The Nightmare Before Christmas (2020)

An ambitious stop motion film which sees Jack the Pumpkin King journey from his native Hallowe'en Town to the neighbouring Christmas Town. When he attempts to bring the joy of the festive season to his horror-happy friends, they love it ... only because they've got the wrong end of the stick.The 76-minute film sees Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King in charge of the annual celebrations in his native Hallowe'en Town, lose motivation to do the same thing year after year. Stumbling across the neighbouring Christmas Town one evening, he attempts to introduce his old friends to his finding of presents, decorating trees and Santa Claus ... only for them to taint his explanations with their Hallowe'en-saturated imaginations. In the end, he gives them what they want to hear to the detriment of the habitants of Christmas Town, Santa Claus and Jack himself.Originally intended as a 30-minute Christmas TV special or a short film adaptation of a three-page poem written by Tim Burton, executives felt it was "too weird" for Disney to make and so it was shelved. After Burton's successes with Beetlejuice and Batman, the studio agreed to make it into a feature-length stop motion with Henry Sellick directing given Burton's commitments to the new Batman Returns at the time. At one stage, the team knew the story but not in its entirety - all eleven songs in the film were written before a word of the screenplay was on the page.Once you say it's a Tim Burton film, people know what to expect - a loner main character, twisted architecture and bizarre character design. All of the above are in abundance in a film some might say this is the most Tim Burton film ever made, despite him not being in the director's chair; he's credited as a producer instead. It's hard not to think of The Nightmare Before Christmas as the most surreal of Burton's films given the almost boundless potential afforded to the production team of building a miniature world with all the gravity-defying structures and unfeasible character design instead of creating it all at a 1:1 scale.It's not going to be a film for everyone (I showed it to people at uni and most of them hated it) but it's built a cult following in the 24 years since it came out to give it the wider audience it never had upon its initial limited release. One gripe is that some of the lyrics in the slower songs are thrown in to get the point across rather than making it a song that flows. That said, it's still a film guaranteed to put a smile on your face from the first viewing for the story to the latest for the amazingly attentive details hidden in the corners of every frame.Best Quote: "Just because I cannot see it, doesn't mean I can't believe it!"

I watched this film because (a) I wondered whether my kids were ready, (b) I had somehow never seen it myself. Verdict? Total genius. Tim Burton movies have tended to be all vibe/aesthetic and no plot, but this one was JUST right. The perfect combo.

I can remember watching this at the cinema way back & being thrown into a magical place. Have now just revisited but with my son and in the comfort of my own home. An animated, musical love story that beautifully combines Halloween & Christmas. Based on characters written by & also produced by Tim Burton but NOT directed by him, I do feel that adding his name as a pre-fix is slightly misleading, but just a minor quibble. The fact that I have a The Nightmare Before Christmas 2017 calender hanging on my wall is testament to the film's enduring popularity.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA.I saw this film in 1993. I was a huge "Beetlejuice" fan and with Tim Burton behind this film I knew it would be a fun film. I had no idea how much I would enjoy this.The Nightmare Before Christmansis deeper, darker and more brilliant than ever -- just as Tim Burton originally envisioned it. Can Christmas be saved? Bored with the same old scare-and-scream routine, Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, longs to spread the joy of Christmas. But his merry mission puts Santa in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere!This is one of the best films Disney Animation has ever made. Yes t was weird & scary images throughout but that was the plan. The original songs composed for this film are also very clever. Those songs to this day are still under appreciated. Listen to the lyrics. That not only help move story along but they are also the funniest things in this film.I think people are so unaware that in 1993 that Disney kind of disowned this film. The marketing push by the studio was very small! In fact Disney did not put there name on the film. They released under their "TOUCHSTONE PICTURES" label! After the film became popular Disney finally put their name on the film (and removed the Touchstone Label)! Eventually they incorporated the characters into Disneyland's popular Haunted Mansion attraction for Halloween time. This is a well made film. Watch & Enjoy!