The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Seen on DVD 16th July 2008
An original idea by master movie maker Tim Burton
What better way to continue the birthday celebrations than to continue with the classicly amazing "childrens" movies. A MASTERPIECE of stop-motion animation.
"Nothing's more suspicious than frog's breath" haha.
the ratings...
STORY: 7/7 - (what is this? ChristmasTown?)
Tim Burton had been wanting to make this movie forever. It was an idea of his, about what would happen if Christmas (the most happy and jolly of all holidays) were to meet Halloween (the most dark and sinister.) The story is a brilliant tale of good intentions gone VERY wrong. When Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King, who rules over Halloween, discovers Christmas, he decides it would be great to try it for themselves... give "sandy claws" a break for a year, and have a laugh in the process.
Of course, Halloween + Enthusiasm doesn't quite equal a PLEASANT Christmas.
ACTING: 6/7 - (and will we ever... end up together?)
OK so it's a bit hard to judge the acting of stop-motion figurines. But Danny Elfman and Catherine O'Hara sing the roles of Jack and Sally with a LOT of conviction. As a matter of fact, O'Hara is brilliant as sally, spoken / sung and in any other way possible.
CINEMATOGRAPHY / VISUAL EFFECTS: 7/7 - (WOWZA!)
The quality of stop-motion here is SOOO high! You can even totally forget that the 'people' you're watching aren't real. The quality of the animation here is only matched in 2005's Corpse Bride (also Burton)
SCORE / SOUND: 7/7 - (oooooh)
Danny Elfman is a GENIUS!! enough said?
SONGS: 7/7 - (absolutely no-one's dead?!)
This has to be the movie that made me fall in love with musicals. Everything is just sooo much better when people are singing. These songs have sharp witty lyrics and interesting melodies that take cute little wanders around the main themes. As always, Elfman takes the lower brass for a nice long ride and i can't thiank him strongly enough.
OVERALL RATING: 7/7 - (a NEARLY perfect sweep)
random facts -
- Sally was purposefully built lopsided, to seem unfinished.
- It took 100 people 3 years to make the movie
- Tim couldn't direct because he was busy directing "Batman Returns" at the time.
- The movie makes MANY references to "Batman Returns"
- Burton had Henry Selick direct in is place.
- also working on this film:
- : Denise Di Novi (producer)
- : Danny Elfman (score)
- : Chris Lebenzon (consulting editor)
- Jack first appeared in "Vincent" (1982) (short film)
- : then "beetlejuice" (1988)
- : and again in "James And The Giant Peach" (1996)
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