joy

Rating: Null/10 (28 September 2005)

I got to see this movie in the theater the first time it came out, and I was blown away! I rushed out and got the soundtrack, and wore out the tape in 2 months. I love the story, and the in-joke sight gags. I laugh every time I see Lock, Shock, and Barrel (wink!), they remind me of my mom saying, "Don't make that face, you'll stick like that!" I also noticed that Santa has an industrial complex, and the Halloweens have to make their stuff by hand. Christmas Town was bright and shiny, but it seemed...a bit too slick. Their houses were all the same, but Jack's people had interesting houses that sometimes looked like their owners. I think the songs were great, they helped move some of the plot forward and explain things, instead of just having Phil Collins puke on everything. ( possible spoiler alert!!) I liked the shy romance between Jack and Sally, even though Jack doesn't realize that's what it is until the end. Jack starts out wanting only the best for his people, but in trying to be this new thing, he becomes blinded by his own need for change, and starts to believe his own epic myth. Redemtion comes at a terrible price, the destruction of his great dream, but in the end, Jack regains a sense of pride and purpose in the way he was, the way he was meant to be...The Pumpkin King.