Elfman at His finest

Rating: 10/10 (17 February 2004)

I have been a huge fan of this movie since it was first released. For the first bunch of years, I primarily enjoyed it for the animation and story. However, in the last couple of years, I find myself coming back to it for Danny Elfman's music and lyrics.
If you've never noticed how certain exceptional composer weave character themes throughout a movie, you could do worse than to start your study of music in cinema with this film. Witness how variations on Sally's theme accompany her throughout the film - or how strains of Jack's early lament repeat in several of his songs and appearances.
Katherine O'Hara, who did such a nice job singing in the 2003's "A Mighty Wind," is really an outstanding vocalist. Here, she sings for both Sally and Shock and is quite excellent as both. Elfman sings most of Jack Skellington's songs, as any fan of his early band Oingo Boingo will notice.

Anyhow, the movie is a delight, the soundtrack even more.