The Nightmare Before Christmas

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Summary: For the one with the imagination!
Review: Director Tim Burton delves us into the world of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, an fantastic stop-action animation fantasy, which begins in the scary world of Halloweentown, where the infamous town resident, Jack Skellington, becomes dreary of the tiring celebration of Halloween. But he then is magically transported to a wonderful land called Christmastown and is fascinated about it! He then convinces his fellow town to celebrate Christmas, and kidnap Santa Claus! But everything doesn't go according to plan.

NIGHTMARE, like any animated movie, has great songs, and also has a spooky atmosphere with scary characters from Halloweentown, including the rag-doll Sally, who is vying for Jack's affections, and Oogie-Boogie, the tormented entity.

This film is rated PG because it may scare some little kids with its adult humor, but they will eat it up anyway! This film is mostly recommended to people with an imagination!

Rating:
Summary: What is is about this movie?
Review: A young skeleton, named Jack, finds himself wanting something more than the same thing over and over again. When he goes on an adventure to find that extra spark he stumbles into something that he has never even imagined...Christmas! Watch Jack as he tries to recreate the holiday that we all love with his Halloween buddies while getting into some trouble and love along the way.
What is it about this movie that brings in goths and children alike? Tim Burton is well known for his darker sense of understanding when it somes to his work that makes him brilliant. Other works, such as "Edward Scissorhands", "Batman", and "Big Fish" bring audiences rolling in to see what he has come up with this time.
This movie has all the sense of a harmless movie, but brings it all into a darker perspective that just grips the soul. Whether it be bright colors, a happy family, or an everyday outting, Tim Burton draws the more odd and darkened shade out of it. With wonderful songs and a cast you can't forget, this is one movie that sucks you in.

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Summary: Best musical ever? Best animated film ever? I say YES!
Review: To both, as a matter of fact. This movie is too incredibly good. I saw it in the theatres when it first came out. Loved it. I've owned the VHS for many years. However, just recently, I bought the special edition DVD, and man am I glad I did. Not only does it have the awesome film in great picture quality, but it has Tim Burton's first short film (Vincent) and his first live-action short film (Frankenweenie). Now, in my opinion, Tim Burton is it. No better director has ever arisen. Therefore, maybe I'm a bit more inclined to enjoy these shorts, but let me tell ya, they are awesome! I especially like Vincent, because I'm a huge Poe fan and Vincent Price rules too. However, even if you don't enjoy the (awesome) short films, everyone loves Nightmare Before Christmas, so it's a win win situation.

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Summary: A New Favorite
Review: A while back, when I was younger and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was still a fairly new movie (can you believe it's been 10+ years already?) I saw it for the first time on TV. I'd seen the commercials for it when it was in theaters and was excited to see it. The monsters alone made me like it; plus I was a fan of stop-motion, and the idea of an entire movie utilizing it was interesting. I'd also watched one or two documentaries on TV.

However, keep in mind, I was probably only 8 or 9, and I had a hatred for songs in movies. Well, that's what it was; a musical. This was probably only one reason I didn't like it back then. The other might be that I didn't realize just how layered the characters were, so stretches of character development seemed pointless... but I'll get to that later.

Today, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my favorite movies and I need to get to owning it as soon as I have the resources. It's smart, fun, funny, and lovable. I had told my fiance how I had been disappointed when I'd see the movie, but I admitted it had been many, many years and I'd only seen it once. I was willing to give it another try, and when I did, I loved it. I can't get the songs out of my head.

"The Nightmare Before Christmas" takes place in the land of holidays, where each holiday has its own land. In Halloweentown, the citizens of odd assortment have just finished wrapping up another successful year. The song "This is Halloween" is there anthem, and when the denizens say "In our town of Halloween" it really sounds homely, as to them, its their own bustling little community, complete with a mayor, people of all occupations... and the local celebrity, Jack Skellington.

Jack pretty much runs the show for each Halloween. He's the highlight of the event and is adored by all. However, Jack isn't satisfied with his life in Halloween. While he's proud of his accomplishments, he longs for something more than what he's been doing over and over for who knows how many years. Well, Jack stumbles upon a strange forest filled with trees that lead to the other holiday towns. The one he happens to stumble into is Christmastown.

This leads on a journey of discovery and change for Jack, and eventually the other inhabitants of Halloweentown. This is where I didn't understand things as a child, either from not paying attention or who knows what. Jack's initial attempt was to show the others what Christmas meant, as in warmness and giving, as opposed to the usual elements of Halloweentown. As Jack tries and tries to discover how to explain the feeling to the others, he soon loses the meaning himself and decides that Christmas must become part of Halloween. This was no secret to anyone because of the commercials (and title,) but this is what mixed me up as a kid, because it seemed like his intent from the start to make Christmas his own. Instead, there is a wonderfully deep set of sequences revealing that Jack is a warm individual trying to spread what he's discovered onto others.

Along the way, many characters come up, such as the mayor of Halloweentown, the mad scientist, his creation Sally with a longing for Jack, the Boogieman, who's a twisted creation in a world of twisted creations, and even the Easter Bunny!

This movie is a technological achievement due to how much work was put into it, as are the songs. Danny Elfman has created an incredible musical, different from most other Disney songs in that it actually advances the plot and character rather than stopping the show. It's really amazing, and all of the songs are enjoyable and work well.

If there was one complaint I have about the movie, it's the position of Oogie Boogie. While the concept and creation of him is very creative, he isn't built enough. He's glimpsed at in the beginning of the movie, but isn't even mentioned until halfway through, where he's immediately slated as the antagonist (and with still no build.) But this is nitpicking considering how he fits with the story (plus, he has his own catchy song and a cool voice.)

As for whether or not this movie is good for younger kids, it depends on the parents. My fiance's nephew watched this many times when he was two and it never bothered him once, yet his friend's mother pulled his friend out because she said he was sensitive sometimes. To me, kids get sensitive to these things because they aren't exposed to them at a young age, but it's up to the parents. It's rated PG for a reason. But if you're old enough to read this and decide whether or not to see the movie without parental disgretion, choose to see it. If you don't like it once, try again. I did and I don't regret it one bit.

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Summary: Magical movie
Review: The Night before Christmas is exactly what I was looking for. It is both spooky and funny, it is touching with great plot and beautiful graphics, and of course it is magical, reminding me of a "Nutcracker", only more spooky. Beatiful music and songs really help to create the movie's environment. My favourite is the song of a girl who is in love with the "Pumpkin king", both sad and gloomy music with beautiful voice and touching lirics. This movie is a must to watch, especially on Halloween or Christmas Eve.

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Summary: THE BEST!!!!!
Review: This IS HALLOWEEN!!!WHat a wonderful story!! Remember "frosty the snowman" the tv version and that warm fuzzy feeling you get inside well that's what you'll get when you watch this film! All of us have a 'dark' and 'curious' side, that is what makes us hu-man!!! Or are we really?

A must see again and again!! And buy the soundtrack too!!!Hail to the Pumkin King, La La La, La la la la la, la la la, la, la, la la la, la la la, WE...

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece!
Review: This movie is truly a masterpiece. I have never seen any other movie like it. The claymation is original, and fascinating for the eyes. The songs are catchy, and the storyline is as well. The characters are unforgettable. Jack, Sally, and the rest of the gang are perhaps some of film's most unique and original characters. Tim Burton is a mastermind, who has delivered a flawless movie. It respectably can be considered a timeless classic. I recommend this movie to anyone who admires Burton's other works.

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Summary: The Moose Hole - 'Nightmare' a Pretty Decent Vision
Review: Tim Burton is not the first person that comes to mind when you think of children's entertainment but he has a closer connection with that film genre then most would think. Tim Burton attended the California Institute of the Arts, also known as "Mickey Mouse University for its ties to Disney animation, and later worked for the Walt Disney Company on such animated films as The Fox and the House and The Black Cauldron early in his entertainment career. It wasn't until his work on short films like Vincent and Frankenweenie that his directing talent was fully recognized. Burton went on to work on such favorites as Beetlejuice, Batman, and Edward Scissorhands but found time to write a poem entitled "The Nightmare Before Christmas" which became the inspiration for this feature. Being unable to direct the project due to his commitment to Batman Returns, Burton choose Henry Selick while both decided that stop motion was the best medium to bring Halloweentown to life. But would Burton's twisted take on the favorite "Night Before Christmas" tale be accepted by the general public or would it be too weird even for the hardcore Burton fans?

The story centers on the exploits of the pumpkin king of Halloweentown as he tries to spread his own bit of Christmas cheer. Jack Skellington lives in the area known as Halloweentown where scary monsters and ghouls live year around always preparing for next Halloween. But Jack has lost the spark of excitement he once had for the holiday and falls into deep seclusion. Upon stumbling onto a secret door that leads to Christmastown, the home of Santa and his elves, Jack finds a new calling in life. Why should Christmas be restricted to Christmastown? Why can't everybody be allowed to celebrate this joyous holiday? So with this in mind the pumpkin king decides to give old Saint Nick a vacation and helms the sleigh spreading joy to all girls and boys. But when his plan backfires, it is up to Jack to save Christmas. The story of The Nightmare Before Christmas is pretty good despite several plot holes. Why does it take Lock, Jock, and Barrel almost a month to capture Santa Clause when it only took them less then a day to capture the Easter Bunny? Why is the military brought in to stop a Santa imposter? Granted the film is not to be taken seriously but there are some things that are just too over the top.

Since the Nightmare Before Christmas is presented mostly in song (ten songs total in the one hour and sixteen minute feature), perhaps it is better to discuss about each character rather then the voices behind them. Jack Skellington is a perfect lovable yet confused character. A character that only wants to do good things but those good actions come off as being bad to others outside of Halloweentown. One can sympathize with Jack over his feelings of depression and seclusion over the lack of excitement he once had for his calling in life. More then a few people who see this can relate to this character more then once their lives. Jack's love interest, Sally, is another interesting and perplexing character. For most of her life she has dreamt of going out into the world and escape the seclusion her creator, the doctor, has kept her in. The ironic situation is that when she does go into the world, she sends herself into seclusion and isolation when she is the only one who does follow along with Jack's plans. The only character that seems to be a problem for the film is Oogie Boogie. We really don't learn that much about the character as he isn't featured that much in the film and he doesn't really do anything outside of creating slight tension for the plot.

Overall, The Nightmare Before Christmas, despite several problems, is still a decent effort. The stop motion animated special effects of Nightmare are still pretty impressive but were probably more impressive at the time it was released. The film's effects fail to hold up like traditional animated films and the feature really shows its age in a couple of scenes. Though the film is intended for children and is not to be taken too seriously, there are several moments where the creators are asking too much believability from the audience especially a scene where the military gets involved in shooting down the Santa imposter. With the idea that this is a children's film in mind, why are there so many moments in the film that would probably scare the living Hell out of a four or five year old? The feature tries to be children friendly but as soon as it attempts to it slips right back into the dark and scary moments again. Either this film is intended for children or for adults; it would be a lot more consistent if the filmmakers made up their minds. Outside of those problems, the amazing songs by Danny Elfman (including Jack's Lament) and several beautiful sets make the film worth at least one viewing. Nightmare Before Christmas is a decent experiment that, despite showing some age, can still delight certain audiences.

Rating:
Summary: Finally. A cartoon for the weird kids.
Review: It doesn't get any better than this. The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of those deliciously twisted enchanting tales that no matter how bizarre, you love anyway. Tim Burton is a genius, and this I think is his masterpiece. Jack is one of the most enchanting heroes ever and all the characters are so charming, demented, and wonderful that it only reaffirms why I love Halloween most of all!

Rating:
Summary: Great film
Review: This is an animation masterpiece, and should be at least rented by everyone, if not purchased.