Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere. A film by Henry Selick, featuring the voices of Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page, and Ed Ivory.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
Henry Selick
(1993)
In Halloween Town, where monsters and supernatural beings make it their mission to frighten people across the world, citizens crowd the town square, buzzing with excitement as they await Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King (Chris Sarandon). Jack makes his entrance as a scarecrow figure perched on a wooden horse, then swallows a flaming torch that sets his entire body ablaze. He plunges into a fountain of poison and emerges as the Pumpkin King to cheers and celebration.
The citizens of Halloween Town adore Jack, looking to him as their leader after yet another brilliant performance. But while everyone’s attention turns to an announcement from the Mayor (Glenn Shadix), Jack quietly slips away, making his way to the cemetery where Sally (Catherine O’Hara) is hiding from Dr. Finkelstein (William Hickey).
Unaware that Sally is nearby, Jack pours out his frustration. Scaring people has become so effortless he doesn’t even have to try anymore. Yet year after year, it’s the same routine. He’s grown weary of the sound of screaming itself. What he craves is something different, something he’s never experienced before, something that could reignite his passion.
Jack doesn’t return home but instead wanders through the dark forest all night, dwelling on his depressing thoughts with his pet ghost dog Zero by his side. When morning light breaks, Jack finds himself in a part of the forest he’s never seen before. He discovers several trees with doors carved with different holiday symbols, and he’s drawn to the one marked with a Christmas tree. Jack opens the door and peers inside, but it looks dark and hollow. As he turns to leave, a mysterious wind suddenly sweeps him off his feet and sucks him into the tree. The door slams shut behind him.
Jack is transported to Christmas Town, and he’s immediately captivated. Everything fills him with joy and delight. The town is blanketed in snow, glittering with colorful lights. People sing cheerful songs while happy creatures line the streets, laughing together. Jack suddenly feels a warmth spreading inside him, something he hasn’t felt in so long. He’s inspired by everything he sees and desperately wants to know everything about this place.
Meanwhile in Halloween Town, the Mayor visits Jack’s home to discuss next year’s Halloween plans, only to find Jack isn’t there. The next morning, the whole town erupts in panic when the Mayor announces that Jack has gone missing. He insists they must find Jack immediately, reminding everyone that there are only 364 days left until next Halloween. The citizens search everywhere but can’t find any trace of him.
Moments later, Jack returns on a stolen snowmobile. When the Mayor asks where he’s been, Jack tells him to call a town meeting right away. He’ll explain everything there. The town bell starts ringing as the Mayor drives through the streets, announcing that everyone must gather for a meeting tonight.
In the Town Hall, Jack unveils a Christmas tree decorated with colorful electric lights, and everyone watches in awe. He picks up a box wrapped in colorful paper with a bow and explains that it’s called a present. Next, he shows them a large sock filled with candy and small toys, telling everyone it must be hung on the wall. The citizens seem interested but also confused about what Jack is trying to convey. Then Jack describes the ruler of Christmas Town, a fearsome king dressed in red named “Sandy Claws.” This king sets out to sleigh on dark nights under the full moon, flying through the fog like a vulture in the sky. At this, the crowd suddenly erupts in excitement.
Back at home, Jack grows frustrated as he studies books about Santa’s Workshop, Christmas carols, Rudolph, and Yuletide, trying to find a logical way to explain what Christmas is. He turns to the scientific method, hoping it will help the townspeople understand the special feeling he experienced in Christmas Town.
The next day, Jack visits Dr. Finkelstein to borrow equipment for his experiments. He becomes obsessed with Christmas, spending days locked away in his tower trying to understand its magic. Eventually, Jack reaches a conclusion: he’ll take over for Sandy Claws and create his own version of Christmas. He rallies every citizen in town to help bring his vision to life.
Directed by American filmmaker Henry Selick in his directorial debut from a screenplay by Caroline Thompson, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS is a stop-motion fantasy film following Jack Skellington of Halloween Town, who stumbles upon Christmas Town and schemes to take over the holiday. The story is based on a poem Tim Burton wrote in 1982, inspired by his observation of Halloween decorations being replaced by Christmas decorations in stores.
Tim Burton is often credited as the director of “THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS,” but the actual director was Henry Selick. Burton’s role was primarily as the creator of the original story, producer, and designer of the characters. Burton wrote the original poem in the early 1980s that inspired the film and developed its gothic aesthetic and characters, including Jack Skellington and Zero. Burton also rejected some changes Disney wanted, such as making Jack Skellington more likeable, preserving the darker tone. However, due to his busy schedule directing “Batman Returns” at the time of production, Burton did not direct or write the movie itself.
While Tim Burton didn’t direct the film, the character designs unmistakably bear his dark and twisted signature. It’s a fascinating reimagining of “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” elevated by Danny Elfman’s hauntingly beautiful score. Together, they create a captivating narrative that remains iconic and mesmerizing from start to finish.
Jack Skellington, the main character, had over 400 different heads made to convey a wide range of facial expressions, and the film features 227 handmade puppets in total. Around 100 dedicated people worked for three years to complete the stop-motion animation, with 12 frames needed for just one second of completed film.
THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS premiered at the New York Film Festival on 9 October 1993. The film received a limited theatrical release in the United States on 13 October before expanding nationwide on 29 October.
The songs for the film were written before the screenplay, with Danny Elfman composing lyrics often based on Tim Burton’s sketches and scene descriptions.Jack’s speaking voice was provided by Chris Sarandon, while Danny Elfman sang for the character.
Disney released a steelbook edition of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS on 4K Blu-ray on 22 August 2023, as part of their 100th Anniversary celebration. The steelbook was a Best Buy exclusive in the United States.
The 4K presentation features a native 2160p transfer pulled from the original 35mm negative with HDR10 encoding. The transfer preserves the film’s natural grain without any digital noise reduction or edge enhancement, maintaining the original 1.66:1 aspect ratio. For audio, you get English in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, plus French and German tracks in Dolby Digital 5.1.
The bonus disc includes full-length audio commentary from Tim Burton, Henry Selick, and Danny Elfman, plus a Sing-Along Mode covering all 11 songs from the film. There’s a series of making-of featurettes that cover everything from the film’s beginning (3 minutes) to its music (1 minute), storyboards (1 minute), art direction (6 minutes), puppets (2 minutes), and animation (9 minutes).
You’ll also find several deleted scenes, including Behemoth singing, Oogie Boogie with dancing bugs, an alternate reveal of Oogie Boogie’s identity, vampire hockey players, additional Lock, Shock and Barrel footage, and Oogie Boogie’s shadow dance. Other highlights include Tim Burton’s original poem narrated by Christopher Lee (11 minutes), the uncut version of Frankenweenie (29 minutes) with an introduction by Burton, a 37-minute tour called “What’s This? Jack’s Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour,” a three-minute storyboard-to-film comparison, and the original theatrical trailers.
