Writer Tim Burton has said that he got the inspiration for the original poem upon which this film was based when he witnessed a store taking down a Halloween display and replacing it with Christmas merchandise. That moment was all it took to give Burton the inspiration for a tale of to magical cities: Halloween Town and Christmas Town.
One Halloween, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon) starts to feel dissatisfied with his job. Work that once seemed exciting and satisfying has become repetitive and taxing. Even the adoration of his coworkers seems shallow and forced. So when a depressed Jack wanders into a forest where the trees offer a whole new look at the wonder of Christmas, he finds himself transfixed. For Jack, who had been living in the darkness of Halloween Town, Christmas Town seems full of life, fun and happiness. Excited, Jack returns to Halloween Town and and tries to sell the local denizens on the idea of doing Christmas this year instead of Halloween. Naturally, that means trouble for “Sandy Claws” (Edward Ivory) and all of the hapless little children and parents who’s Christmas suddenly takes on a ghoulish dimension. It doesn’t help when Jack’s plan to play Santa hits a snag when a boogey man named Oogie (Ken Page) has his own ideas about what to do with Sandy Claws.
Every time I watch The Nightmare Before Christmas, I marvel at how perfectly every element of the film fits together. The story is an inventive yarn, filled with fun musical numbers and intriguing subplots. One of my favorite characters is a wheelchair-bound maniac named Dr. Finkelstein (William Hickey). The doctor has created a girl for himself named Sally (Catherine O’Hara) who’d rather be with Jack–so much so that she keeps trying to poison her creator/abuser.
Much of the praise for the success of The Nightmare Before Christmas has to go to musical director Danny Elfman. He wrote this score and sings the part of Jack Skellington. There are some memorable songs and some forgettable ones, but overall the music does what it’s supposed to: it supports the visuals in grand style, whether it’s a tender moment or a potentially frightening scene. Elfman’s music is as important to the film as any other element of the story; his score rises and falls with the emotions of the characters and serves as a knowledgeable guide through this wonderful holiday romp.
I said the clarity on the 2-Disc Collector’s Edition was fantastic. Well, the blu-ray edition will blow you away. Presented in 1080p in the original 1.66:1 theatrical format, which, of course, completely fills a 16×9 monitor, the film looks flawless. The colors are brighter and sharper than the standard definition DVD and the edges have a noticeable crispness to them.
The featured audio is an English 7.1 Dolby Tru HD (48kHz/24-bit) soundtrack that really brings all of your speakers into the mix. Since The Nightmare Before Christmas is a musical, the clear, booming soundtrack is a major plus. Every word is crisp with no noticeable distortion. Additional sound options are English, French, and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, with subtitles in French and Spanish as well.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Collector’s Edition is loaded with special features, apart from a 5- second intro where Tim Burton says he was impressed by the blu-ray version “brings out all the textures and nuances” of the artwork, there are no blu-ray exclusives.
• On Disc 1 is a new audio commentary by Burton, Director Henry Selick, and Elfman. Though there are quite a few dead spaces, what each man has to say is quite interesting. It is clear from Selick’s comment’s that even though Tim Burton didn’t direct the film, he was very influential in the process.
The remainder of the special features are on Disc 2.
• What’s This? Jack’s Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour – (7 minutes) A ride through Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion that had been redesigned to spotlight The Nightmare Before Christmas.
• Frankenweenie – This piece is the gem of the set. It tries to recreate the fifties and all the things that influenced Tim Burton as a filmmaker. See it, and you’ll know what I mean.
• Vincent – (6 minutes) A short film by Burton and Rick Heinrichs concerns a boy named Vincent Malloy who wants to be Vincent Price. Narrated completely in rhyme, it’s a clever and funny children’s story that’s made more clever and substantial by the fact that Burton got Price himself to do the voiceover narration.
• The Original Poem That Inspired The Nightmare Before Christmas – Narrated by Christopher Lee.
• Making of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (29 Minutes) A fairly standard behind-the-scenes documentary.
• Three Deleted Storyboards w/ commentary.
• Four deleted scenes w/ commentary.
• Original trailers and posters.
• A top/bottom split-screen storyboard-to-film comparison.
• An animation gallery – Divided into three “worlds”: Halloween Town, Christmas Town, and The Real World. Halloween Town has the most to offer, including animation tests with commentary by Selick, in addition to the character designs and concept are that also appear in the other sections.
• A third disc is also included that allows you to download a Digital Copy to your PC or portable media player.
