The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Runtime: 76 minutes
Directed by: Henry Selick
Starring the voices of: Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix
From: Disney
This was only my second time visiting Halloween Town.
Back in 2008, a lady I talked to online at the time was APPALLED at how at the time I had never seen this movie. Shortly after that I was able to check it out on the big screen, and in a 3D post-conversion. While I haven't chatted w/ this lady for years (long story) it was a film I enjoyed; yet is it only just yesterday that I saw the movie again, which was also theatrically courtesy of AMC. When I do these spooky lists each September and October it's not just horror movies-at times it is other genres that are appropriate for the season... cartoons and educational shorts concerning trick or treating, for example. What better movie to discuss days before Halloween than a dark Gothic fantasy tale set in a German Expressionistic land known as Halloween Town?
Based on a poem that Tim Burton wrote in the early 80's, this concerns... actually, I am sure most are familiar with how The Pumpkin King Jack Skellington stumbles upon Christmas Town and becomes enchanted w/ the place, wishing to bring it to his home area then take over Santa Claus's job-to disastrous results. Thankfully, the movie is still a delight between the incredible stop-motion animation that has beauty which will remain evergreen, a charming story w/ interesting characters and a way to celebrate a pair of holidays that are a polar opposite to each other-IMO, it is both a Halloween and Christmas movie-and wonderful songs from Danny Elfman.
In hindsight, this is something I should have viewed far more often than just twice in my life; not only did it help bring the spirit of Halloween to me even if this year has been bizarre for a number of reasons, but was a reminder that there was a time when I did not groan whenever I hear that Tim Burton was attached to a project...
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