The Nightmare Before Christmas



Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 stop motion fantasy film released by Touchstone Pictures (re-released under Walt Disney Pictures in 2006 and 2007) directed by Henry Selick and written by Tim Burton, with music by Danny Elfman. It was created with stop-motion animation, also known as "claymation."

Plot
The film begins in Halloween Town, a magical world inhabited by various creatures who make elaborate plans for a dark ceremony every year on October 31, hoping for each Halloween to be superior to the last. Though the residents of Halloween Town are always up for a trick or a good scare, they never truly mean to hurt anyone with their holiday. The land is led by Jack Skellington, a slender undead creature who is thought to be the scariest being in the entire world. As the townspeople celebrate their annual ceremony, Jack feels depressed, wishes for variety, and wonders whether there is more to life than scaring people. Meanwhile, Jack's secret admirer, Sally the Rag Doll, watches him from afar, although she is constantly abused by her control-seeking creator, Doctor Finklestein.

While wandering in the woods, Jack and his ghostly pet dog, Zero, encounter portals leading to other holiday-themed worlds. Jack accidentally enters Christmas Town, a land of eternal joy and winter, and is amazed by the population's joyous behavior. Jack, wishing to embrace this culture, quickly returns to Halloween Town, where he presents the townspeople with his slightly inaccurate impressions of Christmas. The townspeople, interested in the holiday, agree to celebrate Christmas this year.

Jack decides to operate the holiday, eventually becoming obsessed with Christmas and deciding to usurp the role of Santa Claus. Every resident is assigned a task, although Sally believes that his plans will lead to ruin. There is some foreshadowing to suggest that she is correct; because the people of Halloween Town have lived all their lives by scaring people, the Christmas gifts and decorations they create are more frightening and grotesque than pleasing. Jack ignores Sally's warning and commissions her to create his Christmas outfit. Jack then assigns Lock, Shock, and Barrel, a trio of mischievous, child-like monsters representing trick-or-treaters, to transport Santa to Halloween Town. They, after mistakenly capturing (and, on Jack's orders, returning) the Easter Bunny, successfully kidnap Santa Claus. Against Jack's wishes and largely for their own amusement, the trio deliver Santa to the lair of Oogie Boogie, a sadistic, compulsive gambler who plots to play a game with Santa's life.

December 25 soon arrives; although Sally attempts to stop him, Jack embarks into the sky on a coffin-like sled pulled by skeletal reindeer (all three created by Finklestein), hoping to deliver presents to children around the world; while the townspeople are overjoyed, Sally wanders off alone to be miserable. As Jack begins delivering gifts, children are horrified by their monstrous, animated presents, while their parents believe Jack to be a monster attempting to imitate Santa Claus. The military shoot him out of the sky, destroying his sleigh. Although Jack is initially depressed, he realizes he is still the ruler of Halloween Town and can bring joy to the world in his own way.

Sally attempts to free Santa, only to be captured by Oogie Boogie. Just as they are about to be killed by immersion in a foul stew, Jack arrives and challenges their captor. Oogie Boogie flees, placing his complex, sophisticated, deadly gaming machines in Jack's path as obstacles. However, Oogie Boogie becomes tangled in one of his own machines and is (with Jack's intervention) split open, revealing himself to be merely an animated sackful of insects. Most of Oogie's "bugs" fall into the stew and are boiled alive.

Santa Claus, freed, reprimands Jack, and then sets off to correct Christmas by exchanging Jack's frightening toys for more pleasant playthings. This he does successfully. Jack and Sally return to Halloween Town, aided by a reformed Lock, Shock, and Barrel. There, they kiss atop a spiral-shaped, flexible extension of land, while Zero looks on from afar. Sally has been replaced in Doctor Finklestein's service by another mannequin, leaving her free to live with Jack.

Cast

 * Chris Sarandon - Jack Skellington (voice)
 * Catherine O'Hara - Sally, Shock (voice)
 * William Hickey - Dr. Finkelstein (voice)
 * Glenn Shadix - Mayor of Halloweentown (voice)
 * Ken Page - Oogie Boogie (voice)
 * Ed Ivory - Santa Claus (voice)
 * Paul Reubens - Lock (voice)
 * Danny Elfman - Jack Skellington (singing voice), Barrel, Clown with the Tearaway Face (voice)
 * Susan McBride - Big Witch (voice)

Other appearances
This movie is a playable world in the Kingdom Hearts series under the name "Halloween Town". In the first game and Chain of Memories, its plot differs from the movie. In Kingdom Hearts II, it follows the movie plot and therefore gives access to the Christmas Town area in the world.

This movie has a spin-off game released for the PS2, Gamecube, Xbox, and Game Boy Advance consoles. The game Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King acts as a prequel to the movie while Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge acts as a sequel.

At Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland, an annual layover from September through January features the characters at The Haunted Mansion in what is called Haunted Mansion Holiday.