The Nightmare Before ChrISTMAS
Composite Score: 84.13
Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page, and Edward Ivory
Director: Henry Selick
Writers: Caroline Thompson and Michael McDowell
Genres: Animation, Family, Fantasy, Musical, Horror, Holiday
MPAA Rating: PG for some scary images
Box Office: $91.22 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
The Nightmare Before Christmas is the stop-motion film directed by Henry Selick and conceived by Tim Burton about the denizens of Halloween Town and their endeavors to take over Christmas for Santa Claus after one of their own discovers the existence of the other holiday towns. The film encapsulates the energy of Tim Burton like few other films have, telling a story both dark and whimsical about disillusionment and inspiration. Danny Elfman’s score and songs remain some of the most iconic in animated film history, and the characters continue to produce merchandise thirty years after its release. This is without a doubt one of the most influential animated films in history.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
For a “family” film, The Nightmare Before Christmas is fairly limited in its messaging, excelling off of its vibes and music more than anything resembling a relatable theme. Obviously, you’ve got Sally’s story of escaping her captivity and Jack’s story of taking over Christmas when he feels unfulfilled in his role as Pumpkin King and even the larger narrative of Oogie Boogie working against everyone with his own sinister schemes. In those stories, nothing really comes together to give the audience an idea of what this whole thing has really been about other than pointing out how frightening/entertaining a Halloween aesthetic at Christmas could be. (Maybe, there’s something in here about cultural appropriation, but given Burton’s questionable track record on issues of race and the film’s 1993 release year, I’m hesitant to give it that benefit of the doubt.) There’s also the whole issue of the characterization and character design of Oogie Boogie that feels poorly thought out in terms of its racial implications that plenty of other people have discussed better than me.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
The Nightmare Before Christmas might be the most iconic Tim Burton film that wasn’t even directed (or technically even written) by Tim Burton. Don’t worry, he did produce the film and developed the concept for the final product. From characters like Jack Skellington and Sally (still visible on Halloween décor and bumper stickers this many years later) to the songs of Danny Elfman (“This Is Halloween”, “Kidnap the Sandy Claws”, and “What’s This” being the standouts), the film almost singlehandedly runs the Hot Topic version of the holiday season from Halloween to Christmas. The pop culture impact, elevated by some truly artful stop-motion animation, turns this film into one of the can’t-miss films of 1990s animation, alongside the likes of The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, worth every second of screentime.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of the most memorable films of all time, carving out a niche for itself that no other film or aesthetic has quite been able to match, warranting a place among the Greatest Films of All Time. While some might see the film as fairly style over substance, the style and music go a long way in making this film into a truly enjoyable Halloween or Christmas or any other time of year watch. It is currently streaming on Disney+ if you’d like to give that a go in the near future.
