Think of It As Rudolph Mixed In With The Works of Edward Gory

Rating: 10/10 (1 March 2013)

I'll start this review off by saying that, even though this was one of the first movies I ever saw, I was pretty darn terrified of it. I would often watch this film at my cousins' house growing up in the mid 90s early 2000s timeframe and when the monster from under the bed with his sharp teeth and red eyes made his first appearance, I cried in fright and called for mother. But growing older, and increasingly fond of the works of Tim Burton, I have come to be obsessed with this film and now it's one of my all time favorites. I like to think of this film as a mixture between the works of Edward Gory, the Rankin Bass Christmas stop motions such as Rudolph, and the many Charlie Chaplin movies you can think of. I mean, come on! You can't deny that Jack Skellington moves a lot like Charlie Chaplin. He has that diverse style that parallels that of Chaplin, and it obviously took several thousand shots to make him move. In my eyes, The Nightmare Before Christmas is Tim Burton's macabre imagination at it's finest, and really bridges the gap between beloved holiday classics and twisted, dark style Halloween thrillers.
The stop motion animation, what can be said about it that hasn't already be said a gazillion and a half times already? Director Henry Selick and his crew really put sweat and blood into this animation and as a result, gave us animation that has a very German expressionist vibe to it, much like silent films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and 1925's The Phantom of the Opera. I just love how the characters move, Jack especially, and that they move in such a stylized, non human way. After all, these characters live in a fantasy world, so they should move in a stylized fashion rather than a realistic fashion. The design of the characters is also something to write home about. Every character has their own unique look and no two look the same. From the slinky, slender design of Jack Skellington, to the wide, twisted look of the Mayor, each character has their own characteristics and mannerisms and stick out from one another like soar thumbs. Even jolly old Saint Nick himself has his own thing going on, giving us a look of Santa Claus we had never seen before.
What I also dig about the film is the overall design and atmosphere. From the curved gravestones of Halloweentown, to the real world's crooked dwellings, everything is non linear and gives the film a storybook quality, making you feel like you're within a dream or nightmare or someone else's subconscious. Even Christmastown has a touch of rugged scenery, right down to Santa's workshop. I also must praise the camera angles and perspectives represented throughout the film. Many scenes are shot in silhouette or in darkness and add a sense or tension, remorse or suspense to whatever scene is taking place at that moment. The scene where Jack walks up the hill, silhouetted against the massive yellow moon is in my opinion one of the crowning moments of Tim Burton's movie career and is the most iconic piece of imagery out of the entire film. It's very much like how ET and Elliot were silhouetted against the moon in the bike flying scene in ET or how the Batwing was silhouetted against the moon to create the bat signal in Burton's Batman.
The music by Danny Elfman is by far one of his best works, blending in humor as well as dark, twisted choices of words. Danny Elfman must also be praised for doing Jack Skellington's singing voice, adding great depth to the character's point of view and inner torment. I also enjoyed Ken Page as Oogie Bogie, a character who was obviously inspired by Cab Calloway and his appearance in a 1932 Betty Boop cartoon. He portrays the Boogeyman as a sick, villainous tyrant who really enjoys inflicting pain on others. He also enjoys snacking on small insects when he himself is basically a huge pile of insects in a sack.
The Nightmare Before Christmas displays a style not seen too often, and really showcases what can be done when hard work and dedication is put into stop motion animation. It also shows that Tim Burton has a pretty dark, yet child friendly imagination in his brain and isn't afraid to let it spew onto film. In my eyes, it's his second best masterpiece next to Edward Scissorhands.