Nightmare Before Christmas

Theatrical Release Date: 1993 10 29 (USA) / 2007 10 19 (USA - 3D)

UPC: 786936807370

Studio: Touchstone/Disney

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Mild Violence, Adult Situations, Suitable for Children]

Summary: This stop-motion animated fable was a big hit when it was released -- not only at the box office, but critically. It was praised for its stunning originality and for the excellence of its execution. In addition, it was praised for being a completely absorbing fable that both grownups and children can enjoy, so long as the children are able to its handle scary bits (beginning perhaps at age seven or eight). In the story, Jack Skellington (voice of Chris Sarandon) is the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, a realm of reality where the inhabitants make it their life's work to scare humans on Halloween. He's good at his work, and is very popular around town, but it all bores him. In a funk one day, he wanders into a wood where every tree is the doorway to realms serving one or another human holiday, and falls through the doorway into Christmas. There, he sees scenes of such glee and good will that he is overwhelmed. He returns to Halloweentown with the inspiration to persuade his fellow citizens to kidnap Santa and do Christmas in their own Halloweentown way -- complete with snakes and shrunken heads. Despite strong arguments against this project by Jack's otherwise loyal girlfriend, Sally (voice of Catherine O'Hara), Santa (voice of Edward Ivory) is duly captured, and the townspeople prepare a very special Christmas for everyone. Jack is excited about the new plan, and at first doesn't notice that Sally isn't around much anymore. Meanwhile, Oogie Boogie (voice of Ken Page), a sinister opponent of Jack's, has re-kidnapped Santa and has captured Sally as well. Since Sally is the true love of Jack's life and (he eventually realizes) the only one who can be relied upon to tell him the truth in every circumstance, a confrontation with Oogie Boogie becomes inevitable. In addition to being a monumental work of animation (it took over 120 animators and many more technicians more than two years to film it), this show features ten very appropriate musical numbers by composer Danny Elfman, who also supplies Jack's singing voice. In October 2006, fans of the innovative animated classic got to experience The Nightmare Before Christmas in a whole new dimension when the film was re-released into theaters in Disney Digital 3-D -- a process developed to add remarkable new depth to films that were originally released in standard 2-D. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Category: Fantasy

Awards: Best Original Score – null Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Visual Effects – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Film Presented – null Film Presented – London Film Festival Best Original Score – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Film Presented – San Sebastián International Film Festival

Features: Disc 1 - Blu-ray Feature Film + Bonus

Blu-ray Exclusive Tim Burton Movie Introduction
What's This? Jack's Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour
Frankenweenie (Uncut Version) With New Introduction by Tim Burton
Vincent - Short Film
Tim Burton's Original Poem
Narrated by Christopher Lee
Audio Commentary by Tim Burton, Director Henry Selick and Music Designer Danny Elfman
Behind-the-Scenes Making Of "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas"
The World of "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas
Halloween Town
Christmas Town
The Real World
Deleted Scenes
Storyboard-To-Film Comparison
Original Theatrical Trailers and Posters

Disc 2 - DVD Feature Film

Nightmare Before Christmas

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 09/28/2010

Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Vistavision

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DHMA null, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo, DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 76 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 2

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,French,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Disc #1 -- Nightmare Before Christmas
1. Opening Credits " 'Twas A Long Time Ago...") [:00]
2. "This Is Halloween" [:00]
3. "Jack's Lament" [:00]
4. "What's This?" [:02]
5. "The Town Meeting Song" [:00]
6. "Experiments" [:00]
7. "Jack's Obession" [1:20]
8. "The Scheming Song" [5:01]
9. Sally's Forewarning [7:47]
10. "Making Christmas" [6:42]
11. Sandy Claws In Person [5:22]
12. "Oogie Boogie's Song" [4:27]
13. Zero Lights The Way [4:50]
14. "Sally's Song" [3:10]
15. Christmas Eve Montage [2:35]
16. Shot Out Of The Sky [4:21]
17. "Poor Jack" [2:52]
18. To The Rescue! [2:33]
19. "Finale/Reprise" [2:18]
20. End Credits [1:44]

Derek Armstrong

Though The Nightmare Before Christmas was universally acclaimed for its seemingly kid-friendly stop-motion animation, parents of the youngest tots should be duly warned. The expressionistic world created by producer/production designer Tim Burton and director Henry Selick may be full of jaw-dropping invention, but it also includes scenes of Santa Claus being tortured on a rack, and a confused child pulling a severed head from his stocking (rendered about as mildly as such a thing can be). What excuses these almost PG-13 images is that tongues are firmly planted in cheek, and everything is placed aright by the end, no serious damage done. Throw in Danny Elfman's lovely score, and the children may be too caught up to ask, "Mommy, why is that Jack Skellington man behaving that way?" The Nightmare Before Christmas was both one of the most imaginative and technologically sophisticated creations that had ever been seen at the time of its release. In a stroke of marketing genius, the film works as both a Halloween and a Christmas movie, combining Burton's fondness for the spooky by-products of the former with the latter's ability to ascribe classic status, which the film capitalizes on. Halloweentown is like a haunted thrill ride for the eyes, popping with trademark Burton twists and gnarls that also possess an underlying sweetness: Just look at the expressiveness of Jack's skeletal eyes. So what if he's a bit of a prankster? That just feeds Burton's and Selick's ghoulish sensibilities, without which this would not be such a subversive "family classic" that should amaze all ages, if for different reasons. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Randy Crenshaw  Actor 
Barbara Cohen  Actor 
Sherwood Ball  Actor 
David McCharen  Actor 
Gary Raff  Actor 
Catherine O'Hara  Actor 
L. Peter Callender  Actor 
Doris Hess  Actor 
Judi M. Durand  Actor 
Gary Schwartz  Actor 
Mary Gail Artz  Actor 
Carmen Twillie  Actor 
Greg Proops  Actor 
Tim Burton  Producer 
Denise Di Novi  Producer 
Danny Elfman  Composer (Music Score) 
Michael McDowell  Screenwriter 
Henry Selick  Director 
Caroline Thompson  Screenwriter 
Bill Gavin  Producer 
Tim Robinson  Producer 
Danny Elfman  Actor 
Chris Sarandon  Actor 
Catherine O'Hara  Actor 
William Hickey  Actor 
Glenn Shadix  Actor 
Paul Reubens  Actor 
Ken Page  Actor 
Edward Ivory  Actor 

Country: USA