Jack Skellington

Jack Skellington dressed as, "Sandy Claws" as he appears in Haunted Mansion Holiday

### Portrayed by

Chris Sarandon
Danny Elfman

### Relatives

4-5 skeleton children (Nightmare Before Christmas CD)

### Associated attraction

Haunted Mansion Holiday (seasonal overlay of the Haunted Mansion)

## Biographical information

### Occupation

Pumpkin King of Halloween Town

**Jack Skellington** is the protagonist of the 1993 Disney stop-motion animated film *Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas* and the 1980s poem by Tim Burton of which the film was based on. He is connected to the League of Adventurers mythos.

## History

Jack Skellington is a monstrous skeleton who is the, "Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town, a realm which personifies Halloween iconography and is responsible for the holiday's production. In the Nightmare Before Christmas, he decides to create his own Christmas for a year only for it to end in chaos and pandaemonium.

## Appearances and allusions

### Camp Discovery

Jack is mentioned in the *First International News* newspaper as having terrorized the Johnson Family which purchased the Haunted Mansion in the 1930s. They describe his presence around the holidays as bringing an, "Increased supernatural presence" and Kelly describing him as being a, "*man adorned with a skinless face*". Zero is also mentioned in this story, mirroring his appearance in Haunted Mansion Holiday.

### The Haunted Mansion

#### Haunted Mansion Holiday/Haunted Mansion Holiday Nightmare

In the story behind the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay of the Haunted Mansion, Jack comes to the manor (of New Orleans, Louisiana) during the holiday season to assist its 999 spectral residents in a macabre celebration of the holidays. He makes several appearances throughout the attraction.

#### Walt Disney World

Several, "Hidden Jack" depictions of Skellington are found throughout this version of the Haunted Mansion. This includes hard-cover books of the Nightmare Before Christmas with Jack's likeness on them, his face design being on the portrait of Master Gracey's skull, and paraphernalia of him being found in the attic in the possession of Constance Hatchaway.

### Port Royal Curios and Curiosities

Jack's likeness is featured within the shelves of this bar, carved into pumpkins.

### Trader Sam's

The likeness of Jack Skellington's head are sold as Tiki mugs at Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar and Trader Sam's Grog Grotto, both run by Trader Sam from the Jungle Cruise.

### Shows

* **Disney's Not So Spooky Spectacular**: An audio-animatronic Jack Skellington serves as the host of this Halloween show outside of Cinderella Castle.

* **Happy Hallowishes**: Jack and the Ghost Host serve as emcees for this Halloween show.

## Trivia

* Society of Explorers and Adventurers member Maestro D'Elfman from Mystic Manor is named for and modelled after Danny Elfman, the voice-actor behind Jack Skellington's singing lines.
* Live-performed meet 'n' greet appearances of Jack are frequently found in the gazebo of Ravenswood Manor outside of Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris' Frontierland.
* Jack's reference in Camp Discovery is somewhat erroneous considering that he first overthrew Christmas in the later 20th century and not the 1930s in the film's continuity.

1. ↑ https://attractionsmagazine.com/not-so-spooky-spectacular-first-look/