Stay Asleep and Enjoy the Nightmare

Rating: Null/10 (20 December 2000)

Nightmare Before Christmas: ****
"Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of the best X-Mas movies ever. It's filled with splendid scenery and beautiful sights. It's a feast for the eyes. Tim Burton is a master-mind of weirdness and creepiness. He directs the movie with such skill it's incredible. The animators do a spectacular job making the world come to life.
Jack Skellington is tired of doing Halloween every single year. One day, he wonders into Christmas Town, a town where it's always Christmas. These scenes are beautiful. He loves it so much, he decides to make his own X-Mas. He tells the citizens of Halloween Town about X-Mas. They don't get the idea and they make X-Mas to be a horrible event. Three misguided children kidnap "Sandy Claws" and send him to Oogie Boogie, "the meanest guy around."

As I said, the movie is a feast for the eyes. There are some very funny jokes in the movie as well. Oogie Boogie's lair is awesome looking. It's like this room that is one big black light. The movie is stop-motion-animation. A concept we have seen in early movies used as special effects. I think it has become a Burton trademark. (Look at "Beetlejuice") I'd like to see more movies that are completely stop motion animation. We have this, "James and the Giant Peach" and "Chicken Run." Don't forget "Wallace and Gromit." Even with those movies, I'd like to see more. Sure, computer animated is great, but I'd like to watch a movie that uses classic methods. Something... simple.
The vocal talents are great. Catherin O'Hara is always good in her roles. Some of the Halloween Town voices are creepy. That's how good they sound. And of course, Danny Elfman's score is incredible. The songs are wonderful. Especially Jack's "What's This" song when he enters X-Mas town. Plus, you don't have to wait until X-Mas to watch it. Watch it during Halloween, too. "Nightmare" is a brilliant movie that all generations can love.