Halloween Special Roundup Part 2.6: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Nightmare before Christmas is such a good movie.  Is it a Halloween movie?  Is it a Christmas movie?  In my mind, it's both.  (Although the director recently said it's a Halloween movie.)  I've been known to watch it Halloween through Christmas.  (It can make a nice palate cleanser if you're tired of the sugary sweetness of some Christmas specials out there.)  It's definitely a dark comedy, and I remember when it came out in 1993 (I was almost 11 years old) and thought that I would NEVER watch that movie because it was way too scary looking.  I watched it a few years later in high school with my sister and instantly loved it.  It was the first DVD I ever bought and I remember watching it on my PS2 the day I got the game system because that was our first DVD player.  My sister and I got to finally watch it in theaters together when Disney re-released it as a 3D movie.  (It was fantastic.)  

There are so many beautiful scenes in this movie.

This movie reconfirms my love of claymation.  (If you own the DVD, watch the making of featurettes.  The amount of detail is truly awe inspiring!)

If you don't know the story of this movie, it is based on the idea that every holiday has its own town.  

Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown and one day he finds Christmastown and falls in love with the whole idea of Christmas.  

He then recruits Halloweentown's citizens to help take over Christmas just once but from his one glimpse, he doesn't quite "get" it. 

"And they call him Sandy CLAWWWWSSSSS"

It's Christmas, but a very dark version of Christmas.  The toys end up scaring all of the kids and all the recipients go into high alert.  (Honestly, this kid is my favorite.  The reaction is just priceless.)

Even without audio, I totally hear the kid's screams.

It can be really dark at times, but it really is a great movie if you look at it for its artistic and stylistic value.  (If you're a Tim Burton fan, this one is an absolute must watch.)

Here's the opening number from a post I found on YouTube.  If you like this, definitely track down the whole movie on Netflix or buy it on Amazon!