<p id=”par-1_48″>One of the only <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/movies/”>movies</a> that is popular during both Halloween and Christmas is <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/tim-burton-said-live-3-movies.html/”>Tim Burton’s <em>The Nightmare Before Christmas</em></a>. While the film’s plot deals with both holidays, the movie is meant for Halloween. Here’s why the movie will remain an awkward fit for the Yuletide season forevermore.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-nightmare-before-christmas-loves-halloween-more-than-it-loves-christmas”>‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ loves Halloween more than it loves Christmas</h2>
<p id=”par-2_54″>When fans think of <em>The Nightmare Before Christmas</em>, they think of the residents of Halloween Town, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/tim-burton-created-jack-skellington.html/”>such as Jack Skellington</a>, Sally, and Oggie Boogie. Santa Claus (or Sandy Claws, as Jack calls him) takes a back seat in the storyline. He’s less of a character in the movie and more of a plot device.</p>
<p id=”par-3_63″>Furthermore, the movie seems to have more love for Halloween than for Christmas. The Pumpkin King is portrayed in a loving light. Meanwhile, Santa is righteously ticked off for getting mistreated, but he’s still a grump. Whereas most children’s Christmas films treat Santa as the secular saint that he is, this movie doesn’t seem to have much affection for Jolly Old Saint Nicholas.</p>
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<iframe title=”Danny Elfman – What’s This? (From “The Nightmare Before Christmas”)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/o36k8upu3Ks?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-the-film-s-moral-revolves-around-halloween”>The film’s moral revolves around Halloween</h2>
<p id=”par-4_52″>Beyond that, Jack’s character arc revolves around him learning to love what he has: his role in Halloween Town. In that regard, the film isn’t that different from <em>The Wizard of Oz</em> and its moral that “there’s no place like home.” The film’s heart lies in Halloween rather than any other holiday.</p>
<p id=”par-5_77″>The film’s innovations are also in Halloween Town. The reason people love<em> The Nightmare Before Christmas</em> so much isn’t just because of its story or its characters. It’s because of its <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/tim-burton-asked-movies-stand-out.html/”>unusual Burton aesthetics</a>. To create Halloween Town, Burton, and director Henry Selick combined elements of traditional stop-motion animation and the German Expressionist art style exemplified by the horror classic <em>The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari</em>. Christmas Town is pretty, but it just doesn’t have the same novelty. </p>
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<iframe loading=”lazy” title=”The Citizens of Halloween – This Is Halloween (From Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas”)” width=”925″ height=”520″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZVuToMilP0A?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
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<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/the-nightmare-before-christmas-danny-elfman-got-reveng-people-said-kids-dont-like-movie.html/”>
‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’: Danny Elfman Got ‘Revenge’ on People Who Said Kids Don’t Like the Movie </a>
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<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-disney-was-not-in-love-with-the-nightmare-before-christmas”>Disney was not in love with ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’</h2>
<p id=”par-6_57″>A 2023 article from <a href=”https://aframe.oscars.org/news/post/henry-selick-nightmare-before-christmas-30th-anniversary-interview” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Oscars.org</a> noted that Disney was worried <em>The Nightmare Before Christmas</em> was too frightening for children. “There’s nothing really scary about the film,” objected Selick. “Some of the characters might look grotesque, but except for Oogie Boogie, they’re all good-hearted. And when Halloween Town tries to make presents for Christmas, they’re doing their best!” </p>
<p id=”par-7_46″>Still, Disney decided to keep the movie at arm’s length. “It was never going to be released as a Disney film, because they thought it could damage the brand,” he said. “So, they had a subsidiary label, Touchstone Pictures, and released it as a Touchstone film.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_31″><em>The Nightmare Before Christmas</em> fittingly became a touchstone. “It slowly but surely turned into this cultural phenomenon,” he says. “Disney didn’t know what they had, but eventually they figured it out.”</p>
<p id=”par-9_59″>The movie’s director was surprised. “Its cultural legacy, I couldn’t have predicted it,” Selick added. “It struck the right balance of being very original and being done in stop motion. And I think a film done well in stop-motion animation leaves its mark. I’m grateful that it lives on, and I suspect it’ll be around for decades to come.”</p>
<p id=”par-10_26″><em>The Nightmare Before Christmas</em> will be around for decades to come — even if people are watching in December when they should watch it in October.</p>