paulclaassen Another Tim Burton masterpiece! My review of this film can be summarized in a single word: STUNNING! This is just such a perfect film I can't faulter in any way. The animation, the music, the visuals, the characters, the plot was amazing. This is a visual feast and musical treat. Pure delight!

jasonistheking Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas follows the story of Jack Skellington (voiced by Danny Elfman and Chris Sarandon) as he becomes disillusioned with his role as the Pumpkin King and wants more out of life. This is a tale that everyone can understand in that many times throughout life, people are simply not as satisfied with where they are. Jack is joined by the rest of Halloweentown in his quest to introduce Christmas to the residents. The residents blindly follow Jack's lead with the exception of Sally (voiced by Catherine O'Hara). Throughout the film, Sally tries to get Jack to follow his normal path, as Christmas is already being handled by the residents of Christmastown. Each character in Christmas town is themed after a different aspect of fear, and they tend to blend together well. As fishmen, vampires, and even a clown with a tear away face group up, each has their own part to play in the film. Because this is a claymation style musical, music and sound is everything to the plot, and it is done in a way that gets the songs stuck in your head so that you will find yourself singing along during any viewing after the first. This is because of Danny Elfman who wrote the score. The score itself fits a Tim Burton film and likely is because they have worked together many times in the past. During The Nightmare Before Christmas, it is impossible to ignore the similarities between this and Betelgeuse not only because of the team up of Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, and Glen Shadix (The Mayor of HalloweenTown), but also because there are subtle nods in the animated film as well. During one scene with the main antagonist, Oogie Boogie, there are a pair of dice that landed on snake eyes. Out of the holes in the one die slithers a snake that looks remarkably like a miniature sand snake from Betelgeuse. This quick nod along with Jack dressed in a black and white pinstripe and coupled with the score that is reminiscent of Betelgeuse is enough to instantly bring back thoughts of both movies. The Nightmare Before Christmas isn't entirely without fault, however. There are times where you can visibly see the wires holding certain bats or other props in place, however the use of light is such that is tends to mask the majority of the flaws. In some cases, you have to look hard to see them, even if you are told they are there. The motif of fear is presented at the forefront, which makes sense given that the main setting is Halloweentown. This does present itself in Jack as well. Jack isn't simply discontent with his position in life, he comes off as being afraid that being the King of Halloween is all he will amount to in life. I believe that is his impetus to find a new passion. Overall, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a fun-hearted musical about a guy just trying to chase a dream. With a solid score of musical numbers and an art style that isn't often seen in cinema, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a great family movie that is fun to watch at any time of the year.

jamoteo I was excited for this movie even BEFORE it opened! - For a few simple reasons; Growing up in the 70's there was never a stop-motion animation special for the holiday Halloween. Christmas had Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Year Without A Santa Claus, and Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. Easter had The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town and Here Comes Peter Cottontail (which ironically, contains a scene set in Halloween). But for DECADES there was nothing for Halloween, except Rankin/Bass' Mad Monster Party that disappointingly was shown around Halloween, but wasn't ABOUT Halloween (the only other choice being Peter Cottontail with its 4-minute Halloween segment). Plus, this movie comes from the man that gave us Beetlejuice, Batman, and Edward Scissorhands. For me, this movie was an instant classic!

Movie_Muse_Reviews With its pioneering use of stop-motion animation, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" will always have its hard-earned place in the annals of film animation history. Conceptually birthed by gothic master Tim Burton and brought to life with the most incredible vision and detail by Henry Selick, it stands as an incredible marriage of creative energy and top-notch artistry.Released in 1993, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" actually predates the collaboration that truly saved Walt Disney Pictures - Pixar's "Toy Story." Both films were groundbreaking in their own right - "Nightmare" for stop-motion and "Toy Story" for computer-generated animation - though as the latter became mainstream, the former continues to be underrated, even today. Regardless, both films show the world-building ingenuity that we've come to expect from animated films in the 21st century.What helps keep "Nightmare" timeless and relevant, however, is that it's steeped in holiday spirit. Halloween and Christmas are two holidays that evoke their own special, unique energy and Burton's story pounces on marrying their two wildly different aesthetics. It's Selick of course, who really sees (and seizes) this opportunity in bringing Halloween Town to life with aplomb.Of the film's many vivid components, however, its story doesn't hold up as well nearly 25 years later. Fortunately, at an unusually brisk 76-minute runtime (likely due to stop-motion's time-consuming nature) it doesn't need to. The film can afford to survive on its whimsy, artistic sight gags and inventive musical numbers. That said, it's not among the more emotionally compelling holiday-themed films either. Yet anyone who has ever been in position to be jealous of Christmas or idyllic depictions of Christmas celebrations might identify with Pumpkin King Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon, singing vocals by Danny Elfman) and his longing to do something different and truly extraordinary. Or if not Jack, then Sally (Catherine O'Hara), a Frankensteinian creation longing to serve her own desires for once, not just that of her maker, the Evil Scientist (William Hickey). Helping us better acquaint ourselves with these characters are Elfman's songs. Although most of them do serve an expository purpose, a few take a moment to bring us closer to Jack and Sally.The musical nature of "Nightmare" shows the film's ambition. It's hard enough to make a film requiring this much detail, let alone set it all to music. Elfman and Burton have been a perfect pair throughout their respective careers; Elfman simply gets the fantastical gothic tone Burton has made his career on. His songs are a great match for the material, even if you can't recall how most of them go in the same way you can the songs of the traditional animation musicals of that time period.In family entertainment, story generally proves to be most important. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is a remarkable exception, getting by on its tone, visual effects, creative world-building and the Halloween and Christmas spirit. At times when it feels like a glorified animated short film, best to just remember all the ground it broke as the first mainstream and widely successful stop-motion animated feature.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more