Nov 30

Nov 30 The Nightmare Before Christmas - Part 1

It's been hotly debated for as long as the earth has turned: Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas movie? For a long while, I decided that if you average it out, it's a Thanksgiving movie, and for several years I watched it on the date that bisected Halloween and Christmas. Other times, I have used it to bridge the Halloween season to Christmas, watching it on November 1st along with another Tim Burton spooky quasi-Christmas movie, 1990's Edward Scissorhands. This year, I'm happy to go back to my old ways of making it a Thanksgiving watch. This is 2020, after all, and there are no such things as seasons in 2020.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a movie that has evolved drastically since my first time viewing it as a young child. While I have always adored the phenomenal opening number of the film, "This is Halloween" the remainder of the film disturbed the heck out of me in my youth. Stop motion animation has a bit of an uncanny, unsettling vibe to begin with (see Claymation, Rank & Bass, etc.), so the spooky visuals in this Halloween special get just a bit more creepy than they would in a traditionally animated film. After seeing this movie once as I child, I became frightened at the mere thought of Jack the Pumpkin King (not to mention the other residents of Halloweentown, especially the two-faced mayor and the flappy-lipped, brain exposing scientist), and I consequently avoided the movie until I was a teenager. Upon revisiting it in my older and marginally braver teenage years, I realized that there was nothing to fear at all in the film. It was just some spooky Halloween fun... and pretty dang adorable! Since then, it has become an annual [insert holiday here] staple that I adore viewing every time.

The obvious first place to start when discussing a Tim Burton film is his signature visual style. In live-action and animation alike, Burton became known for his slightly dark and twisted mise en scène, as well as his affinity for making the unsettling loveable. The Nightmare Before Christmas may be the epitome of Burton's artistic vision. The contrast of the muted colors and sharp, jaunty angles of Halloweentown clash wonderfully with the bright lights and sparkling snow of Christmastown. In terms of character design, you can tell that Burton and his team let their imaginations run wild, especially considering the sheer variety of original creatures that were designed to populate both Halloween Town and Christmas Town (though, both are admittedly equally creepy. That Santa's teeth haunt my nightmares forever). From the sleek and spider-legged Jack Skellington to the dramatic parasol-wielding vampires, every character's design is so unique and fun, and there are always little details that reveal themselves upon repeat viewings.

There are several things I love about The Nightmare Before Christmas, one of the main elements of which is its simplicity. Despite being set in a rich and detailed universe, complete with two separate holiday 'worlds,' the actual plot of the film is relatively straightforward. This allows the audience's focus to be firmly set on the details and characters of each town, and anticipate the interactions between the two. Even the character's motivations and changes are delightfully simple, sometimes to the point of hilarity. I always laugh at the 180 that Jack takes during "Poor Jack", beginning with his lowest point in the film, firmly in the depths of despair, and then instantly switching to a triumphant "What the heck? I went and did my best!" I have the same reaction when he suddenly realizes his love for the ever-pining Sally, or at how easily Doctor Finklestein alternates between severe mistrust of Sally and once again being rendered unconscious by her cooking. These moments are all funny in their ridiculousness, but they work for the film, thanks to the overarching simplicity of the entire film. It has a bit of a feel of some kids playing with a dollhouse. The story is, of course, a take on the 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," as well as containing echos of other well-known holiday characters such as Rudolph and the Grinch, and yet it is entirely a story unto itself, with the innocence, excitement and single-mindedness of Jack guiding the audience through the story at a pleasant and engaging pace.

Furthermore, as a movie musical, the simplicity of the plot allows for what is usually lacking in animated musicals (especially Disney films). Typically, a Disney animated musical will contain about five songs, give or take a couple of reprises. By the third act of the film, musical numbers are typically abandoned until the finale in favor of the plot's action-oriented climax. Not so in The Nightmare Before Christmas, which is almost entirely created to serve the musical numbers. I'm quite sure that the majority of this film is music (as is evidenced in Danny Elfman's singing Jack credited over Chris Sarandon's speaking Jack, as well as the fact that the soundtrack runtime is 61 minutes and the film's runtime is 76 minutes), and it's a breath of fresh air. The music is evenly and satisfyingly distributed throughout the entire film, and the audience never has to wait long for the next number to start.

Speaking of the music, it's hard not to love the songs. Musically, they are spectacular, composed (and sung) by Danny Elfman. My only qualm with the songs is that while all of the numbers are enjoyable, there are some moments where the lyrics feel off. Certain lines seem to only exist to reach for ending rhymes, with a lack of attention to the occasional clunky lyrics leading up to it. The music is simply head and shoulders above the words. Regardless, I only really notice these issues when I'm intently focusing on the songs. When I allow myself to get sucked into the music, they are hardly noticeable at all. I have already mentioned that "This Is Halloween" is a favorite of mine and a fantastic and exciting song to begin the film. And, honestly, I love all of the songs that follow. Even if they don't necessarily blow me away lyrically, the music itself is so darn good and is my favorite element of the entire film.

While it once creeped me out beyond belief, The Nightmare Before Christmas has become a holiday favorite, and one to which I find myself deeply relating. Jack's earnest effort to both understand and explain to others something new that he is so passionate about is a tale as old as time for me (and, I'm sure, for any lover of anything, especially art). Its embrace and celebration of both Halloween and Christmas is perfect for those of us who have difficulty choosing between the two, and the soundtrack is so good that it remains in my library even outside of the holiday season. The young and timid may need some time and space to truly appreciate the film, but it's well worth the wait. - Bailey 💀🎄

What did you think of The Nightmare Before Christmas? Let me know in the comments below, and stay tuned for Sarah’s review, coming soon!