Skip to main content

Review: The Nightmare Before Christmas

     Is The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie?  The answer is that it’s both a Halloween and Christmas movie. In fact, The Nightmare Before Christmas is the perfect movie for both occasions. Director Henry Selick and Tim Burton, who produced and wrote the story created a fantastic film that people of all ages can enjoy.
     The plot of the film involves Jack Skellington (Voiced by Chris Sarandon/Singing voice by Danny Elfman), the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town becoming bored by doing the same thing every Halloween despite the fact he is very successful at it. One day, Jack stumbles upon Christmas Town and grows so enamored with the Christmas holiday that he decides to hold a Christmas celebration of his own. Jack recruits the citizens of Halloween Town to help him fulfill this desire. However, the ghost, ghouls, and monsters’ efforts to put on a great Christmas celebration fail in a hilarious fashion. The only person in Halloween Town that doubts Jack’s plan is Sally (Catherine O’Hara), who is a living rag doll that was created by the evil Dr. Finkelstein, whom she desperately attempts to escape from. While Jack Skellington may be the main character, it is Sally who is the hero of The Nightmare Before Christmas.
     The stop-motion in The Nightmare Before Christmas is still spectacular twenty-five years later. It took three years for the animators to make this movie. For one second of film, twelve stop-motion moves were required to be made. The mixture of both the fearsome and dark scenery of Halloween Town and the colorful and jolly scenery of Christmas Town is a major factor in why this film is so visually unique. The filmmakers were able to create a world completely different from our own.
     The real star of The Nightmare Before Christmas, is Danny Elfman’s magnificent soundtrack. The musical numbers in the film not only entertain the audience, but carry the plot forward. Danny Elfman should’ve received an Oscar Nomination for Best Film Score for his work on this film.
     The Nightmare Before Christmas is phenomenal movie for the holiday season and perfect movie for the family. If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it.

Overall Rating: ****1/2
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Movie Review: Chappaquiddick

Chappaquiddick (2017) was released fifty years too late. That was my thought when I first sat down to watch this movie on Netflix and that was my thought when I finished it. I'm a millennial and I bet that the majority of Americans under the age of 40 (and maybe even under the age of fifty) have no idea what the Chappaquiddick Incident even was. If you were to ask someone what Chappaquiddick is they would probably reply with a shrug and say that it's some Native American term (it is, but that's besides the point). It's a shame that this incident isn't taught in history or political science classes. Chappaquiddick is one of the defining moments in American politics in the last fifty years. It laid bare the obvious fact that if one has the right amount of money, one has the right connections, and that one has the right last name  then you are essentially above the law. Chappaquiddick was directed by John Curan with a screenplay by Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan...
Post a Comment
Read more

It's Time for the National League to Adopt the Designated Hitter Rule

     It is time for the National League to join the modern age and adopt the Designated Hitter (DH) rule. The National League has held onto the archaic tradition of pitchers hitting for far too long. The DH rule has been one of the best changes that has been made to the game of baseball. The game would be much healthier and more exciting to watch if the DH rule was universally adopted.      I understand that this is a divisive issue. Pro-DH rule people and anti-DH rule people are just as divided on this subject as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck are when they argue about whether or not it is rabbit season or duck season. That last part may be an exaggeration, but the Designated Hitter rule debate goes like this every time it is brought up by Major League Baseball:      MLB: Maybe we should look into the National League trying out the DH rule.      American League: Good idea!      National League: Screw that! We ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Top 5 Thing I Want to See in a Spider-Man PS4 Sequel

      Spider-Man PS4  has been one of the most successful games of 2018 (at least until Red Dead Redemption 2 comes out).   Spider-Man PS4  sold over 3 million copies in its first 3 days and made $198 million during that time, which excelled Spider-Man: Homecoming's initial 3 day haul of $117 million. That kind of success all but guarantees that Spider-Man PS4 will receive a sequel. Insomniac Games, the developer of Spider-Man PS4 has laid an excellent foundation to expand on the gameplay and story elements that they've developed. Here are a few ideas that I think Insomniac Games should incorporate in the sequel. A Bigger Map      Spider-Man PS4 featured the most realistic depiction of New York City in the history of video games. Landmarks like the Empire State Building and Times Square were rendered in photo realistic detail. The Manhattan skyline provided the player the ability to truly take on the role of Spider-Man and web-swi...
Post a Comment
Read more