How Well Do You Know ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’?
Author: Maisy Armstrong, Student Technology Consultant
Welcome to October! This is my favorite time of year, full of cable-knits, coffee, candy and changing leaves. There are so many things that I love about fall, but nothing beats Halloween movies. I love to grab some friends and watch films brimming with monsters and magic.
A movie that I always come back to is “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, a Halloween classic that has attracted a cult-like following since its release in October, 1993. Contrary to popular belief, the film was not directed by Tim Burton but rather by Kevin Selick. Produced by Tim Burton, the movie follows Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town. Bored of Halloween traditions, Jack seeks to spread the joy of Christmas. However, his mission quickly turns from magic to nightmare.
The movie is a stunning example of stop-motion animation with an engaging, original story. Want to know more about this fall favorite? Check out five facts below!
- The film’s songs were written before the script was.
Composer Danny Elfman wrote the songs after Tim Burton described bits and pieces of the story to him.
- The movie is based on a poem that originally had just three characters: Jack Skellington, Zero, and Santa Claus.
Tim Burton wrote the poem while working as an animator for Disney.
- The film took three years to complete.
Just the film’s stop motion animation took 18 months. At its peak, the movie had about 120 people working on it with between 12-17 animators on the job.
- Tim Burton said he doesn’t want the film to have a sequel.
Though some fans have requested an adventure that follows Jack in a Thanksgiving-like world, Burton has rejected any proposals for a sequel.
- There was once a plan in the works to create a “Nightmare Before Christmas” ride at Disney.
Despite sketches of the ride being drawn, the idea never came to fruition.