A Reel 25: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

“This is Halloween…”

This month marks the 25^th anniversary of Tim Burton’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. 

Created and produced by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick, NIGHTMARE was a clever and unique holiday mashup in which a Halloween dream world populated with creepy creatures mix themselves up with the merry and cheery characters of Christmastime.

Tim Burton had been toying with the concept of NIGHTMARE as far back as 1982. After several false starts, the NIGHTMARE finally poured out of Burton’s vivid imagination and onto the stage. In a pre-CGI world, NIGHTMARE was crafted with character puppets and miniature sets, using stop-motion animation to bring it all to life. Burton and frequent collaborator/composer Danny Elfman wrote the film’s many musical numbers, and filming began in mid-1991 with a crew of 120 animators over 20 sound stages. 

Due to his commitments to direct BATMAN RETURNS (1992), Burton was forced to hand his creations and vision over to director Henry Selick, who was directing his first feature film. Selick had been working as an animator for Disney films such as PETE’S DRAGON (1977) and THE FOX AND THE HOUND (1981). His work on NIGHTMARE with Burton paid off; the film was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Oscars, and took home Best Fantasy Film at the Saturn Awards while Elfman won Best Music. The American Film Institute nominated it for its Top 10 Animated list, and famed film critic Roger Ebert noted that the visual effects were as revolutionary as STAR WARS. The film has become a haven for pop-culture, and the merchandise sells well to this day. Selick would embrace the stop-motion style of NIGHTMARE and would go on to direct his own similar films such as JAMES AND GIANT PEACH (1996) and CORALINE (2009).

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In 2006, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS enjoyed a re-release in theatres in 3D. It was one of the first films to usher in the short-lived 3D conversion revolution, and although the transfer was less than stellar, it allowed this Blogger to re-discover the magical, zany, and immersive fantasy world that Tim Burton had created. Creepy and bizarre and fun, NIGHTMARE utilized familiar themes and character-types to stay grounded, and the clever mash-up of Christmas and Halloween themes make people debate to this day which holiday the film belongs to. And its own mythology and breakdown of our honored holidays is fascinating. It’s been a major impact on pop culture, and that type of appeal makes THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS one of Tim Burton’s finest works and a unique peek into his imagination.

“I’m a master of fright, and a demon of light, and I’ll scare you right out of your pants!”