.

&uot;I have a great longing for Natchez,&uot; he said. &uot;If I could do there what I do here it would make it a lot easier.&uot;

&uot;The Polar Express&uot; is in theaters now and is playing at the Natchez Mall cinema.