Nightmare Before Christmas History
- In Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas each holiday has its own town. Created in 1993 th movie combines Christmas and Halloween in a delightful way. Halloween Town is populated by all sorts of ghoulish creatures such as; Jack Skellington, Sally, Dr. Finklestein, Oogie Boogie (the bad guy), Lock, Shock & Barrel, the Town Mayor and the Werewolf, whose purpose is to provide delightful frights one day a year. Jack Skellington, The Pumpkin King, feels something is lacking. While walking in the woods he stumbles upon the doorways to all of the different holiday towns. Jack visits Christmas Town and finds it to be just what he desires.
Jack excitedly returns to Halloween Town and rhapsodizes about the merits of Christmas. He proposes that Halloween Town will take over Christmas this year and put their unique stamp on it. Jack, an elegant, spider-like skeleton, eventually envisions himself in the role of Sandy Claws, his malapropism for Santa.
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas uses stop-motion animation to bring this world to life. The film has a distinctive look, blending German Expressionism and Dr. Seuss-like imagery. Burton did not direct Nightmare, but his fingerprints are undeniably visible. He created the story and characters and inspired much of the visual aspect. His longtime musical collaborator Danny Elfman scored Nightmare, wrote ten original songs, and served as Jack's singing voice. Henry Selick, who was a fellow Disney animator with Burton, directed Nightmare.
The complex and painstaking production work necessary for Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is beautifully realized. The frame teems with creepy crawly creatures, and the camera is frequently in motion, not an easy task for stop-motion animation. Simply from a technical standpoint the film is a major achievement.
Nightmare puts a darker twist on the traditional stop-motion animated Christmas specials but retains a light, merry spirit. Jack, who possesses the best intentions, is an appealing lead with graceful Fred Astaire movements. The film is peppered with dark flecks of humor, which likely earned Nightmare the PG rating. Younger children may be scared by some of the film, but older children and adults should find this to be a lot of fun.
Elfman's songs are spirited and catchy. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is essentially a musical.
