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Retro Cinema
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Written by: Tim Burton
Rating: PG
Runtime: 76 minutes
By: David Hodge
Posted: 12/2/05
It seems impossible to create a full-length feature film combining Christmas and Halloween, but that is exactly what Tim Burton set out to accomplish in "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
This clay-animation marvel was considered to be state-of-the-art when it debuted in 1993, only to be surpassed by Burton again in 2005's "Corpse Bride."
"The Nightmare Before Christmas" is a charming tale is about the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington, discovering the world outside Halloween Town. Skellington ventures into Christmas Town, and after witnessing all the cheer, he was desperate to participate and he comes to a decision that will affect Halloween Town, Christmas Town and all the people of the world.
This Academy Award-nominated movie just so happens to be a musical, done by the score-writing master Danny Elfman, who has been working with Burton since "Beetle Juice." Hollywood has called on the services of Elfman for more than 120 films since he broke into the scene in 1980. The talented Elfman pulls double duty for the film by not only writing the score but singing for the character of Skellington and doing voices for various characters.
"The Nightmare Before Christmas" has almost 20 songs, but two stand out as the signature pieces. The first is "This is Halloween," which describes the lifestyle of the Halloween Townians. The other song, which Skellington sings upon finding his new paradise, is the captivating "What's This."
As if the music wasn't good enough, the movie took clay animation to a whole new level. When most watch a "claymation" motion picture, they cannot help but to be taken out of the film by choppiness and poor art direction, but "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is as seamless and flowing as a live action film. This is thanks to art director, Deane Taylor, who has worked in the past on the classics "Popeye" and "The Flintstones."
Taylor also has worked on the video game prequel, "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King," and the sequel game, "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogies Revenge," which was released just this year, proving after more than a decade, the Nightmare is still in everyone's head.
Burton was on a mission to create a world in which Halloween and Christmas could co-exist. Not only was Burton successful in that endeavor, but he created a world in which countless people, young and old, could lose themselves. With the grand musical numbers and the jaw-dropping art, this genre-crossing movie has surely locked its place in history as one of the best holiday films ever. So, with the holidays fast approaching, be sure to watch this classic and keep the nightmare alive.
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