Description

Animated musical fantasy set in a parallel world where different lands represent different holiday periods. Our hero is Jack Skellington (voice of Chris Sarandon), a man from Halloween who becomes converted to Christmas and sets out to spread joy in the world. However, when Jack’s new mission leads him to kidnap Santa (voice of Edward Ivory), it becomes clear that he is not really in tune with the Yuletide spirit. Produced and visualised by Tim Burton, this was the first full-length feature to use stop-motion animation throughout. From For those who never thought Disney would release a film in which Santa Claus is kidnapped and tortured, well, here it is. The full title is Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, which should give you an idea of the tone of this stop-action animated musical/fantasy/horror/comedy. It is based on characters created by Burton, the former Disney animator best known as the director of Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands and the first two Batman movies. His benignly scary-funny sensibility dominates the story of Halloweentown resident Jack Skellington (voice by Danny Elfman, who also wrote the songs), who stumbles on a bizarre and fascinating alternative universe called … Christmastown! Directed by Henry Selick (who later made the delightful James and the Giant Peach), this PG-rated picture has a reassuringly light touch. As Roger Ebert noted in his review, “some of the Halloween creatures might be a tad scary for smaller children, but this is the kind of movie older kids will eat up; it has the kind of offbeat, subversive energy that tells them wonderful things are likely to happen.” –Jim Emerson On the DVD: This edition is a must for all Burton fans with the biggest gem to be found on a DVD release–“Tim Burtons Early Films” which holds his first two works. Vincent is clear predecessor of Nightmare before Christmas using the same stop-animation style and voiced superbly by Vincent Price himself; and Frankenweenie–a B&W live-action flick–takes you back to early B-movie territory seen through the eyes of a boy. Added to these films is a great special-features menu including a short documentary offering an interview with Burton, which exposes the inspiration for this magical animation and presents the three-year task of making the “Nightmare”. On top of this is an in-depth commentary by director Henry Selick and Art director Pete Kozachik and layer upon layer of “character development” offering an insight into the intensity of thought that went into making these animated figures real. You also get a great selection of storyboards along with the sequences they manifest into, deleted storyboards and an animated sequence with a surprise alternative ending. The menu is beautifully animated in keeping with the style of artwork in the film. With a 1.66:1 widescreen format and Dolby digital transfer this charming DVD is perfect for Halloween, Christmas and beyond! –Nikki Disney From the Back Cover Enter an extraordinary world filled with magic and wonder! This TIM BURTON’S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS celebrates the groundbreaking accomplishments of the first full-length stop-motion animated feature, with Bonus Materials never before available. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, decides to spread Christmas joy to the world. But his well-meaning mission unwittingly puts Santa Clause in jeopardy and creates a nightmare for good little boys and girls everywhere! Who will save Christmas? This movie milestone from Tim Burton ( Planet of the Apes, Sleepy Hollow) is a fun fantasy for the whole family!