If this is a nightmare, I want in! (The Nightmare Before Christmas (DVD))

Member Name: Ariel_uk

Product:	The Nightmare Before Christmas (DVD)
Date:	19/10/01 (426 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic animation, Fantastic Soundtrack, Grand story and characters

Disadvantages: none.

‘This is Halloween, this is Halloween’ – but also a beautiful Christmas fantasy. Tim Burton’s poem has been converted into a lush stop-motion animation masterpiece – possibly Disney’s weirdest kids’ film.

Developed from a poem and some character sketches Burton created several years earlier, when working for Disney, this 1993 adaptation was something of a hit for Disney, garnering critical acclaim, and nominations for a Golden Globe (Soundtrack) and an Oscar (SFX).

The plot concerns Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarendon for the speaking parts and Danny Elfman for the songs), who is the Pumpkin King, head of Halloween town. But year after year of preparing and giving Halloween after Halloween, and Jack’s getting bored. Slipping away from the congratulatory crowd in the town square, celebrating this years success, Jack and his ghostly dog Zero wander through the spooky forest away from town. Here they come across a mysterious glad of trees, each with a carved door – a heart, a bunny, a tree and so on. Slipping through the later door, Jack finds himself in a magical snow-clad town – Christmas!

Inspired by what he has seen, Jack returns to Halloween town, determined to do something new and take over Christmas. He sets the monsters and ghouls to making toys and presents, Sally, his shy admirer makes him a traditional costume, and Jack is determined to make his new role a success. However the local bad guy, Oogie Boogie, begins to meddle, and the three young trick or treaters, Lock, Shock and Barrel are sent out to ‘Kidnap the Sandy Claws’. Of course everything gets a little bit twisted – it’s not their normal job after all – and who’s going to save Christmas now!

This is pure Disney for all the creepy weirdness – half-musical, with an amazing (Golden Globe nominated) soundtrack from Danny Elfman. All the holidays are represen
ted in their secular guise, which may offend some and placate others. The good guys win in the end, and our hero gets his girl. But my do we have fun on the way! The voice acting and animation of even the minor characters are fantastic, and there is so much detail in each shot – I must have seen this film 7 or 8 times now, and still keep spotting new details and neat touches. It’s visually stunning, as well as being a grand story - it really does not look as though it’s eight years old.

It’s also, quite genuinely, a film for all the family – it’s got that Rohld Dahl gruesomeness that kids love, and a story that will captivate children and adults. The animation should be enough to keep special effects aficionados interested as well, and a good romance for those who like things mushy, and who doesn’t love a good fairy story? Something for everyone, - and you don’t have to pretend you’re only watching it for the kids. If you liked BeetleJuice, and Edward Scissorhands, or remember enjoying Trapdoor or any other slightly creepy cartoon, then this is something you should definitely watch.

Although, or possibly because, it was the first full length stop-motion film, it’s pretty short (around 75 mins) and original cinema release was accompanied by another Tim Burton animation, Vincent, about a very spooky kid, which was Burton’s directorial debut. Previous video releases have left that out, but it looks as though the new video / dvd release is going to put it back. Good news indeed, as it’s a great short, and the perfect partner for the main feature.

Personally the soundtrack is my favorite element – I actually have it in both English and German versions and it doesn’t just get played at Christmas and Halloween!

Watching this has become a Christmas tradition in my household, and however unconventional, this is a real classic film

See
htt
p://disney.go.com/disneyvideos/animatedfilms/nigh tmare/home.html
and
http://us.imdb.com/Title?0107688
for more information, if I’ve not managed to convince you yet.

PS – the film is also responsible for some of the coolest Disney merchandising – which is not a recomendation I guess, but just a fact. Or an opinion.

NB : Ratings : It's based on a Tim Burton story - that's why I went to see it - interesting the writer is not an option you can pick.... And I like such a huge range of films I want an 'all of the above' choice for 'what sort of films'.

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