With the holidays upon us there is no doubt that a veritable mountain of holiday themed movies are available for you and your family to watch. But with so many options it can be difficult to pick a film that stands out. What if I told you there was a rather unique film that was not only an entertaining Christmas film, but also doubled as a Halloween film? This is Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas!
Nightmare Before Christmas was featured in theaters in October of 1993. The film was written by Tim Burton and Caroline Thompson, directed by Henry Selick, with a great score produced by Danny Elfman. The film features the voice talents of Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, and Paul Reubens.
Burnout hits everyone and the denizens of Halloweentown are no exception. Local celebrity Jack Skellington in particular is tired of the same old thing year after year. But Jack finds a new spark for life when he discovers the wintry wonderland of Christmas Town. Completely enamored with the holiday, Jack seeks to bring a Halloweentown Christmas to the whole world.
A Nightmare Before Christmas is rather unique in the sense that it is a film rooted in Halloween as well as Christmas. The film originated as a poem written by its creator Tim Burton during his tenure as an animator with Disney. The story is quite entertaining, and Jack is totally relatable despite his celebrity status. He is a (skeletal) man growing weary of his routine existence and begins seeking new adventures in life. However, his longing for new experiences is so great that it blinds him to the problems that his plans create.
The story is very straight forward but doesn’t lack layers or complexity. A Nightmare Before Christmas was adapted for the large screen from an original poem written by the likes of Burton and Michael McDowell. The film was initially conceived as a half-hour TV special, but after some reworking it was released as a movie with a run time of an hour and 16 minutes. Despite Disney being involved in the production they were unsure about the film being a success. It was widely publicized that the entire project was Burton’s brainchild. The film was released through Touchstone Pictures, a brand primarily associated with darker media since it was deemed too dark for Disney’s primary audience.
Despite Disney’s hesitance to fully commit to the film it proved to be a financial and critical success. A Nightmare Before Christmas grossed $91 million USD against a budget of $24 million. The film has since gone on to become a cult classic among fans of Halloween films and fans of Christmas films. Much praise was given to its visuals as a stop-motion film as well as for its soundtrack.
We have a lovely score composed by the one and only Danny Elfman. Chris Sarandon may have provided the voiceover work for protagonist Jack Skellington, but his singing voice was actually provided by Elfman himself. The score is chock full of both Christmas and Halloween themed jingles, which are quite a delight to the ears.
Similar praise goes out to the stylized stop-motion animation. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for outstanding visual effects and was the first animated film to be nominated for such an award. Unfortunately, it lost to Jurassic Park.
A Nightmare Before Christmas was a surprise hit that has gone on to become a cult classic. It not only surpassed financial expectations but was also met with critical acclaim. Despite Disney not having much faith in the project, the company fully embraced it after release. The film has even gone on to become a marketing bonanza with toys, art, merchandise, apparel, and much more.
It not only succeeds as both a Christmas and Halloween film, but also as an engaging film period. It holds my highest recommendation as a visually impressive classic. I’ve even partnered with Amazon to bring you a specialized purchase link for Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas, these links help support my reviews at no additional cost to you. I recommend checking this film out if you haven’t already done so!
