The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Holiday-influenced movies are generally tied to only one season, so there are only a handful of films that can boast being watchable at both Christmas and Halloween. <i>The Nightmare Before Christmas</i> based on the short story by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick is one such movie. Being set between Halloween and Christmas, the film boasts visual elements from both holidays, even if they lean closer to the more surreal and spooky designs of the former. Because of this, the film is widely debated as whether it is a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie. While the simple answer can be summed up as “yes” or “whatever,” I do have a definitive answer, myself: it’s clearly a Christmas film. As a result, for the holiday season, I wanted to review this classic and analyze WHY I have this opinion.

First up, the visuals certainly scream “Halloween:” pumpkins, skeletons, monsters, bats, dark shadows, gray palettes with bursts of orange (or “red and black and slimy green”), and so on. Even when Christmas is introduced, the movie leans heavier on these elements, rather than the usual motifs associated with the season of giving: snowflakes, trees, presents, lights, bright colours, red, blue, white, etc. The interesting thing is that it does still use these images but twists them around because the inhabitants of this world don’t really understand what they’re trying to do. The presents are made from spooky images, like a bat hat, or a vampiric doll, things like that. This not only creates a very unique Christmas film, but its distinct style is instantly recognizable and iconic.

Since the film is 99% stop-motion animation (there are a few sequences that use hand-drawn animation to simulate the ghosts or shadows), the cinematography and lighting must be adapted to fit the smaller models, rather than just a standard human subject. Even more impressively, since it’s done one frame at a time, any chance for second takes requires even more time to accomplish. Because of this, I’ve always admired how much effort and technique went into this movie. Not only are there instances of the characters moving along with the camera, but there’s usually models within models or some things that float within the scene. I noticed more than a few times the lights were flickering, which made for an interesting concept. Again, Halloween Town is heavily shadowed whereas Christmas Town is brighter. Also, more often than not, the characters of Halloween are lit from below, creating creepy imagery.

The two-faced politician is a nice touch, but every inhabitant has their own unique spin. The vampires using umbrellas to hide from the sun. Sally, being a stand-in for Frankenstein’s monster, has stitches all over her body, with even her clothes being a patchwork of old shreds. Finkelstein being condemned to a wheelchair is a nice spin on the classic doctor. Oogie Boogie has a flat design, but when you find out that he’s just bugs underneath, being covered is more believable. I wouldn’t complain about it, but he’s supposed to be the Boogeyman and it’s not a terrifying design. Santa’s big beard is wizard-like and I enjoy that he’s shorter. Jack’s skeletal face is great and very expressive. I particularly like his pin-stripe suit with his bat bow tie.

While sound may not need much discussion (it does its job of making the important sounds be heard), the film definitely has a series of unique and (mostly) memorable songs. The most memorable is likely “This is Halloween,” “Kidnap the Sandy Claws,” or “Making Christmas.” The three songs are wonderful in their tone and execution, leaning on the darker style and a faster tempo. Of course, I can’t talk about this movie without mentioning “What’s This?” It’s a similar kind of song that uses a fast beat, but it’s a more major key (whether it is in a major key is for a music major to inform me). The rest of the songs are either slow ballads that showcase the character’s inner turmoil (“Jack’s Lament,” “Sally’s Song”) or quick scenes to show the world reacting to a character (“Jack’s Obsession,” “Oogie Boogie’s Song). Some of the best moments in the score come from combining Christmas music with the Halloween aesthetic, like the band of musicians playing Christmas music or the reprise at the end that combines most of the songs together in a medley.

The major flaw with animation is that it’s harder to gauge actor’s facial expressions because they’re covered by the cartoon. As such, you have to evaluate the performance based on their mere voice. Fortunately, it is easy to detect whether someone is invested or not by how monotone their voice is. I never got any impression that these actors were not trying.

Jack Skellington is voice by Chris Sarandon (who played Prince Humperdink in <i>The Princess Bride</i>, for a random FYI), and his excitement is very apparent in every line he speaks. One particular detail I enjoy about the performance is whenever he tries to do the Santa laugh (Ho-Ho-Ho), he can’t help turning it into an evil cackle or simply change the vowel (Hee-Hee-Hee). Jack feels like he’s in a rut and has grown tired of his fame. When he goes off on a thinking walk (as we all do from time to time), he finds the answer to his problem: Christmas Town. Overcome with joy, he eventually resolves to steal the holiday for himself. Jack’s fatal flaw is his haste and his naivete: he doesn’t really understand what Christmas is but still goes off to become Santa. As a result, he’s shot down and comes to the realization that he’s better off sticking with what he knows. There are very few stories that I know where the theme is about accepting the status quo. Don’t get me wrong, challenging a broken system and trying to make improvements is a worthy goal, but there are some instances where it’s better to accept where you’re at. After all, it’s not about the cards you’re dealt, but rather how you play them. I wonder if that’s why Oogie Boogie is a gambler and one of his traps is a set of mechanical cards.

Sally, voiced by Catherine O’Hara, is generically sweet in her vocals. Her entire character is trying to get Jack’s attention. At first, he doesn’t even notice her because Finkelstein hides her away from the world. Probably one of the most intimate scenes in the movie is when Sally brings Jack the butterfly wine. Neither one of them talks, but it’s the first sign that Jack may reciprocate her feelings for him. Later on, though he has acknowledged her, he’s barely listening to her, while she tries to warn him about the dangers of his Christmas. After all the excitement, the final scene is an intimate moment where he finally notices her and the two kiss in a tender embrace.

The plot is simple and direct: Jack is bored, so he wants something new to do. A relatable goal, if ever there was one. From then on, Jack tries everything he can to bring Christmas to Halloween. Of course, the best part about that is that he gives scary gifts which terrify the world. As a result, the world tries to kill him. He goes to rescue Santa and restore the holiday, which Santa is kind enough to bring to Halloween.

The dialogue is even simpler. There’s nary a word that a child couldn’t understand, which makes sense since this is meant to be a children’s film. The songs exposit character emotions, but the dialogue is direct and straight-to-the-point.

So… where does this movie fall? Is it a Halloween movie or a Christmas film? Well, let me give you some background: A few years ago, I wrote the first draft of a Christmas story for my little sisters. After the draft was done, I knew I was missing something. I wanted to create a new kind of Christmas staple, so I decided to watch a few shorts and analyze what I was missing. I took a look at “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (1965), “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966), “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” (1983), “Olive the Other Reindeer” (1999), and “Community: Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” (2010).

The goal was simple: what were the common elements between them. While I’m sure there’s more to creating a good Christmas special/story than what I found, here are some of the basic common factors in these shorts:

1. The short is simple: most of these stories are meant to be viewed by children, so everything from the characters to the set to the dialogue and even the conflict must be instantly understandable and to the point.
2. There is usually a musical element to the special, most often with one song being the leitmotif for the special. This song, in particular, emphasizes the meaning or spirit of Christmas and is either the intro or the outro for the short.
3. The main character is either an upbeat optimist who already knows the meaning of Christmas and changes the world by reminding THEM of what it is and learning something about it themselves along the way (Olive, Abed); or a grumpy miser who has forgotten the meaning and must be reminded of it by the circumstances of the story (Charlie, Grinch, Scrooge).
4. Most obvious: the thematic premise of the short is “The True Meaning/Spirit of Christmas.” The visual style is represented by this: snowflakes, trees, presents, lights, etc.).

How does <i>Nightmare Before Christmas</i> Fare?

For starters: the characters are easy to grasp, the story and plot is straightforward, and the dialogue, while not the best written, is very understandable. Any child would be able to understand what’s going on in the movie. So, the first point is true: the story is simple. But this isn’t enough evidence to support my thesis, as there are a ton of movies and stories that are simple in nature, but they don’t emulate Christmas or Halloween.

How about the music? Well, I’ve already talked about the music and would even classify this film AS a musical. Is there one particular song that acts as a leitmotif? From a certain point of view. The tune of “This is Halloween” appears a few times in the short, even being combined with the more Christmas songs in the “Reprise.” Regardless, the tone of Halloween is put into every song in the film, creating an auditory motif that unites all the songs. But the third aspect of the music is that it reflects the meaning of Christmas, and surely <i>Nightmare</i> doesn’t do that. Well… there’s actually an interesting arc for the meaning during the songs. “What’s This?” is about being exposed to Christmas and trying to figure it out. “Jack’s Obsession” is all about how he’s trying to figure it out, coming to the conclusion that Christmas cannot be explained. Jack says: “just because I cannot see it, doesn’t mean I can’t believe it,” a line which is the crux of the first two <i>Santa Clause</i> Tim Allen movies. “Making Christmas” and “Town Meeting” are all about Jack trying to explain Christmas to everyone, though he barely understands it himself. “Poor Jack,” is all about Jack realizing that he needs to appreciate his life. Finally, the “Finale” is a synthesis medley of all the songs, showing a unity and understanding. So, the music does try to examine the Christmas meaning in its own way.

By now you may be thinking that Jack doesn’t fit the Christmas protagonist mold that I’ve mentioned before. He’s not an optimist who already knows the meaning and tries to remind everyone else, but he’s also not a grumpy miser who needs reminding of it himself. He’s both. He starts off the story as a person who’s miserable, like Scrooge or the Grinch. After he’s visited Christmas Town, he becomes a hopeless and naïve optimist who tries to convince everyone of the importance of Christmas, like Olive or Abed. His songs seem to indicate that he’s very much like Charlie Brown: he doesn’t understand Christmas but comes to realize what it really means.

Which brings us to the final point: the meaning of Christmas. “The Grinch” tells us that “Christmas doesn’t come from a store” and that “Christmas means a little bit more,” meaning that Christmas shouldn’t be so tied to commercialism. “Charlie Brown” also ties into this idea but incorporates the Birth of Christ and the notion of goodwill towards mankind, which is also built into the story of “Christmas Carol.” “Olive” and “Abed” learn that Christmas is a time for family, however you define “family.” <i>Nightmare</i> does not really examine this but does examine a different idea that I think also relates to Christmas.

Not to get too “Debbie-downer,” but while most see Christmas as a time of joy, there are those who find nothing but darkness. Whether for one reason or another, these people don’t have the best kind of lives and, to them, Christmas is just another day of misery, the feeling of which is compounded by the fact that it’s hyped up as a day of giving and love. For this reason, the theme of the movie, which I’ve mentioned is about appreciating what you have and not taking your life for granted, is very Christmas-y. Again, this is from a certain point of view.

So, there you have it. Jack is a hopeless and naïve optimist who tries to understand and explain the meaning of Christmas, doing so with musical accompaniment. The visuals emulate Christmas if it were twisted into a horrifying shape, such as skeletal reindeer and vampire dolls. Honestly, there are other things that help sell the case of <i>Nightmare</i> being a Christmas movie: the stop-motion animation, emulating the style of the Rankin Bass Shorts (“Rudolph,” “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” etc.); lines from the poem and the movie are ripped from other Christmas specials, Santa Claus saving the day, the idea that Christmas is going to be cancelled, etc.

I like this movie just fine. The visuals are fun, the characters are interesting, the songs are catchy, and it’s a unique spin on the usual holiday motifs.

Happy Holidays, everyone.