The Nightmare Before Christmas
(1993)Tim Burton’s beloved stop-frame animated musical. Directed by stop frame guru Henry Selick (work includes the creatures in The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, James And The Giant Peach), the Dr Seuss-ian tale follows Jack Skellington, Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. Bored by the October festivities, he searches for something new and stumbles upon Christmas Town. So taken with the idea, Jack returns to Halloween Town and tries to excite the resident skeletons, bats, gouls & other nasties with the Christmas spirit.
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Directed by Henry Selick
Starring Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens
Written by Caroline Thompson
Produced by Tim Burton ('Dark Shadows', 'Edward Scissorhands', 'Ed Wood', 'Big Fish', 'Alice in Wonderland')
On Demand, DVD & Blu-Ray
Available from 7 providers
Flicks Review
BY Andrew Hedley Flicks Writer
If you haven’t seen The Nightmare Before Christmas at any stage in the last fourteen years, then it’s definitely worth a look. The story might be slight, the music a bit too operatic, but it’s the design of the world that is utterly fantastic.... More
Halloween Town is all dark grey wrought iron and cobblestones, with bright flashes of orange flames or fluorescent green slime. The fiendish characters range from the stick-like Jack Skellington to mud monsters and werewolves. Every frame includes some brilliant creation from the devilish minds of Tim Burton and Henry Selick. And it’s the small touches that make the impact – heroine Sally stitching her skin together like a rag doll or a group of vampires snoozing under some umbrellas.Hide
The Peoples' Reviews
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The Nightmare Before Christmas
This type of stop motion animation has been my favourite from a young age, when I first saw the American classics "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". Now it seems this style is enjoyed by young and old alike more and more these days.
I went to this movie preview with my youngest... More daughter as it was her 6th birthday. I was a bit worried that it might be too scary for her, but my fears were soon put to rest. She thoroughly enjoyed the movie and kept asking why she couldn't touch the 3-D elements as they seemed to fly out of the screen. I even found myself jumping back from the spooky jack-o-lantern when it came flying towards my face. Then we tried to catch the snowflakes in Christmas Town.
The film has always been so fascinating and different than any other animation of it's type. And now seeing it in 3-D has made it even better. The 3-D glasses are unusual as well -- not the typical paper with red and blue cellophane lenses. These glasses are cool! They look like sunglasses (although they come with a warning not to use them as sunnies since they don't have UV protection) and you can keep them. We discovered they made the screen of my cell phone burst to life with amazing colours! I'm curious to know if they will work with traditional 3-D movies?
This may seem like a spooky movie re-released just in time for Halloween (October 31st), but I think it is a timeless classic that has been brought back to life with these wonderful 3-D features. I wonder if Disney has any plans to re-release any other classics in 3-D? I'd be the first in line to see my Christmas favourites this way!Hide
Great music and animation surpassed by brialliant and 2010ish 3d effects. Story not so great but if you're looking for a 3d mind blowing trip then this movie is a must see.
The Press Reviews
94%
of critics recommend.
Rotten Tomatoes Score. More reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Evidence of the rich and varied possibilities of stop-motion animation... Full Review
A feast for the eyes and the imagination... Full Review
For fans of Tim Burton’s stop-motion musical, [3D] adds both a literal and figurative dimension to the experience... Full Review
This delectably ghoulish fairy tale, conceived by Mr. Burton as a full-length film made in stop-motion animation (think of the California Raisins on a dark and stormy night), has a clever visual format that keeps it streamlined and sharp... Full Review
The dazzling techniques employed here create a striking look that's never been seen in such sustained form, making this a unique curio that will appeal to kids and film enthusiasts alike... Full Review
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