Hello movie fans!
With October coming to an end, I’ve decided to review today one of the most popular Halloween movies by far… or maybe it’s a Christmas movie. That’s right, today I’ll be talking about The Nightmare Before Christmas, one of my all-time favorite movies. It combines all of my favorite aspects of a film: outstanding music, creative character design and beautiful animation, and an outstanding plot and crew of characters. All that, plus it’s inspiring message, makes The Nightmare Before Christmas a truly incredible film. (Warning, there WILL be spoilers!)
I’ve mentioned the art of stop-motion animation before, in my review of the movie Coraline. Stop-motion animation is the animation style in which puppet-like figures are set up and photographed in different positions that, when put together, create the illution that the figure is moving. The process of stop-motion animation is time consuming, but films created this way are often detailed to perfection by their caring creators. These creators usually have specific visions of how they want their film to come out. In talking about the artistic vision of The Nightmare Before Christmas, it is an absolute sin to not mention Tim Burton. Tim Burton is one of the most inspiring and creative film directors. All of his movies have an iconic feel about them that combines gothic aesthetics and worlds of pure imagination. While he wasn’t the director of this particular film, in fact he was the producer, Burton’s artistry is still an essential component of the film. This is most prevalent in the movie’s art style. The use of extremes character design is something that can rarely be pulled off without being silly, but The Nightmare Before Christmas does so spectacularly. It adds a layer of surrealness that draws viewers deeper into the fantasy from Tim Burton’s imagination. Jack Skellington’s height and thinness, Oogie Boogie’s large, menacing figure, and the varying statures of other background characters all complement each other beautifully in creating the warped world of Halloween Town.
The music, too, is iconic in the way that it just sounds like a Disney soundtrack. This is thanks to the genius of Danny Elfman, who wrote the music for The Nightmare Before Christmas and has been creating music for more than 40 years. The music also has a tone of mystical wonder and joy that fits the imaginative ideas that went into its creation. The joyous warmth of the music can be heard especially well in What’s This, a song sang by Jack Skellington as he explores the new world of Christmas Town. In this song especially, the feeling of utter excitement of finding something new must be heard and felt through the music. Overall, the soundtrack of The Nightmare Before Christmas is strong indeed, and has earned all the recognition that it receives.
Like the soundtrack, the characters of The Nightmare Before Christmas are strong as well. Jack Skellington is the main character; he is a skeleton who desperately wishes for something new and different from his ordinary life. Sally is another important character; a ragdoll brought to life by one Dr. Finkelstein, she longs to be able to live her life free from the strict restraints Dr. Finkelstein puts on her. Both characters wish to have more in their lives, but how they want to have that depth added is different. Sally secretly has feelings for Jack, and she wishes to have those feelings realized into a relationship. Jack, on the other hand, goes an entirely different route.
After a long, thoughtful walk in the woods, Jack finds himself in a clearing, with doors that lead to the worlds of various holidays; a jack o’ lantern door for the Jack’s homeworld of Halloween Town, an easter egg door for the world of Easter, and a door shaped like a Christmas tree that leads to Christmas Town to name a few.
Jack explores Christmas Town and falls in love with the feelings of warmth and happiness that prevail throughout. He also has feelings of excitement and being alive, which spurs him into wanting to recreate Christmas in Halloween Town. Sally warns Jack that his venture into Christmas culture will result in failure, but he follows the philosophy that making something so happy couldn’t possibly be bad. In his work, Jack even goes as far as kidnapping Santa Claus and delivering presents in the real world himself. In the end, Sally’s predictions prove true, and Jack Skellington’s new version of Christmas fails. While he was gone, however, both Santa Claus and Sally were kidnapped by the evil Oogie Boogie and almost eaten by him, until Jack saves the day. And, of course, Jack and Sally learn that they truly were meant to be.
The Nightmare Before Christmas tells a compelling story of someone who longs for a change to their everyday life, but doesn’t know exactly what they want to change. Jack Skellington believes that remaking Christmas will fulfill what he is missing, despite the warnings of Sally that Santa Claus isn’t who he was meant to be- he’s the Pumpkin King, for heaven’s sake! When Jack realizes this for himself, it is almost to late, and he nearly misses what he really needed- Sally. Her wisdom complements Jack’s eagerness for his passions and allows him to think if his actions are really for the greater good. Likewise, Sally is somewhat quiet and inexperienced in the world, however she is eager to get out there herself. Jack’s extroverted nature and general happiness in the world is complementary to Sally’s demeanor as well. It’s true that the two of them belong together.
The main message of The Nightmare Before Christmas is something that’s sometimes overlooked in society: when you’re looking to change something in your life, don’t go overboard or make big changes too fast. Taking small steps to better yourself and your life are important, and those small steps will lead to bigger changes with even bigger outcomes. In a world where entire industries are based around helping people get to big changes fast, it’s important to realize that fast, large changes can lead to dangerous situations that put yourself and others in danger. The Christmas that Jack Skellington put together was frightening and not at all right, which was a consequence of the huge change he went through in such a short amount of time. The key to making a better life is one that can be found with small yet consistent changes, and sometimes, like with Jack and Sally, it can be right in front of you.
Kaitlyn's Animated Reviews 