DVD Review: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Nightmare Before Christmas
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
DVD Release Date: August 26, 2008
Directed By: Henry Selick
Cast: Chris Saradon, Catherine O’ Hara, William Hickey, Paul Reubens
Brutal As Hell Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
Review By: Benjamin Bussey
‘Twas a long time ago, longer now than it seems: the word ‘Emo’ had yet to come into being, Walt Disney Studios had never released an animated film that did not carry the name of its founder before the title, and all was cheery in the world. Then along came a movie that didst scare the living shit out of the good folk at Disney, to the extent that they not only took their founder’s name off the top but also quietly released it under their ‘adult’ wing Touchstone Pictures. And so it was that Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas was released on an unsuspecting world. And we didn’t know it yet, but the Emos would soon descend upon our fragile planet and embrace as their own the tale of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, whose disillusion with scaring people leads him to seek something new; and when stumbling upon Christmas Town, he thinks he’s found just what he wanted. Whether the creepy critters of Halloween Town can get the tone of the holiday quite right is, of course, another matter entirely…
Honestly, I’m a bit surprised The Nightmare Before Christmas had the suits at the House of Mouse so freaked. Sure, it’s a bit dark, but that hardly makes it stand alone in the Disney pantheon. Then again, as prominent as witches and monsters may have been in their animated movies over the years, this was the first time the creatures of the night took centre stage and became the heroes of the piece, without even turning into handsome princes at the end. But despite the macabre setting, the overall tone is cute and playful enough for the whole family to watch.
It’s also hard to believe that it wasn’t until the 1990′s that a feature-length stop motion movie was made. It’s a truly captivating style of animation, and it suits the spooky mood of the piece down to the ground. Combine that with the iconic design of Jack and Sally, Lock, Shock & Barrel et al, the beautiful sets of Halloween Town with its pumpkin fields and curly cliff, and music from Danny Elfman at the height of his powers (no nondescript Spider-Man dirge here), and it’s no surprise that the movie’s reputation has only grown with age. And while the key idea of someone stealing Christmas obviously isn’t new – Grinch, anyone? – The Nightmare Before Christmas is quite unique in the way it thematically bridges Halloween and Christmas, making it great to revisit at any point between those holidays; an annual tradition all of its own.
Having said that, there’s no denying that things do get a wee bit tedious. It’s a pretty insubstantial plot, and in spite the short running time it feels too thinly spread. Jack and Sally are captivating lead characters, but arch nemesis Oogie Boogie feels out of place; he’s never a compelling villain, and has no real place in the story other than to pad things out a bit. Likewise, despite the great opening number ‘This is Halloween,’ the energetic and infectious ‘What’s This?’ and the genuinely moving and sombre ‘Sally’s Song,’ the overabundance of songs gets tiresome, many of them indistinguishable from the last, and bound to prompt more than a few glances at the clock. (Yes, I just assessed the film’s merits as a musical. Yes, I like musicals. Up yours.)
Given the proliferation of sulky teen-oriented merchandising that has burst forth in recent years brandished with the faces of Jack and Sally, it’s easy to dismiss The Nightmare Before Christmas as nothing more than yet another Disney cash cow. Well, cash cow it may be these days, but people wouldn’t keep buying unless something about the movie and those characters that had captivated them. In a way it’s nice to see how big a thing it is now, considering how the studio as good as disowned it on release. And sure, so it doesn’t have much of a story and it gets a bit repetitive, but it’s got that warm, seasonal glow about it, like a pair of thick woolly socks decorated with reindeer. They might be worn a bit thin, and there may be more than a faint whiff about them, but hey, they’re festive, they’re comfortable, they take you back to younger days, and you can’t help wanting to drag them out of the cupboard when that time of year comes around. That’s The Nightmare Before Christmas through and through.
