Suffering a bout of ennui after a successful Halloween, Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon and sung by Danny Elfman), the king of Halloweentown, sets off in search of new challenges. In his wanderings, Jack happens upon Christmastown and becomes enamored with the Yuletide celebration. After arranging the kidnapping of Santa Clause (v. Edward Ivory), Jack re-tools his kingdom for macabre merriment and launches a less than successful bid to usurp Saint Nick’s gig.
Conceived by director Tim Burton while he was an animator at Disney during the mid-1980s, The Nightmare Before Christmas is surprisingly grim. Filled with gags that would secure an NC-17 for a live action film, the movie’s sense of playfulness and absolute commitment to its intricately-designed environs are a tribute to the ingenuity of director Harry Selick, writers Michael McDowell and Caroline Thompson and the talented craftspeople who brought their amazing vision to life. Despite the onscreen brilliance, the aspect of the production that elevates Nightmare to its esteemed position as a modern classic must be Danny Elfman’s beautiful songs, which, in the finest Disney tradition, harness the characters’ emotions and propel the tale forward.
Returning from previous editions are two of Tim Burton’s earlier efforts. 1984’s Frankenweenie, which could do with a bit of remastering given its noisy image, is a black and white short that chronicles young Victor Frankenstein’s (Barret Oliver) attempt to resurrect his bull terrier and the Mary Shelley-inspired chaos that ensues. A suburban take on the classic gothic tale, Frankenweenie boasts an exemplary cast featuring Shelley Duvall, Daniel Stern, and even future Academy Award-winning writer Sofia Coppola. Better preserved is 1982’s Vincent Price narrated stop-motion masterpiece Vincent. An obvious harbinger of Nightmare, it’s a beautiful tale of hero worship. Christopher Lee’s sepulchral tones lend a sense of gravitas to
On a scale where “A” indicates the pinnacle of the medium, “B” stands for an extraordinary example, “C” represents 90-percent of what’s out there, “D” indicates a sub-standard effort, and “F” means an abomination that should at least result in the sterilization of those responsible…
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and its 2-disc collector’s edition presentation score an A-. The film has also been released on Disney Blu-ray.