Strange and Beautiful at the same time.

Rating: Null/10 (20 December 2005)

I infinitely enjoyed Nightmare Before Christmas. While it is not for everyone, anyone who is into something truly unique should check out this movie. If the fact that movie genius Tim Burton was involved in this movie did NOT spark your attention, then please continue to read.
The story in a nutshell: Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloweentown (with a speaking voice of Chris Sarandon) is depressed. He is growing bored with scaring people and now wants to try something different. This is when Jack comes to a fantastic place--Christmas Town. The idea of Christmas excites Jack, which eventually leads to the kidnapping of Santa Claus (or "Sandy Claws" as the Halloween populace calls him). Without giving spoilers, let's just say that things don't go quite as well as Jack planned.
This story, while it might sound a bit cheesy on paper to some people, is pulled off beautifully. The humor is stuck in a very subtle way and despite their appearances, you will grow to love these characters. The wonderfully composed soundtrack doesn't hurt either.
The first song, "This is Halloween" does a perfect job of introducing the townspeople of Halloweentown. It also opens up in a flashy way (that's in a GOOD flashy way though). The slick stop-motion animation pulls you right in, including ghosts carrying packages and wind blowing through a rag-doll's hair (the rag-doll being Jack's love interest, Sally, voiced by Catherine O'Hara). Then within less than 10 minutes of the movie, the problem of the story is revealed.
"Jack's Lament", which is gorgeously sung by Danny Elfman (who also happened to compose the soundtrack to this movie) describes Jack's problem perfectly. "What's This" is a polar opposite of the lament, bursting with joy. Danny Elfman excellently portrays Jack's anguish here and through out the rest of the movie.
The other voices are nicely done as well, from the vocals in the seemingly morbid song "Kidnap the Sandy Claus" (sung by a trio of twisted youngsters) to the Las Vegas styled "Oogie Boogie Song" to the sad "Sally's Song". The lyrics in this music (lyrics are also written by Danny Elfman)can range from witty to pure poetry. Don't be surprised if you find yourself singing the songs yourself--they are THAT good.
So all in all, a must watch. Buy it or rent it now. You will definitely not regret it.