A marvellously ghoulish Christmas fable

Rating: 10/10 (11 November 2006)

Tim Burton really is one of the great filmmakers of our time. What makes him so unique is the fact that he creates offbeat, quirky films that still speaks to a mainstream audience without compromising his vision. Nearly all of his films have been big hits, and the ones that haven't have gathered cult followings to become just as popular. The Nightmare Before Christmas is a perfect example. It performed poorly at the box office when released in 1993, but over the years it's gathered considerable popularity with a diverse audience. And so it should.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is an extremely unusual film because unlike other holiday themed classics, it pulls off with effortless regard the seemingly impossible task of combining two completely disparate holidays, Christmas and Halloween.
This is quite an ingenious creative decision, because it's a film that doesn't just lend itself to one particular time of the year. It fits in perfectly on 31st October and 25th December.
Also it is a true classic. An extraordinary variety of creative talent went into its production. Despite what some advertisers would have us believe, TNBC was not directed by Burton, although his vision is always ever-present. Henry Selick was the man who directed. And he did a superb job.
TNBC has the honour of being the first feature-length stop-motion animated film. And its clearly an environment Selick knows well. The animation lends the world of HalloweenTown a fantastical, unreal look. As well as scored superbly by Danny Elfman, providing 10 classic songs, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a wondrous flight of fancy that positively soars.
Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King (voiced by Chris Sarandon) is the lord and master of HalloweenTown. A sort of stick figure skeleton with a heart of gold, its been his job to oversee Halloween year in and year out. But now its gotten to the point where it gives him no satisfaction. Until one day, he stumbles across a grove in the woods with trees with different doors and symbols on them. Jack goes through the one with a Christmas tree on it, and is deposited in ChristmasLand.
Jack is overjoyed and mesmerised by the bright lights, endless good cheer and mountains of snow. When he returns to HalloweenTown, he spreads the word to the citizens they will be taking over Christmas this year. But Sally (voiced by Catherine O'Hara), a patched together woman made by a Frankenstein like doctor, has a premonition that Christmas will end in disaster this year if they go through with this. But Jack is so sure of himself. And has Father Christmas kidnapped so he can take his place.
The people of HalloweenTown put together their own idea of Christmas presents. Which consists of giant snakes, evil ducks and severed heads. When Jack sets off on Christmas Eve, it goes exactly as Sally predicted. Jack wouldn't hurt a fly, but he unwittingly turns Christmas into a night of terror and mayhem.
The Nightmare Before Christmas really is a fantastic fable. Imaginatively realised, Tim Burton has fashioned a world so unique and fascinating, it would take multiple viewings to savour all the details. HalloweenTown is an extraordinary metropolis of striped corners, curlicue hills and Gothic horrors. It probably wouldn't be half as entertaining if it were simple hand drawn animation. The fact that its stop-motion makes it seem all the more magical.
All of the characters are memorable. Jack is an amusing character, as well as someone who has equal parts pathos. As usual with a Tim Burton film, his sympathies are with the outsiders. Jack is someone who has a world all his own to lord over, a world of freaks, misfits and outcasts. But when he discovers the more normal world of Christmas, he longs to be a part of that world. And ends up being shunned by it when he turns it into a mockery of what it represents. The latter half is like something out of Gremlins. An endless parade of escalating chaos, disasters and utter lunacy.
Sally is also a likable character. Sort of similar to Edward Scissorhands, with a nasty habit of her parts coming off, and having to be sewed back on by her master (a man with a hinged scalp that allows him to wrack his brain, literally!). Her unrequited love for Jack is touching, and all the more remarkable considering it was accomplished through stop-motion.
Special mention should also go to the Oogie-Boogie Man. He is Jack's arch-enemy. A living collection of insects and bugs that lives in a cross between a ghost-train ride and a casino. The Oogie-Boogie Man is a wonderfully malevolent creation. His final fight with Jack is both tense and well orchestrated. Complete with playing cards who have real swords!
It all ends on a suitably happy note with Jack seeing the error of his ways, Father Christmas cleaning up the mess he made, and Jack rediscovering his love for both Halloween and Sally. Their final scene illuminated in front of a full moon is beautiful and shows what stop-motion can be capable of when given the chance.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a wonderful confection. Endearing characters, terrific songs, and a perfect running time ensure boredom is kept at bay, and pure fun and enjoyment is had.