Hanks is all white on the night

Christmas came early to London as Tom Hanks arrived at a Leicester Square turned into a winter wonderland.

Thousands of fans were treated to a sensational festive scene for the premiere of his new film, The Polar Express.

Cannons fired off a snow blizzard, there were carol singers and Christmas decorations, and "elves" served roast chestnuts and hot chocolate to guests.

Hanks walked along the longest red carpet in Europe and over a specially-erected train tunnel to meet fans at the Vue cinema. "That was almost impossible to get across," he joked. "This is Leicester Square like you've never seen it before."

The Polar Express, based on the children's book, is an animated tale about an eight-year-old boy taken to meet Santa Claus at the North Pole after he loses his faith in Christmas.

Hanks, 48, provided the voices for five of the characters. He said: "The film has a very simple and elegant message: that Christmas is a special time of year and you get from it what you put into it."

Asked if he believed in Father Christmas, he replied: "I believe in the spirit of Christmas and I think that's embodied in Santa Claus." The film used an animation technique which allowed the actors' performances to be captured digitally and translated to an animated environment. It opens in the West End on 3 December and nationally on 10 December.