The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Jack Skellington, king of Halloween Town, discovers Christmas Town, but his attempts to bring Christmas to his home causes confusion.

Director:

Henry Selick

Writers:

Tim Burton (story and characters), Michael McDowell (adaptation)

Stars:

Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 7 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Danny Elfman	...	Jack Skellington - Singing Voice / Barrel / Clown with the Tear Away Face (voice)
Chris Sarandon	...	Jack Skellington (voice)
Catherine O'Hara	...	Sally / Shock (voice)
William Hickey	...	Evil Scientist (voice)
Glenn Shadix	...	Mayor (voice)
Paul Reubens	...	Lock (voice)
Ken Page	...	Oogie Boogie (voice)
Edward Ivory	...	Santa (voice) (as Ed Ivory)
Susan McBride	...	Big Witch / W.W.D. (voice)
Debi Durst	...	Corpse Kid / Corpse Mom / Small Witch (voice)
Greg Proops	...	Harlequin Demon / Devil / Sax Player (voice) (as Gregory Proops)
Kerry Katz	...	Man Under Stairs / Vampire / Corpse Dad (voice)
Randy Crenshaw	...	Mr. Hyde / Behemoth / Vampire (voice)
Sherwood Ball	...	Mummy / Vampire (voice)
Carmen Twillie	...	Undersea Gal / Man Under the Stairs (voice)

Storyline

Jack Skellington, the pumpkin king of Halloween Town, is bored with doing the same thing every year for Halloween. One day he stumbles into Christmas Town, and is so taken with the idea of Christmas that he tries to get the resident bats, ghouls, and goblins of Halloween Town to help him put on Christmas instead of Halloween -- but alas, they can't get it quite right.

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Plot Keywords:

christmas | halloween | villain | christmas movie | scientist | 

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Taglines:

We're changing the face of 3-D

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some scary images

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jack Skellington is not the deity who presides over Halloween. (Tim Burton made that up). The original Halloween deity was Samhain. He was an ancient god of the underworld and magic that the druids and the celtic people used to worship. He was eventually dropped because of sacrificial rituals associated with Samhaim including, unfortunately, small children. So western society administrators (mayors, senators, town elders etc) dropped Samhain because of this and his uncomfortable association with Satan; but they kept the less sinister more banal aspects of the holiday; dressing up in consumes, trick or treating; etc.

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Goofs

Jack doesn't know what snowflakes are ("what's this? there's white things in the air"), but knows what snowballs are ("the children are throwing snowballs instead of throwing heads").

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Quotes

[first lines]
Santa: 'Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems in a place perhaps you've seen in your dreams. For the story you're about to be told began with the holiday worlds of auld. Now you've probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven't I'd say it's time you begun.

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Crazy Credits

Dr. Finkelstein is referred to on-screen by name, but is only credited as "Evil Scientist."

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Alternate Versions

In 2006, Industrial Light and Magic used computer technology to create a stereoscopic 3D version of the film that was released to digital 3D theaters on October 20. There are only a few differences in this version:

• The version begins with a countdown to when you should put your 3-D glasses on, which shows a jack-in-the-box that pops out revealing a Jack-o-lantern.
• The Touchstone logo has been replaced with the 2006 Disney logo, and the film now says 'Walt Disney Pictures Presents' instead of 'Touchstone Pictures Presents'
• The end credit roll features concept art from the movie that goes with the music. The credit roll itself is extended to include credits for people involved with the 3-D version of the film.

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Connections

Referenced in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: Little Orange Nathan Lanes (2021)

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Soundtracks

Oogie Boogie's Song
(1993) (uncredited)
Music and Lyrics by Danny Elfman
Performed by Ken Page and Edward Ivory

User Reviews

Wonderful movie!

This movie has always been a favorite of mine. I never like holiday movies, because i always find them to be full to bursting with slapstick comedy, or way too sugary-sweet and dramatic. both of these things are okay in moderation, but most Christmas movies seem to go to one side of the spectrum or the other. this wonderful fairy tale is perfect for someone like me, who likes a little bit of a darker movie, but expects a Christmas movie to have a good message. the darkness in the movie is not without cause-it shows the joy of Christmas in great contrast to the scariness of Halloween, and it made me love both holidays all the more for that reason. i don't know, maybe that's just because Halloween and Christmas are my favorite holidays, but i really feel that this movie is great for older children and adults. younger children (up to 5 or 6 years) may find this simply frightening, but older children would find it wonderful.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 October 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney Digital 3-D

Filming Locations:

Skellington Productions - 375 7th Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$18,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$191,232, 17 October 1993

Gross USA:

$77,368,668

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$91,491,247

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Skellington Productions Inc., Tim Burton Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

76 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1