RUNNING TIME - 76 minutes STARRING - Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara and Ken Page CERTIFICATE - PG

Rating: 10/10 (31 December 2004)

Jack Skellington is Halloween Town's equivalent of Santa Claus. After years of the same spooky Town's holiday, Jack craves adventure and becomes depressed because of his tiresome attitude. After one particular Halloween, Jack stumble into a new part of the forest where he observes a circle of trees, each with a holiday printed upon its door. Fascinated by the door with the decorated tree, which glows in front of him, Jack enters Christmas Town in search of his wish. He is so bewildered and confused by his experience that he stretches to science to understand the concept of joy and laughter and Christmas. The only one who sees through Jack's crazy ideas is the unique Sally who loves Jack but fails to help him see sense. Jack resorts to the twisted idea of taking Christmas and making it his own. The ending is beautifully inevitably but involves Jack fixing what he destroyed and rescuing Santa Claus, who was rudely kidnapped by the Oogie Boogie Man.
The Nightmare before Christmas is my all-time favourite movie. The animation is filled with unforgettable songs and music by Danny Elfman. The story is simple yet stunning and no one can help falling in love with each and every character in Halloween Town. The opening is a narration that prepares the audience to an extent that there is little that could draw them away from the screen.
What struck me as awesome about the music is how every song or instrumental section is vaguely variated on another which quite subtly warms you the songs before you even hear them. The most genius tune is the simple construction of Sally's song, which has various variations throughout the movie.
The only real complaint is that it is a very short film...but over-all that seems to be a positive quality as it has not failed to impress from my experience. Each scene is quite magically presented in true Tim Burton style.