When Jack Skellington, King of Halloween Town, discovers the existence of Christmas he embraces it as a breath of fresh air and attempts to make it his own. This spells uncertainty for the monstrous citizens who idolize Jack, and for Santa Claus… Who’s holiday is about to look very different than usual.
Often credited as a segue into modern goth culture, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a film that needs no introduction. The annual “must-see” film entered the pop culture world and never left. From pajamas to video games, drinking mugs to backpacks… There’s no shortage of Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise to be had. While often feeling excessive, there’s no arguing against the fact that the movie deserves all the long term attention and praise its received.
The year was 1993 and the film hit theaters with enough charm to last for many lifetimes to come. This was all thanks to the writing of Tim Burton, Michael McDowell, and Caroline Thompson. Burton had previously brought Batman, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Frankenweenie to life. All staples within the whimsical side of goth culture. “Disney Goths”, if you will. McDowell had quite the pedigree as well, with his work in horror allowing him to bring some grim charm to the story. Not only had he previously worked with Burton on writing Beelejuice, but he had an impressive run in horror television. His stories appeared in Tales from the Darkside, Tales from the Crypt, and Monsters, which were watched by countless fans across the nation. Not unlike MicDowell, Caroline Thompson had also previously worked with the writers on Edward Scissorhands. She was also known for writing The Addams Family, Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey, and The Secret Garden. All of her stories knew how to bring an otherworldly narrative to life. With all three of these writers tackling The Nightmare Before Christmas, it was destined for greatness.
A story only goes so far with its premise alone. A film needs a solid cast in order to become a classic, and The Nightmare Before Christmas was more than riddled with talent. Ken Page, a television actor who had previously voiced King Gator in All Dogs Go to Heaven, voiced the villainous Oogie Boogie, a character dead set on taking Halloween for himself. The role was Page’s most revisited, as he played Oogie Boogie in various video games and promos until his passing last year. His final role was Oogie Boogie in the video game Disney Speedstorm in 2023. Other voice actors portrayed multiple characters, in successfully indistinguishable fashion. Catherine O’Hara, another Beetlejuice alumni, portrayed the story’s love interest, Sally. She also voiced Shock, one of three devious trick or treaters who work for Oogie. The other two were Lock, played by Paul Reubens, and Barrel, who was voiced by none other than Danny Elfman.
Danny Elfman is the backbone of the film. I could jokingly credit him for his stellar work as Barrel, but that was the least of his efforts regarding the movie he composed the music for. At its core, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a musical. Elfman, who also had a history of working with Tim Burton, has a resume that would make any other composer blush. With over 130 titles in his composer history, there are far too many to list. From Batman to PeeWee, Spider-Man to the Wolfman, Men in Black to Wednesday… Danny Elfman’s music is nothing if not iconic. Not only was he responsible for the music, but he served as the singing voice for the film’s hero… Jack Skellington. Skellington was otherwise voiced by Chris Sarandon, of Child’s Play and Fright Night fame. While Chris captured the curious and charming nature of Skellington, Elfman launched the character into an ear worm that bore its way into the core memories of many fans. To this day, thanks to Elfman’s singing, I can still recall nearly every word to each song that Jack sang. This is definitely a good sign, as I’ve never owned the soundtrack or gone out of my way to listen to the music in what I would call an “off season”.
As a holiday movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas has the benefit of being relevant for nearly a quarter of the year as it doubles as a Halloween film, and a Christmas film. When the stop motion journey takes off, a depressed Jack Skellington wanders into the woods until he stumbles upon a circle of trees with holiday themed doors in them. The door that captures his interest the most? The one shaped like a Christmas tree that has a shiny ornament serving as a knob. There’s nothing stopping anyone from enjoying this film in November, which is still in line with the movie as Jack gets a brief look at a Turkey shaped door that would have surely sent him to some sort of Thanksgiving Town. Director Henry Selick, who also brought us the likes of Coraline and Wendell & Wild, took the unique concepts of this holiday multiverse and pushed them in the right direction. His work resonated with him so much that he opted to bring Jack Skellington into his next directing project, James & the Giant Peach. In the film, a silent Jack appears as the captain of a sunken ship. I’m fairly certain this was the first character cameo I was aware of while growing up.
The story of The Nightmare Before Christmas is as timeless as the holidays themselves. The art style, animation, writing, performances, and the music by the ever-talented Danny Elfman, come together beautifully and culminate into one of the most consistently rewarding movies to watch. Hell, one could even be forgiven for watching it any time during the year. It’s just that good.
Fantasia 2025 runs from July 16th to August 3rd 2025