Is it a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie? For some reason, people always seem to want to box films into categories. An example of this is Henry Selick’s 1993 masterpiece of animation “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which was re-released in theaters this month, back on the silver screen for its 30th anniversary. This small, independent project is such a wide cultural phenomenon that every Hot Topic and alternative fashion store in America is dominated by its merchandise. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town himself, is in Fortnite. Without any sequels or remakes, this 76-minute film is just what people can’t get enough of.
There’s an amazing documentary called “The Making of The Nightmare Before Christmas” that gives insight into the painstaking process of doing the stop motion of the film. It took three-and-a-half years to complete the production due to their dedication to filming at 24 frames per second, totaling around 109,440 individual stills. Seeing the film on a big screen allows for the attention to detail that encapsulates the viewer with its long shadows, twisted textures, and subtle lighting that is often unrecognizable on a smaller screen. One of the most notable details is the design of characters other than Jack Skellington and Sally. Sandy Claws, Oogie Boogie and Dr. Finkelstein all have texture and weight to their movements that are both natural and uncanny.
Just as wonderful as the animation is the Danny Elfman score, who both composed the many songs of this musical, as well as performed the singing for Jack Skellington. This film’s score, defined by its heavy use of horn arrangements and a string orchestra, began an entire movement of music, giving way to genres ranging from “Dark Cabaret” to “Goblin Metal,” which also brought their own cult followings. For the uninitiated, Goblin Metal can be found in the later works of bands like Oingo Boingo, followed by Pinkly Smooth. I’d also recommend Avenged Sevenfold’s “A Little Piece of Heaven.” The music, the focal point of this film, and its delivery is some of the best ever. “This is Halloween,” “Kidnap the Sandy Claws,” and “Making Christmas” all make their respective scenes memorable for an entire generation.
In the film, Jack Skellington is struggling with a transition period in his life. He feels that he’s missing out on the wonders of life, which he cures by traveling through a door in a tree to a Christmas world, kidnapping Santa Claus, stealing his identity, and endangering the Christmas world’s way of life, only to be saved in the end by Sally, his boss’s daughter. Sally is Jack’s love interest and perhaps the only sensible character in the production. Jack Skellington is, frankly, the villain of his own story, though Oogie Boogie often wins that label. And though Jack has a midlife crisis due to his life feeling stale and uneventful, the one true character that should have the right to complain is Sally, who is locked in a room for all her life by her creator, Dr. Finkelstein.
The winning theme of the picture is the idea of not fitting in or feeling life is uneventful. It is the reason why it was released in mid-November, splicing together October and December because it can’t fit into either. It’s also what bonds Jack and Sally, which is perhaps the most marketable element of this film. People relate to “Nightmare Before Christmas” by this virtue, as well as the plot element of Jack changing himself to try to fit in after he kidnaps and replaces Sandy Claws. It’s a simple yet effective metaphor that builds our interest upon entering the last act.
The only true gripe that I have with this film is that it fails to give Sally proper attention. Anytime she tries to open up to Jack, he doesn’t listen and shuts her in, despite the entire town (when not dedicating themselves to the one day of the year that is Halloween) worshiping Jack as a perfect person. Jack is never humbled or checked. Sally is never listened to or assisted, and it is silly how the film presents this problem and never solves it.
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