The Nightmare Before Christmas: Difference between revisions

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Latest revision as of 05:11, 24 August 2025

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{{Short description|1993 film by Henry Selick}}

:''"Halloween Town" redirects here. For the Disney Channel movie, see ''[[Halloweentown (film)|Halloweentown]]''.''

{{About|the film|the soundtrack|The Nightmare Before Christmas (soundtrack){{!}}''The Nightmare Before Christmas''|other uses}}

{{Infobox Film |

{{Good article}}

name =The Nightmare Before Christmas |

{{Use American English|date=December 2023}}

image = Nightmare Before Christmas poster.JPG |

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}

caption = Original Theatrical Poster |

{{Infobox film

[[Internet Movie Database|IMDB]] [[Image:4 out of 5.png]] 8.0/10 (28.409 votes)

| name = The Nightmare Before Christmas

producer = [[Tim Burton]]<br>[[Denise DiNovi]] |

| image = The nightmare before christmas poster.jpg

writer = [[Tim Burton]] (story)<br>[[Caroline Thompson]] (screenplay)<br>[[Michael McDowell (author)|Michael McDowell]] (Adaptation)<br>[[Danny Elfman]] (lyrics) |

| alt =

starring = [[Chris Sarandon]]<br>[[Danny Elfman]]<br>[[Catherine O'Hara]]<br>[[William Hickey]]<br>[[Glenn Shadix]]<br>[[Paul Reubens]]<br> |

| caption = Theatrical release poster

director = [[Henry Selick]] |

| director = [[Henry Selick]]

distributor =[[Touchstone Pictures]] (original version)<br>[[Walt Disney Pictures]] ([[2006]] remastered 3-D version) |

| screenplay = [[Caroline Thompson]]

released =[[October 22]], [[1993]]<br>[[October 20]], [[2006]] (remastered 3-D version) |

{{Infobox|decat=yes|child=yes|label1=Adaptation by|data1=[[Michael McDowell (author)|Michael McDowell]]}}

runtime = 75 min. |

| based_on = The Nightmare Before Christmas poem by [[Tim Burton]]

language = English |

| producer = {{Plainlist|

music = |

* Tim Burton

awards = |

* [[Denise Di Novi]]

budget = |

}}

imdb_id = 0107688 | jenipher wrote the nightmare befroe christmas shes a thug.shes soooo cool!!

| starring = {{Plainlist|<!--Per end credits-->

* [[Danny Elfman]]

* [[Chris Sarandon]]

* [[Catherine O'Hara]]

* [[William Hickey (actor)|William Hickey]]

* [[Glenn Shadix]]

* [[Paul Reubens]]

* [[Ken Page]]

* Ed Ivory

}}

| cinematography = [[Pete Kozachik]]

| editing = Stan Webb

| music = Danny Elfman

| studio = {{Plainlist|

* [[Touchstone Pictures]]{{efn|name=Disney|''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' was reissued through the [[Walt Disney Pictures]] banner in 2006 and in subsequent theatrical and home media re-releases since then.<ref name=Forbes20th>{{cite news|last=Mendelson|first=Scott|title='Nightmare Before Christmas' Turns 20: From Shameful Spawn To Disney's Pride|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2013/10/15/how-the-nightmare-before-christmas-went-in-20-years-from-shameful-offspring-to-disneys-favorite-son/|access-date=December 14, 2013|newspaper=Forbes|date=October 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131223041039/http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2013/10/15/how-the-nightmare-before-christmas-went-in-20-years-from-shameful-offspring-to-disneys-favorite-son/|archive-date=December 23, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>}}<!--DO NOT CHANGE-->

* [[Skellington Productions]]<ref name=afi/>

}}

| distributor = [[Buena Vista Pictures Distribution]]<ref name=afi>{{cite web|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59619-THE-NIGHTMAREBEFORECHRISTMAS?sid=fd08646f-234e-4bd1-af69-f23ea3d8622f&sr=14.378546&cp=1&pos=0|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas|work=[[American Film Institute]]|access-date=September 3, 2020|archive-date=December 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201226055751/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/59619-THE-NIGHTMAREBEFORECHRISTMAS?sid=fd08646f-234e-4bd1-af69-f23ea3d8622f&sr=14.378546&cp=1&pos=0|url-status=live}}</ref>

| released = {{Film date|1993|10|9|[[New York Film Festival]]|1993|10|29|United States}}

| runtime = 76 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 76:06--><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/nightmare-christmas-film | title=''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (PG) | work=[[British Board of Film Classification]] | date=March 18, 1994 | access-date=December 7, 2016 | archive-date=December 20, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220083812/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/nightmare-christmas-film | url-status=dead }}</ref>

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $18 million{{sfn|Salisbury|Burton|2006|p=121–127}}

| gross = $107.8 million<ref name="mojo">{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0107688/|title=Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)|publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]]|access-date=November 3, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519181639/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0107688/|archive-date=May 19, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

}}

'''''Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas''''' is a [[1993 in film|1993]] [[stop motion]] [[animation|animated]] [[musical film]] about the inhabitants of Halloween Town who take over [[Christmas]], directed by stop-motion animator [[Henry Selick]]. The film is loosely based on [[drawings]] and a [[poem]] by [[Tim Burton]], and he served as co-producer. He did not direct the film as is sometimes believed, but he was heavily involved.

'''''The Nightmare Before Christmas''''' (also known as '''''Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas''''') is a 1993 American [[stop motion]] [[Animation|animated]] [[Gothic film|gothic]] [[musical film|musical]] [[fantasy film]] directed by [[Henry Selick]] in his feature directorial debut and produced and based on the poem of the same name written by [[Tim Burton]]. It tells the story of [[Jack Skellington]], the King of [[Halloween]] Town, who stumbles upon [[Christmas]] Town and schemes to take over the holiday. [[Danny Elfman]] wrote the songs and score and provided the singing voice of Jack. The principal voice cast includes [[Chris Sarandon]], [[Catherine O'Hara]], [[William Hickey (actor)|William Hickey]], [[Ken Page]], [[Paul Reubens]], [[Glenn Shadix]] and Ed Ivory.

The film was released by [[Touchstone Pictures]], a film studio owned by the [[Walt Disney Company]], after the main [[Walt Disney Pictures]] division balked at some of the darker content.

''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' originated from a poem written by Burton in 1982 while he was working as an animator at [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]]. With the critical success of ''[[Vincent (1982 film)|Vincent]]'' that same year, Burton began to consider developing the film as either a [[short film]] or a half-hour television special, to no avail. Over the years, Burton's thoughts regularly returned to the project, and, in 1990, he made a development deal with [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]]. Production started in July 1991; Disney initially released the film through the [[Touchstone Pictures]] label because the studio believed the film's [[Gothic film|gothic tone]] would be "too dark and scary for kids".

The remastered [[3-D film#New developments (2006)|3-D version]] of the film was re-released by [[Walt Disney Pictures]] on [[October 20]], [[2006]]. Note that it is 3-D via 3-D glasses and not [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]]. [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/film/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002426023]

''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' premiered at the [[New York Film Festival]] on October 9, 1993, and was given a limited release on October 13, before its wide theatrical release on October 29. The film was met with commercial and critical success upon release, earning praise for its animation, particularly the innovation of stop-motion as an art form, as well as its characters, songs, and score. While initially a modest box-office hit, it has since garnered a large [[cult following]] and is widely regarded as one of the greatest animated films [[List of films considered the best|of all time]].<ref>{{Cite news |title='The Nightmare Before Christmas': A Hit That Initially Unnerved Disney |work=The New York Times |date=October 25, 2023 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/movies/the-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burton-henry-selick.html |access-date=2023-11-22 |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030153742/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/25/movies/the-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burton-henry-selick.html |url-status=live |last1=Aguilar |first1=Carlos}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=VanDenburgh |first=Barbara |title=Top 10 stop-motion animated movies |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/movies/2014/09/23/top-stop-motion-animated-movies/16106277/ |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=The Arizona Republic |language=en-US |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030153743/https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/movies/2014/09/23/top-stop-motion-animated-movies/16106277/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Hathaway |first1=Benjamin |last2=Mahler |first2=Matt |date=2023-10-12 |title=30 Best Halloween Movies of All Time |url=https://movieweb.com/best-halloween-movies-of-all-time/ |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=MovieWeb |language=en |archive-date=October 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031102722/https://movieweb.com/best-halloween-movies-of-all-time/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects]], a first for an animated film; it lost to ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]''. Thirteen years after its initial release, the film was [[reissue]]d by [[Walt Disney Pictures]] and was re-released annually in [[Disney Digital 3-D]] from 2006 until 2010.

==Synopsis==

{{Spoiler}}

At the beginning of the film, we are introduced to Halloweentown, an alternate world where the annual [[holiday]] of [[Halloween]] is constructed, and to its biggest [[celebrity]], [[Jack Skellington]], the Pumpkin King. Although Jack is loved and respected by the townspeople, he has become bored with the repetitiveness of Halloween and feels that there is something missing from his life. While wandering in the woods after one such [[Halloween]], with his loyal ghost dog, Zero, Jack discovers a circle of trees he has never seen before. Each tree has a door on it but Jack is immediately attracted to the door in the shape of a [[Christmas tree]]. When Jack opens this [[Christmas]] tree door, he is sucked into a town filled with snow, lights, and happiness. Jack is mesmerized by all the colors and cheerfulness, and realizes that this may be what he has been searching for.

In 2023, the film was selected for preservation in the United States [[National Film Registry]] by the [[Library of Congress]] as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saperstein |first=Pat |date=December 13, 2023 |title='Home Alone,' 'Terminator 2,' '12 Years a Slave' Among 25 Titles Joining National Film Registry |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/national-film-registry-2023-home-alone-terminator-12-years-a-slave-1235833815/ |access-date=December 13, 2023 |website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |archive-date=December 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213100020/https://variety.com/2023/film/news/national-film-registry-2023-home-alone-terminator-12-years-a-slave-1235833815/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

Upon his return to Halloweentown, Jack immediately calls for a [[town]] meeting. During the meeting he reveals several of the artifacts he brought with him from Christmas town. Unfortunately, the denizens of Halloweentown only think in terms of how these toys could be used for Halloween. Frustrated from the misunderstandings, Jack describes the ruler of Christmastown in the only way the town members can understand: as a lobster-red creature possessing a deep voice and riding his sleigh "like a vulture in the sky," his name, "Sandy Claws". Distraught by his friends' inability to understand Christmas, Jack locks himself in his house and performs multiple experiments to try to understand the meaning of Christmas. He finally comes to the realization that believing in Christmas is all it takes and he informs the town of his intention to take over Christmas for that [[year]]. Jack then assigns each of the townspeople certain duties in order to make Christmas theirs, including having Sally sew Jack a Santa Claus outfit and having Dr. Finkelstein bring several skeleton [[reindeer]] to life. In order to complete this takeover, Jack enlists the help of a trio of young trick or treaters named Lock, Shock, and Barrel to "Kidnap the Sandy Claws." After mistakenly kidnapping the Easter bunny the trio brings Santa Claus to Jack, who tells them not to take Santa to Oogie Boogie - but they end up doing so anyway. Despite Jack's efforts to make their Christmas joyful, the townspeople end up mixing the ideas of Christmas and Halloween, creating twisted toys and decorations.

==Plot==

Sally, who is secretly in love with Jack, has a vision about the disasters to come and tries to warn him that taking over something he knows nothing about may be a bad idea. However, Jack is too wrapped in his fantasies to listen, so she attempts to stop Jack's departure by creating a fog bank; but Zero's lighted, jack-o-lantern nose allows Jack to see.

[[Halloween]] Town is a [[fantasy world]] populated by various monsters and supernatural beings associated with the eponymous holiday. [[Jack Skellington]], the well-respected Pumpkin King, leads the town in organizing its annual celebrations. This year however, Jack grows tired of the same routine and longs for something new. Upon discovering trees containing doors to other holiday-themed worlds, Jack stumbles through the one leading to [[Christmas]] Town and is fascinated by the unfamiliar holiday.

Jack returns home and shares his discovery with his friends and neighbors, but they struggle to grasp the concept of Christmas, although they relate to its ruler, [[Santa Claus]], or "Sandy Claws" as Jack mistakenly dubs him. After several futile attempts at finding a way to rationally explain Christmas, Jack decides to "improve" the holiday instead. He announces that Halloween Town will take over Christmas this year and assigns Christmas-themed jobs, such as singing carols, making presents and building a sleigh pulled by skeletal [[reindeer]], to various residents.

Now Christmas eve, Jack embarks from Halloweentown to share Halloweentown's toys with the whole world. Unfortunately, the citizens of the real world are not so receptive to these twisted toys and begin to call police reporting attacks from toys and a "flying skeleton." Soon after, the military is called in to deal with the Santa Claus imposter, eventually shooting Jack out of the sky. At the same time, Sally sets off to rescue Santa Claus in order to set things right. However, during her rescue attempt she is also captured by Oogie Boogie who perversely gambles with both of their lives. The other citizens of Halloweentown witness Jack being shot down, and, fearing the worst, begin to mourn his death.

Sally, the [[Femininity|feminine]] creation of local [[mad scientist]] Doctor Finkelstein, experiences a [[vision (spirituality)|vision]] predicting that their efforts will end disastrously. Jack, whom she secretly loves, dismisses her warnings and instructs her to make a Santa Claus suit for him. He tasks mischievous [[trick-or-treating]] trio Lock, Shock and Barrel with abducting Santa; however, he orders them not to involve their superior Oogie Boogie, a [[bogeyman]] with a passion for [[gambling]] and Jack's long-time rival, in their plot.

Meanwhile, the citizens of the real world are being informed that since the real Santa Claus can't be found Christmas must be cancelled. Upon regaining consciousness in a graveyard amongst the wreckage of his failed Christmas, Jack hears this news and realizes his foolishness. He realizes that his role in life is to be the Pumpkin King and vows to make the next Halloween the best ever. In an effort to save this Christmas, Jack returns to Halloweentown to save Santa Claus. He rushes to Oogie's lair to rescue both Sally and Santa Claus and in defeating Oogie reveals him to be nothing more than a sack full of bugs. Santa Claus informs Jack that he can easily save Christmas, after all he is Santa Claus, and magically floats out the chimney and restores peace to the real world by replacing all of Jack's presents. Jack returns to Halloweentown to the great joy of its citizens and Santa is seen flying over Halloween Town wishing the citizens a Happy Halloween while Jack responds with a Merry Christmas. With him, however, Santa brings [[snow]] and the citizens of Halloweentown finally understand the Christmas spirit.

When Lock, Shock and Barrel bring Santa to Halloween Town, Jack tells him that he will take care of Christmas this year and orders the trio to keep Santa safe. However, they disobey Jack's orders and bring Santa to Oogie, who plots to play a game with Santa's life at stake. As Jack departs to deliver presents in the real world, Sally, after failing to stop him beforehand, attempts to rescue Santa from Oogie, only to be captured herself.

Finally, Sally reveals her true feelings for Jack and the movie ends with a kiss.

Jack's presents terrify the real world's populace, who contact the local authorities and are instructed to lock down their homes for protection. The military is alerted and Jack is shot out of the sky, leading Halloween Town's populace to believe he is dead. It is revealed that he survived and has crashed into a nearby [[cemetery]]. Bemoaning the trouble that he has caused, Jack realizes he nonetheless enjoyed the experience and that it gave him new ideas for celebrating Halloween, reigniting his love for the holiday.

==Characters==

* Jack Skellington

* Sally

* Zero

* Sandy Claws (Santa Claus)

* Mayor of Halloween Town

* Dr. Finklestein

* Dr. Finklestein's Replacement for Sally

* Mr. Oogie Boogie

* Lock, Shock, and Barrel

* Monster Under the Bed

* Monster Under the Stairs

* Vampires

* Wolfman

* Harlequin Demon

* Melting Man

* Big Witch and Little Witch

* Hanging Tree

* Clown with the Tear-Away Face

* Mr. Hyde I, II, and III

* Behemoth

* Winged Demon

* Corpse Mom, Dad, and Kid

* Mummy Kid

* Grim Reaper

* Undersea Gal

* Cyclops

* Accordion, Bass, and Sax Players

* Igor

* Easter Bunny

* Town Gatekeeper

* Assorted Bats, Ghosts, Pumpkins

* Various Humans

Upon returning home, Jack rescues Santa and Sally, confronts Oogie and defeats him by unraveling a thread holding his cloth form together, causing all of the [[insect]]s inside Oogie to spill out and reduce him to nothing. Though displeased with Jack for his foolish actions and not listening to Sally earlier, Santa makes amends with him and resumes his yearly duties, replacing Jack's presents with genuine ones.

==Cast (voices)==

* [[Chris Sarandon]] - [[Jack Skellington]]

* [[Danny Elfman]] - [[Jack Skellington]] (singing), [[Lock, Shock, and Barrel|Barrel]], Clown with the Tear-Away Face

* [[Catherine O'Hara]] - [[Sally (The Nightmare Before Christmas)|Sally]], [[Lock, Shock, and Barrel|Shock]]

* [[William Hickey (actor)|William Hickey]] - [[Doctor Finklestein|Dr. Finklestein]]

* [[Glenn Shadix]] - [[Mayor (The Nightmare Before Christmas)|Mayor]]

* Susan McBride - Big [[Witchcraft|Witch]], W.W.D.

* [[Paul Reubens]] - [[Lock, Shock, and Barrel|Lock]]

* [[Ken Page (actor)|Ken Page]] - [[Oogie Boogie]]

* Ed Ivory - Narrator, [[Santa Claus]]

* [[Greg Proops]] - Harlequin Demon, Sax Player, [[Devil]]

* [[Carmen Twillie]] - Man Under the Stairs, Undersea Gal

* Debi Durst - Corpse Mom, Corpse Kid, Zeldaborn the Little Witch

* Randy Crenshaw - [[Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde|Mr. Hyde]], [[Behemoth]], [[Vampire]]

* Kerry Katz - Man Under the Stairs (singing), Corpse Dad, [[Vampire]]

* Sherwood Ball - [[Mummy]] Kid, Vampire

* Glenn Walters - [[Werewolf|Wolfman]]

* Additional Voices by Richard Baker, Mia Brown, L. Peter Callender, Judi M. Durand, Ann Fraser, Doris Hess, Daamen J. Krall, Jennifer Levey, Christina MacGregor, David McCharen, Jesse McClurg, [[John Morris (actor)|John Morris]], Robert Olague, Bobbi Page, Elena Praskin, Gary Raff, David Randolph, Gary Schwartz, and Trampas Warman.

All of Halloween Town celebrates Jack's return. Santa brings a snowfall to the town, thereby bringing the Christmas spirit upon it, while Jack and Sally finally declare their love for each other.

'''NOTE''': On the soundtrack album, [[Patrick Stewart]] voices the opening narrative poem. A second poem, also read by Stewart, is included before the "End Credits" music; in this passage, the narrator describes a visit he made to Halloweentown many years after the events of the film.

==SoundtrackVoice cast==

{{Anchor|Cast}}

{{Main|List of The Nightmare Before Christmas characters}}

{{multiple image

| caption_align = center

| footer = The voices for [[Jack Skellington]]'s spoken lines and [[List of The Nightmare Before Christmas characters#Sally|Sally]] were respectively provided by Sarandon and O'Hara.

| image1 = Chris Sarandon July 2017.jpg

| alt1 =

| caption1 = [[Chris Sarandon]] (2017)

| total_width = 350

| image2 = CATHERINE OHARA.jpg

| alt2 =

| caption2 = [[Catherine O'Hara]] (2005)

}}

* [[Chris Sarandon]] (speaking voice) and [[Danny Elfman]] (singing voice) as [[Jack Skellington]], a [[Skeleton (undead)|skeleton]] known as the "Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town. [[Danny Elfman|Elfman]] was initially cast as Jack's singing voice and, after the songs were recorded, Sarandon was cast to match Elfman's voice style.<ref name=Beast/><ref>{{cite news|last1=Lammers|first1=Tim|title=Sarandon remains proud of 'Nightmare Before Christmas' as film classic turns 20|url=https://www.4029tv.com/entertainment/chris-sarandon-the-nightmare-before-christmas/22690534|access-date=September 25, 2016|work=Strictly Cinema|date=October 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927074858/http://www.4029tv.com/entertainment/chris-sarandon-the-nightmare-before-christmas/22690534|archive-date=September 27, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ng |first=David |date=October 24, 2015 |title=Danny Elfman can relate to 'Nightmare Before Christmas' hero Jack Skellington |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-danny-elfman-jack-skellington-20151025-story.html |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=October 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014060323/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-ca-cm-danny-elfman-jack-skellington-20151025-story.html |archive-date=October 14, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

** Elfman also voices:

*** Barrel, one of the trick-or-treaters working for Oogie Boogie.<ref name="TVGuide">{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-nightmare-before-christmas/cast/2030182063/|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas - Full Cast & Crew|work=[[TV Guide]]|access-date=May 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620000021/https://www.tvguide.com/movies/the-nightmare-before-christmas/cast/2030182063/|archive-date=June 20, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="People"/>

*** The Clown with the Tear-Away Face, a demonic entity disguised as a unicycle-riding clown.<ref name="TVGuide"/><ref name="People"/>

* [[Catherine O'Hara]] as:

** [[List of The Nightmare Before Christmas characters#Sally|Sally]], a [[rag doll]]-like creation of Finkelstein and Jack's love interest. She is a [[Toxicology|toxicologist]] who uses various types of poison to liberate herself from the captivity of her creator. She is psychic and has premonitions when something bad is about to happen. O'Hara had previously co-starred in Burton's ''[[Beetlejuice]]''.<ref name="People"/>

** Shock, one of the trick-or-treaters working for Oogie Boogie.<ref name="People">{{cite news|last1=Fernández|first1=Alexia|last2=C.|first2=Paris|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas: All the Actors Behind Your Favorite Voices in the Movie|url=https://people.com/nightmare-before-christmas-voices-behind-characters-photos-5738586|date=October 27, 2023|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date=May 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240623194337/https://people.com/nightmare-before-christmas-voices-behind-characters-photos-5738586|archive-date=June 23, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

* [[William Hickey (actor)|William Hickey]] as [[List of The Nightmare Before Christmas characters#Evil Scientist|Doctor Finkelstein]], a [[mad scientist]] and the loving and overbearing creator of Sally. He is listed in the credits only as "Evil Scientist" and is only mentioned by name twice in the film.<ref name="People"/>

* [[Glenn Shadix]] as the [[List of The Nightmare Before Christmas characters#Mayor of Halloween Town|Mayor of Halloween Town]], an enthusiastic leader who conducts town meetings. His double-sided head spins between a "happy" and "sad" face, mirroring his wild mood swings; where some career politicians are described as figuratively two-faced, the mayor is literally so. Shadix and Burton had previously worked on ''Beetlejuice''.<ref name="People"/>

* [[Paul Reubens]] as Lock, one of the trick-or-treaters working for Oogie Boogie. Reubens and Burton had previously worked on ''[[Pee-wee's Big Adventure]]'' and ''[[Batman Returns]]''.<ref name="People"/>

* [[Ken Page]] as [[List of The Nightmare Before Christmas characters#Oogie Boogie|Oogie Boogie]], the film's main antagonist, a villainous [[bogeyman]] in Halloween Town, who has a passion for gambling and rivalry with Jack. Unlike the other citizens of Halloween Town who only scare for fun and don't wish to cause harm, Oggie is ruthless evil and despises Halloween Town for banishing him.<ref name="People"/>

* Ed Ivory as [[List of The Nightmare Before Christmas characters#Santa Claus|Santa Claus]], the ruler of Christmas Town. Santa is responsible for the annual celebration of Christmas, in which he delivers presents to children in the real world. He is also referred to by Jack and Halloween Town's residents as "Sandy Claws". Ivory also provides the brief narration at the start of the film.<ref>{{cite web|last=Busch|first=Jenna|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1125175/vincent-price-was-originally-cast-to-play-santa-claus-in-the-nightmare-before-christmas/|title=Vincent Price Was Originally Cast To Play Santa Claus In The Nightmare Before Christmas|date=December 2, 2022|website=[[/Film]]|access-date=June 12, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205215838/https://www.slashfilm.com/1125175/vincent-price-was-originally-cast-to-play-santa-claus-in-the-nightmare-before-christmas/|archive-date=December 5, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

* [[Joe Ranft]] as Igor (uncredited), one of Doctor Finkelstein's creations and his lab assistant.<ref name="TVGuide"/>

The cast also features Debi Durst, [[Greg Proops]], Kerry Katz, Randy Crenshaw, Sherwood Ball, [[Carmen Twillie (actress)|Carmen Twillie]], Glenn Walters and [[John Morris (voice actor)|John Morris]] handling additional character voices.<ref name="TVGuide"/> [[Patrick Stewart]] recorded narration for a prologue and epilogue. While not used in the final film, the narration is included on the [[The Nightmare Before Christmas (soundtrack)|soundtrack album]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Patrick Stewart Reads The Nightmare Before Christmas Poem |url=https://www.themarysue.com/patrick-stewart-nightmare-before-christmas/ |website=The Mary Sue |date=December 16, 2013 |access-date=14 October 2019 |archive-date=October 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014144149/https://www.themarysue.com/patrick-stewart-nightmare-before-christmas/ |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Image:Nmbcsoundtrack.jpg|thumb|right|''Nightmare Before Christmas'' Soundtrack]]

==Production==

Disc 1

===Development===

{{multiple image

| footer = Director [[Henry Selick]] and producer/creator [[Tim Burton]]

| image1 = Henry Selick 2009 (cropped).jpg

| alt1 =

| caption1 =

| total_width = 350

| image2 = Tim Burton (7587109150).jpg

| alt2 =

| caption2 =

}}

As writer Tim Burton's upbringing in [[Burbank, California]], was associated with the feeling of solitude, the filmmaker was largely fascinated by holidays during his childhood. "Anytime there was Christmas or Halloween, […] it was great. It gave you some sort of texture all of a sudden that wasn't there before," Burton would later recall.<ref name="LATimesJackoSanta" /> After completing his short film ''[[Vincent (1982 film)|Vincent]]'' in 1982,<ref name="LATimesJackoSanta">{{cite news | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-10-10-ca-44372-story.html | title = The Concept: Jack-o'-Santa : Tim Burton's new movie for Disney isn't exactly a steal-Christmas-kind-of-thing. It's more like a borrow-it-and-give-it-a-weird-twist-kind-of-thing | date = October 10, 1993 | author = Simpson, Blaise | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] | pages = 1–4 | access-date = April 20, 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171129173750/http://articles.latimes.com/1993-10-10/entertainment/ca-44372_1_tim-burton-s-new-movie | archive-date = November 29, 2017 | url-status = live }}</ref> Burton, who was then employed at [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Feature Animation]], wrote a three-page poem titled ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'', drawing inspiration from television specials of ''[[Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]'', ''[[How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (TV special)|How the Grinch Stole Christmas!]]'' and the poem ''[[A Visit from St. Nicholas]]''.<ref name="Makingof">{{Cite video|last1=Burton|first1=Tim|last2=Selick|first2=Henry|title=The Making of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas|url=https://archive.org/details/nightmarexmasdoc|date=2000|publisher=[[Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> Burton intended to adapt the poem into a television special with the narration spoken by his favorite actor, [[Vincent Price]],<ref name="BGBurtonAdventure">{{cite news| title = Tim Burton's Big Adventure |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/440351035/?match=1&terms=Tim%20Burton%27s%20Big%20Adventure | author = Carr, Jay | date = October 17, 1993 | work = [[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref> but also considered other options such as a children's book.<ref name="MakingofNightmare">{{cite book| title = Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Film, The Art, The Vision | author = Thompson, Frank T. | date = October 14, 1993 | page = 8 | publisher = Disney Editions | isbn = 9780786880669 | oclc = 28294626}}</ref> He created [[concept art]] and [[storyboard]]s for the project in collaboration with [[Rick Heinrichs]], who also [[sculpture|sculpted]] character models;<ref name="Gems">Avins, Mimi (November 1993). "Ghoul World". ''[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]'': pp. 24–30. Retrieved on September 26, 2008.</ref><ref name="AboutSelickinterview">{{cite web | url = http://movies.about.com/od/nightmarebeforechristmas/a/nightmare082508.htm | title = Director Henry Selick Interview – ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' | author = Topel, Fred | date = August 25, 2008 | work = [[About.com]] | access-date = May 27, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080925081930/http://movies.about.com/od/nightmarebeforechristmas/a/nightmare082508.htm | archive-date = September 25, 2008 | url-status = live }}</ref> Burton later showed his and Heinrichs' works-in-progress to [[Henry Selick]], also a Disney animator at the time.{{sfn|Salisbury|Burton|2006|p=115—120}} After the success of ''Vincent'' in 1982, Disney started to consider developing ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' as either a short film or 30-minute holiday television special.<ref name="Gems" /> However, the project's development eventually stalled, as its tone seemed "too weird" to the company.<ref name="LATimesDustingoff">{{cite news | url = https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-01-20-ca-1122-story.html | title = Dusting Off Burton | author = Broeske, Pat H. | date = January 20, 1991 | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] | access-date = May 26, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131018171438/http://articles.latimes.com/1991-01-20/entertainment/ca-1122_1_tim-burton | archive-date = October 18, 2013 | url-status = live }}</ref> As Disney was unable to "offer his nocturnal loners enough scope", Burton was fired from the studio in 1984<ref name="BGBurtonAdventure" /> and went on to direct the commercially successful films ''[[Beetlejuice]]'' (1988) and ''[[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]]'' (1989) for [[Warner Bros. Pictures]].<ref name="LATimesDustingoff" />

<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Selick-and-Burton.jpg|thumb|300px|Director Henry Selick (left) and producer Tim Burton (right) on the ''Nightmare Before Christmas'' set]] -->

* Overture - Overture 1:48

Over the years, Burton regularly thought about the project. In 1990, Burton found out that Disney still owned the [[film rights]].<ref name="LATimesJackoSanta"/> He and Selick committed to produce a full-length film expanding on the poem's storyline with the latter as director.{{sfn|Salisbury|Burton|2006|p=115—120}} Selick chose not to work with [[MTV]] for a series based on his short film ''Slow Bob in the Lower Dimensions'' to direct this film.<ref name="SFGATE"/> Burton's own success with live-action films piqued the interest of [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]] chairman [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]], who saw the film as an opportunity to continue the studio's streak of [[Disney Renaissance|recent successes in feature animation]].<ref name="Makingof"/><ref>{{Cite web|last=Colangelo|first=BJ|title=Henry Selick Is A Little Tired Of Audiences Associating Nightmare Before Christmas With Tim Burton|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1079603/henry-selick-is-a-little-tired-of-audiences-associating-nightmare-before-christmas-with-tim-burton/|date=November 1, 2022|website=[[/Film]]|access-date=June 18, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240716163643/https://www.slashfilm.com/1079603/henry-selick-is-a-little-tired-of-audiences-associating-nightmare-before-christmas-with-tim-burton/|archive-date=July 16, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> Disney was looking forward to ''Nightmare'' "to show capabilities of technical and storytelling achievements that were present in ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]''."<ref>{{cite web | url = https://variety.com/1993/digital/news/bv-toons-up-down-under-104069/ | title = BV toons up down under | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date = February 18, 1993 | access-date = September 26, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121105131726/http://www.variety.com/article/VR104069 | archive-date = November 5, 2012 | url-status = live }}</ref> [[Walt Disney Pictures]] president [[David Hoberman]] believed the film would prove to be a creative achievement for Disney's image, elaborating "we can think outside the envelope. We can do different and unusual things."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Starkey|first=Arun|title=The painstakingly long production of 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'|url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-painstakingly-long-production-of-the-nightmare-before-christmas/|date=December 13, 2021|website=[[Far Out (website)|Far Out]]|access-date=June 18, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241219234612/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-painstakingly-long-production-of-the-nightmare-before-christmas/|archive-date=December 19, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

* Patrick Stewart - Opening 0:57

* The Citizens Of Halloween - This Is Halloween 3:16

* Danny Elfman - Jack's Lament 3:14

* Doctor Finklestein - In The Forest 2:36

* Danny Elfman - What's This? 3:05

* Danny Elfman And Cast - Town Meeting Song 2:56

* Jack And Sally Montage - Jack And Sally Montage 5:17

* Danny Elfman And Cast - Jack's Obsession 2:46

* Paul Reubens, Catherine O'Hara And Danny Elfman - Kidnap The Sandy Claws 3:02

* Danny Elfman And The Citizens Of Halloween - Making Christmas 3:57

* Nabbed - Nabbed 3:04

* Ken Page With Ed Ivory - Oogie Boogie's Song 3:17

* Catherine O'Hara - Sally's Song 1:47

* Christmas Eve Montage - Christmas Eve Montage 4:44

* Danny Elfman - Poor Jack 2:31

* To The Rescue - To The Rescue 3:38

* Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara And The Citizens Of Halloween - Finale-Reprise 2:44

* Patrick Stewart - Closing 1:26

* End Title - End Title 5:05

''Nightmare'' marked Burton's third consecutive film with a Christmas setting. Burton could not direct because of his commitment to ''[[Batman Returns]]'', and he did not want to be involved with "the painstakingly slow process of [[stop motion]]".{{sfn|Salisbury|Burton|2006|p=115—120}} To adapt his poem into a screenplay, Burton approached [[Michael McDowell (author)|Michael McDowell]], his collaborator on ''[[Beetlejuice]]''. McDowell and Burton experienced creative differences, which convinced Burton to make the film as a [[Musical film|musical]] with lyrics and compositions by frequent collaborator [[Danny Elfman]]. Elfman and Burton created a rough storyline and two-thirds of the film's songs.{{sfn|Salisbury|Burton|2006|p=121–127}} Elfman found writing ''Nightmare''{{'}}s eleven songs to be "one of the easiest jobs I've ever had. I had a lot in common with [[Jack Skellington]]."<ref name="Gems" /> [[Caroline Thompson]] had yet to be hired to write the screenplay.{{sfn|Salisbury|Burton|2006|p=121–127}} With Thompson's screenplay, Selick stated, "there are very few lines of dialogue that are Caroline's. She became busy on other films and we were constantly rewriting, re-configuring and developing the film visually."<ref name="dreams" /> Thompson clashed with Burton and he also destroyed the editing machine after she said she wanted to redraft the film's ending.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sarkisian|first=Jacob|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/the-nightmare-before-christmas-behind-the-scenes-screenwriter-caroline-thompson-2020-12|title=Screaming, smashing editing machines and a 'snorted salary': Inside the tumultuous making of 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'|date=December 4, 2020|website=[[Business Insider]]|access-date=June 10, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250124002838/https://www.businessinsider.com/the-nightmare-before-christmas-behind-the-scenes-screenwriter-caroline-thompson-2020-12|archive-date=January 24, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>

Disc 2

===Filming===

* [[Marilyn Manson]] - This Is Halloween 3:22

Selick and his team of animators began production in July 1991 in San Francisco, California, with a crew of over 120 workers, utilizing 20 [[sound stage]]s for filming.{{sfn|Salisbury|Burton|2006|p=115—120}}<ref name="GazetteNightmareAlive">{{cite news | author = Jones, Bill | title = He Kept His ''Nightmare'' Alive | date = October 22, 1993 | work = [[The Phoenix Gazette]]}}</ref><ref name="SFGATE">{{cite web|last=Bartlett|first=Amanda|url=https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/The-Nightmare-Before-Christmas-filming-in-SF-16714266.php|title=This legendary Christmas movie was filmed in an SF warehouse|date=December 23, 2022|work=[[SFGate]]|publisher=[[San Francisco Chronicle]]|access-date=July 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250130121555/https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/The-Nightmare-Before-Christmas-filming-in-SF-16714266.php|archive-date=January 30, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Joe Ranft]] was hired from Disney as a storyboard supervisor, while Eric Leighton was hired to supervise animation.<ref name="IGN"/> At the peak of production, 20 individual stages were simultaneously being used for filming.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Nightmare: Truly the Stuff of Dreams|url=https://retrocdn.net/images/3/33/EGM_US_053.pdf#page=358|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=53|publisher=EGM Media, LLC|date=December 1993|page=357}}</ref> In total, there were 109,440 frames taken for the film. The work of [[Ray Harryhausen]], [[Ladislas Starevich]], [[Edward Gorey]], [[Étienne Delessert (illustrator)|Étienne Delessert]], [[Gahan Wilson]], [[Charles Addams]], [[Jan Lenica]], [[Francis Bacon (artist)|Francis Bacon]], and [[Wassily Kandinsky]] influenced the filmmakers. Selick described the [[Production designer|production design]] as akin to a [[pop-up book]].<ref name="Gems" /><ref name="dreams" /> In addition, Selick stated, "When we reach Halloween Town, it's entirely [[German expressionist cinema|German Expressionism]]. When Jack enters Christmas Town, it's an outrageous [[Dr. Seuss]]-esque setpiece. Finally, when Jack is delivering presents in the 'Real World', everything is plain, simple and perfectly aligned."<ref>{{Cite video|last1=Selick|first1=Henry|last2=Kozachik|first2=Pete|work=DVD|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas: audio commentary|year=2000|publisher=[[Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment]]}}</ref> [[Vincent Price]], [[Don Ameche]], and [[James Earl Jones]] were considered to provide the narration for the film's prologue; however, all proved difficult to cast, and the producers instead hired local voice artist Ed Ivory.<ref name=Beast>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/henry-selick-on-directing-the-nightmare-before-christmas|title=Henry Selick on Directing 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'|last=Stern|first=Marlow|date=October 29, 2013|work=The Daily Beast|access-date=September 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160927061210/http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/10/29/henry-selick-on-directing-the-nightmare-before-christmas.html|archive-date=September 27, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Patrick Stewart]] provided the prologue narration for the film's soundtrack.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Rowney|first=Jo-Anne|title=17 The Nightmare Before Christmas facts|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-nightmare-before-christmas-facts/|date=December 15, 2019|website=[[Radio Times]]|access-date=June 9, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520064005/https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-nightmare-before-christmas-facts/|archive-date=May 20, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

* [[Fiona Apple]] - Sally's Song 3:20

* [[Fall Out Boy]] - What's This? 3:00

* [[She Wants Revenge]] - Kidnap The Sandy Claws 5:09

* [[Panic! At The Disco]] - This Is Halloween 3:36

* Danny Elfman - Making Christmas (Demo) 5:34

* Danny Elfman - Oogie Boogie's Song (Demo) 3:16

* Danny Elfman - This Is Halloween (Demo) 3:20

* Danny Elfman - Kidnap The Sandy Claws (Demo) 2:51

On the direction of the film, Selick reflected, "It's as though [Burton] laid the egg, and I sat on it and hatched it. He wasn't involved in a hands-on way, but his hand is in it. It was my job to make it look like 'a Tim Burton film', which is not so different from my own films."<ref name=dreams>David Helpern (December 1994). "Animated Dreams", ''[[Sight & Sound]]'', pp. 33—37. Retrieved on September 26, 2008.</ref> When asked about Burton's involvement, Selick claimed, "I don't want to take away from Tim, but he was not in San Francisco when we made it. He came up five times over two years, and spent no more than eight or ten days in total."<ref name=dreams/> [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Feature Animation]] contributed with digital effects and some second-layering [[traditional animation]].{{sfn|Salisbury|Burton|2006|p=115—120}} Burton found production somewhat difficult, because he was simultaneously filming ''[[Batman Returns]]'' and in [[pre-production]] for ''[[Ed Wood (film)|Ed Wood]]''.{{sfn|Salisbury|Burton|2006|p=121–127}}

==Initial conception==

The original ideas for the film came to Tim Burton while working as an animator for Disney. Burton has stated that he was inspired by being at a store and seeing them taking down the Halloween merchandise and changing it out for Christmas displays. Also, Tim loved holiday movies such as ''How The Grinch Stole Christmas''

and ''Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer''. In an interview he also described ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' as almost an opposite of The Grinch because instead of wanting to destroy Christmas, Jack wants to celebrate it but accidentally destroys it. While at work, Burton scribbled out the poem on a piece of paper as well as a few drawings. These initial versions only included Jack, Zero and Santa Claus.

The filmmakers constructed 227 puppets to represent the characters in the movie, with Jack Skellington having "around four hundred heads", allowing the expression of every possible emotion.<ref>Richard Rickitt, ''Special Effects: The History and Technique'' (Watson-Guptill, 2000), 159-[https://books.google.com/books?id=U3hH9z24c80C&dq=%22Jack+Skellington%22+%22character%22&pg=PA160 160] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611031736/https://books.google.com/books?id=U3hH9z24c80C&pg=PA160&dq=%22Jack+Skellington%22+%22character%22&lr=&ei=iaEbScyWL4HWMJfy2aYM#PPA160,M1 |date=June 11, 2020 }}.</ref> Sally's mouth movements "were animated through the replacement method. During the animation process, […] only Sally's face 'mask' was removed in order to preserve the order of her long, red hair. Sally had ten types of faces, each made with a series of eleven expressions (e.g. eyes open and closed, and various facial poses) and synchronized mouth movements."<ref>Maureen Furniss, ''Art in motion: animation aesthetics'' (1998), [https://books.google.com/books?id=aQ4mrirF5nkC&dq=Sally+%22Nightmare+Before+Christmas%22+greatest+characters&pg=RA1-PA168 168] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130624203233/http://books.google.com/books?id=aQ4mrirF5nkC&pg=RA1-PA168&dq=Sally+%22Nightmare+Before+Christmas%22+greatest+characters |date=June 24, 2013 }}.</ref> The stop-motion figurine of Jack was reused in ''[[James and the Giant Peach (film)|James and the Giant Peach]]'' (also directed by Selick) as Captain Jack.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-13 |title=The long production of 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-painstakingly-long-production-of-the-nightmare-before-christmas/ |access-date=2023-02-04 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US |archive-date=February 4, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204145354/https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-painstakingly-long-production-of-the-nightmare-before-christmas/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Production==

''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' marked the first time that a [[stop motion]] movie had been attempted at this scale. Because of this fact, a great deal of imagination and inventiveness had to be used in making the film. In order to produce the film, Tim Burton assembled a hand-picked group of animators, artists, and crew members to work on the film and founded a production company called Skellington Studios. In order to flesh out the script and come up with new characters (as an artist himself he was very specific as to the look and feel of the movie, even limiting them to orange, black and white for the primary colors of Halloween Town). Burton also encouraged the artists to not use their dominant hands as to give their drawings his trademark feel. Once the sets had been approved they were then made into half scale mock-ups out of cardboard. These were then used as guidelines to build the actual sets. The puppets were constructed with a detailed metal [[Armature (sculpture)|armature]] as a skeleton, and then placed into moulds which were injected with a foam [[latex]]. From there they were sent to the fabrication department to be painted and finished. Multiple puppets were made of most of the characters so that they could cycle between the set and fabrication for touch ups.

==Soundtracks==

The crew often had to improvise solutions to problems that they encountered during production. One of these problems was to give facial expressions to the puppets and making them speak. This was accomplished in a number of different fashions. Some puppets had mouths that were moved manually while some of the main puppets, such as Jack, were given hundreds of replaceable heads so that they could have a greater range of expression. The puppet for Sally was given interchangeable masks that were integrated behind her hairline because her hair was too long to be sculpted for the number of heads that would be needed. Another problem that was faced was allowing the animators to work on the sets. Because some were so large, the animators were worried that they would have to reach too far to move the puppets. This problem was solved by building the sets in different sections that could be separated when an animator was working and then placed back together for the shot.

{{Main|The Nightmare Before Christmas (soundtrack)|Nightmare Revisited}}

[[File:20220610 dannyelfman by sachynmital (cropped).jpg|thumb|300x300px|left|Composer [[Danny Elfman]]]]

The film's [[The Nightmare Before Christmas (soundtrack)|soundtrack album]] was released in 1993 on [[Walt Disney Records]]. The film's soundtrack contains bonus tracks, including a longer prologue and an extra epilogue, both narrated by [[Patrick Stewart|Sir Patrick Stewart]]. For the film's 2006 re-release in [[Disney Digital 3-D]], a special edition of the soundtrack was released, featuring a bonus disc that contained covers of five of the film's songs by [[Fall Out Boy]], [[Panic! at the Disco]], [[Marilyn Manson (band)|Marilyn Manson]], [[Fiona Apple]], and [[She Wants Revenge]]. Four original demo tracks by Elfman were also included.<ref>{{cite news | first = James | last = Montgomery | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/1539534/fall-out-boy-panic-marilyn-manson-add-to-new-nightmare-before-christmas-soundtrack/ | title = Fall Out Boy, Panic, Marilyn Manson Add To New 'Nightmare Before Christmas' Soundtrack | access-date = November 29, 2008 | date = August 28, 2006 | work = [[MTV News]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081205130524/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1539534/20060828/fall_out_boy.jhtml?headlines=true | archive-date = December 5, 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref> On September 30, 2008, Disney released the cover album ''[[Nightmare Revisited]]'', featuring artists such as [[Amy Lee]], [[Flyleaf (band)|Flyleaf]], [[Korn]], [[Rise Against]], [[Plain White T's]], [[The All-American Rejects]], and many more.<ref>{{cite web |title=Marilyn Manson, Sparklehorse, KoRn on 'Nightmare' soundtrack |url=https://www.spin.com/2008/09/exclusive-album-stream-marilyn-manson-sparklehorse-korn-nightmare-soundtrack/ |website=Spin |date=September 26, 2008 |access-date=14 October 2019 |archive-date=October 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014144709/https://www.spin.com/2008/09/exclusive-album-stream-marilyn-manson-sparklehorse-korn-nightmare-soundtrack/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

American [[gothic rock]] band [[London After Midnight (band)|London After Midnight]] featured a cover of "Sally's Song" on their 1998 album ''[[Oddities (London After Midnight album)|Oddities]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=London After Midnight launches all new video, 'Better Off Dead (Be My Guest)'|url=https://www.side-line.com/london-after-midnight-launches-all-new-video-better-off-dead-be-my-guest/|date=November 9, 2022|website=Side-Line|access-date=May 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221204061603/https://www.side-line.com/london-after-midnight-launches-all-new-video-better-off-dead-be-my-guest/|archive-date=December 4, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Pentatonix]] released a cover of "Making Christmas" for their 2018 Christmas album ''[[Christmas Is Here!]]''.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Engelman|first=Nicole|title=Pentatonix Release 'Making Christmas' Video|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/holiday/8478512/pentatonix-making-christmas-video|date=October 5, 2018|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=14 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014144740/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/holiday/8478512/pentatonix-making-christmas-video |archive-date=October 14, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2003, the Disneyland ''[[Haunted Mansion Holiday#Soundtrack|Haunted Mansion Holiday]]'' soundtrack CD was released. Although most of the album's songs are not original ones from the film, one song is a medley of "Making Christmas", "What's This?", and "Kidnap the Sandy Claws". Other songs included are original holiday songs changed to incorporate the theme of the film. However, the last song is the soundtrack for the Disneyland [[Haunted Mansion Holiday]] ride.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Strodder |first1=Chris |title=The Disneyland Encyclopedia |url=https://archive.org/details/disneylandencycl0000stro_z6a9 |date=2017 |publisher=Santa Monica Press |isbn=978-1595800909 |edition=3rd |pages=240–241}}</ref>

The actual production of filming was a very slow and grueling process, taking over 3 years to finish. The animators worked on multiple [[sound stage]]s at once to improve productivity on the film but a week’s work was still only a minute’s worth of actual film. The animators had to be very careful to be cautious on the sets as a simple thing such as a bump to one of the puppets could ruin a shot and they would have to start from scratch.

==Release==

At the finish of the production of the film, the sets and puppets all faced different fates. Henry Selick kept a great deal of props from the film in his personal collection, and some of the animators also took home the puppets. Many of the sets were simply discarded as there were so many of them and they took up a great deal of space. A number of the puppets with a more human like structure were cut open and the armature taken out, as they were custom made and expensive. The Town Hall can currently be seen on display by the staircase leading from the ground to the 1st floor at Planet Hollywood in Downtown Disney, Orlando, Florida.

''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' was originally going to be released under Walt Disney Pictures as part of the [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Feature Animation]] lineup, but Disney decided to release the film under the studio's adult-oriented [[Touchstone Pictures]] banner, because the studio thought the film would be "too dark and scary for kids," Selick remembered. "Their biggest fear, and why it was kind of a stepchild project, [was] they were afraid of their [[Target audience|core audience]] hating the film and not coming."<ref name="IGN">{{cite news | first = Scott | last = Collura | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/2006/10/20/the-nightmare-before-christmas-3-d-13-years-and-three-dimensions-later | title = The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D: 13 Years and Three Dimensions Later | work = [[IGN]] | date = October 21, 2006 | access-date = March 22, 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120825183122/http://www.ign.com/articles/2006/10/20/the-nightmare-before-christmas-3-d-13-years-and-three-dimensions-later | archive-date = August 25, 2012 | url-status = live }}</ref> To convey Burton's involvement and attract a wider audience, Disney marketed the film as ''Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.''<ref>{{Cite news|last=Ricci|first=Kimberly|title=Why Is Tim Burton's Name In 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' Title?|url=https://uproxx.com/movies/why-tim-burton-name-in-the-nightmare-before-christmas-title/|date=November 4, 2022|work=[[Uproxx]]|access-date=June 16, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015003641/https://uproxx.com/movies/why-tim-burton-name-in-the-nightmare-before-christmas-title/|archive-date=October 15, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Selick, the decision was made approximately three weeks before the film went into wide release.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Selick |first=Henry |date=November 1, 2022 |title=The Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick is humbly asking for a little bit of credit |url=https://www.avclub.com/henry-selick-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burton-1849728445 |access-date=September 20, 2024 |work=[[The A.V. Club]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240920174842/https://www.avclub.com/henry-selick-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burton-1849728445|archive-date=September 20, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> Burton explained that, "…it turned more into more of a [[Brand#Brand name|brand-name]] thing, it turned into something else, which I'm not quite sure about."{{sfn|Salisbury|Burton|2006|p=121–127}} The film made its world premiere on the opening day celebration of the [[New York Film Festival]] on October 9, 1993,<ref>{{cite news | author = John Evan Prook | url = https://www.variety.com/article/VR109733 | title = ''Christmas'' comes to N.Y. Film Fest | work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date = August 18, 1993 | access-date = September 26, 2008 | archive-date = November 5, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121105131752/http://www.variety.com/article/VR109733 | url-status = dead }}</ref> and was given a [[limited release]] on October 13, 1993, before its [[Wide release|wide theatrical release]] on October 29, 1993.<ref name="/Film">{{cite web|last=Scott|first=Ryan|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1427794/the-nightmare-before-christmas-reenters-top-5-box-office/|title=What's This? The Nightmare Before Christmas Re-Enters The Top 5 At The Box Office|date=October 23, 2023|work=[[/Film]]|access-date=May 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231024135950/https://www.slashfilm.com/1427794/the-nightmare-before-christmas-reenters-top-5-box-office/|archive-date=October 24, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="CNN">{{cite news|last=Andrew|first=Scottie|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/31/entertainment/nightmare-before-christmas-30th-anniversary-disney-cec/index.html|title=How 'Nightmare Before Christmas' went from cult classic to beloved Disney property|date=October 31, 2023|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=May 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128000241/https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/31/entertainment/nightmare-before-christmas-30th-anniversary-disney-cec/index.html|archive-date=November 28, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reaction=Reissues and legacyre-releases===

''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' was [[reissue]]d under the Walt Disney Pictures label and re-released on October 20, 2006, with conversion to [[Disney Digital 3-D]], and was accompanied by [[Pixar]]'s short film ''[[Knick Knack]]''.<ref name=Forbes20th/> [[Industrial Light & Magic]] assisted in the process.<ref name="IGN" /> It subsequently re-released on October 19, 2007, October 24, 2008, and October 23, 2009.<ref name="mojo"/> The [[El Capitan Theatre]] in [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], California, has been showing the film in [[4D film|4-D screenings]] annually in October, ending on Halloween, since 2010.<ref>{{cite web|last=Fadroski|first=Kelli|title='The Nightmare Before Christmas' is even more fun in 4-D|url=https://www.ocregister.com/2010/10/26/the-nightmare-before-christmas-is-even-more-fun-in-4-d-2/|date=October 26, 2010|website=[[The Orange County Register]]|access-date=June 16, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250616205701/https://www.ocregister.com/2010/10/26/the-nightmare-before-christmas-is-even-more-fun-in-4-d-2/|archive-date=June 16, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref> The reissues have led to a reemergence of [[3D film|3-D films]] and advances in [[RealD Cinema]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/04/27/real-d-the-future-of-cinema|title=Real D: The Future of Cinema|date=April 27, 2007|work=[[IGN]]|first=Cam|last=Shea|access-date=September 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918231519/http://movies.ign.com/articles/784/784033p1.html|archive-date=September 18, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="MTV">{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1543596/20061019/story.jhtml|title=How Burton's Fever Dream Spawned ''Nightmare Before Christmas''|date=October 20, 2006|work=[[MTV]]|first1=Shawn|last1=Adler|first2=Larry|last2=Carroll|access-date=September 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090113103857/http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1543596/20061019/story.jhtml|archive-date=January 13, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Image:Nightmare Before Christmas 3D.jpg|thumb|Poster for the 3D re-release.]]

''Nightmare'' originally opened in wide release on October 29, 1993. Although it received generally positive reviews by critics, with a 97% "fresh" at [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film struggled to find an audience. It eventually earned a respectable $50 million at the box office, but still was not nearly as successful as many other Disney films of that time.

In October 2020, ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' was re-released in 2,194 theaters. It grossed $1.3 million over the weekend, finishing fourth behind [[Tenet (film)|''Tenet'']].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Domestic 2020 Weekend 42|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2020W42/?ref_=bo_we_nav|access-date=2020-10-26|website=Box Office Mojo|archive-date=November 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101005418/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2020W42/?ref_=bo_we_nav|url-status=live}}</ref> For the film's 30th anniversary and in commemoration of The Walt Disney Company's [[centennial]], it was re-released in theaters across the United States and Canada on October 20, 2023, including engagements in [[4DX]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bonomolo|first=Cameron|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas Returning to Theaters for 30th Anniversary|url=https://comicbook.com/movies/news/the-nightmare-before-christmas-return-theaters-30th-anniversary/ |access-date=June 16, 2025 |website=[[Comicbook.com]]|date=October 2, 2023|archive-date=October 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241004011307/https://comicbook.com/movies/news/the-nightmare-before-christmas-return-theaters-30th-anniversary/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=De Freitas|first=Thabata Nunes|title=Tim Burton's 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' is returning to theaters next month|url=https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2023/9/13/23870293/30-years-of-nightmare-before-christmas/|date=September 13, 2023|website=[[Deseret News]]|access-date=June 16, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914125600/https://www.deseret.com/entertainment/2023/9/13/23870293/30-years-of-nightmare-before-christmas|archive-date=September 14, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was once again theatrically re-released on October 11, 2024.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Nolfi|first=Joey|url=https://ew.com/hocus-pocus-nightmare-before-christmas-showtimes-halloween-2024-8721093|title=Where to see Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas in theaters and on TV this Halloween|date=October 1, 2024|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=June 10, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241001211711/https://ew.com/hocus-pocus-nightmare-before-christmas-showtimes-halloween-2024-8721093|archive-date=October 1, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Bedoya|first=Aaron A.|url=https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/entertainment/movies/2024/10/10/nightmare-before-christmas-popcorn-bucket-revealed-for-theater-release/75616659007/|title=AMC to offer Jack Skellington popcorn bucket for 'Nightmare Before Christmas' in theaters|date=October 10, 2024|work=[[El Paso Times]]|access-date=May 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250306171105/https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/entertainment/movies/2024/10/10/nightmare-before-christmas-popcorn-bucket-revealed-for-theater-release/75616659007/|archive-date=March 6, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>

The film was nominated for best original score in the 1994 Golden Globes, as well as an Oscar nomination for Visual Effects; however it lost in both cases.

===Home media===

When ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' was released on video on [[September 30]], [[1994]], it gradually gained a cult following. In the late 90's the following boomed and the film has since become a mainstream hit and is even considered a Christmas classic.

With years of successful [[home video]] sales, ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' later achieved the ranks of a [[cult film]].<ref name=IGN/> [[Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment|Touchstone Home Video]] first released the film on [[VHS]] and [[LaserDisc]] (in both deluxe CAV and widescreen editions) on September 30, 1994, and on [[DVD]] on December 2, 1997. ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' was released on DVD a second time on October 3, 2000, as a [[special edition]]. The release included an [[audio commentary]] by Selick and cinematographer Pete Kozachik, a 28-minute [[making-of]] documentary, a gallery of concept art, storyboards, test footage and [[deleted scene]]s. Burton's ''[[Vincent (1982 film)|Vincent]]'' (1982) and ''[[Frankenweenie (1984 film)|Frankenweenie]]'' (1984) were also included.<ref name="Collider">{{cite web|last=P|first=Maddie|url=https://collider.com/the-nightmare-before-christmas-streaming/|title=How to Watch 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'|date=December 11, 2022|work=[[Collider (website)|Collider]]|access-date=May 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217031234/https://collider.com/the-nightmare-before-christmas-streaming/|archive-date=December 17, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Both DVDs were [[Anamorphic widescreen|non-anamorphic widescreen]] releases. The film was released on [[Universal Media Disc|UMD]] for [[PlayStation Portable]] on October 25, 2005.<ref>{{cite web|date=8 August 2012|title=Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas UMD VIDEO|url=http://psp.ign.com/objects/775/775759.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060807001723/http://psp.ign.com/objects/775/775759.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=7 August 2006|access-date=24 June 2022|publisher=psp.ign.com}}</ref>

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment reissued the DVD (this time with an anamorphic transfer) and on [[Blu-ray|Blu-ray Disc]] (for the first time) on August 26, 2008, as a two-disc [[Digital intermediate|digitally remastered]] "collector's edition", but still containing the same special features.<ref name="Collider"/> Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' on [[Blu-ray 3D]] on August 30, 2011. The release included a Blu-ray 3D disc, Blu-ray disc and a DVD that includes both a DVD and [[digital copy]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Arrant|first=Chris|title=Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" 3D Coming To Disney Blue-ray & Movie Download|url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/biz/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-3d-coming-to-disney-blue-ray-movie-download-43652.html|date=June 4, 2011|work=[[Cartoon Brew]]|access-date=May 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140711050815/http://www.cartoonbrew.com/biz/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-3d-coming-to-disney-blue-ray-movie-download-43652.html|archive-date=July 11, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kit|first=Borys|title=Blu-ray, DVD Releases: 'Nightmare Before Christmas' in 3D, 'Twilight Zone: Season Five' and More|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/blu-ray-dvd-releases-nightmare-196958/|date=June 10, 2011|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|access-date=May 5, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208204858/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/blu-ray-dvd-releases-nightmare-196958/|archive-date=December 8, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, a sing-along version, accompanied by the theatrical cut and a [[Movies Anywhere]] copy, as a single-disc version for the film's 25th anniversary.<ref>{{cite web|title='The Nightmare Before Christmas' 25th Anniversary Edition Arrives on Blu-ray Sept. 2|url=https://www.awn.com/news/nightmare-christmas-25th-anniversary-edition-arrives-blu-ray-sept-2|date=August 20, 2018|website=[[Animation World Network]]|access-date=June 16, 2025|archive-date=June 3, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240603005705/https://www.awn.com/news/nightmare-christmas-25th-anniversary-edition-arrives-blu-ray-sept-2|url-status=live}}</ref> In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the film was remastered in [[4K resolution|4K]] and was released on [[Ultra HD Blu-ray|4K Blu-ray]], including extra content, on August 22, 2023.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hoolihan|first=Hannah|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas on 4K UHD and Blu-ray is on Sale at Amazon|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/the-nightmare-before-christmas-on-4k-uhd-and-blu-ray-is-on-sale-at-amazon|date=Sep 28, 2023|website=[[IGN]]|access-date=June 16, 2025|archive-date=Sep 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929050436/https://www.ign.com/articles/the-nightmare-before-christmas-on-4k-uhd-and-blu-ray-is-on-sale-at-amazon|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Fallon|first=Sean|url=https://comicbook.com/gear/news/the-nightmare-before-christmas-30th-anniversary-collection-unveiled-at-hot-topic/|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas Sally's Storage Jar Set is 30% off|date=July 14, 2023|website=[[ComicBook.com]]|access-date=July 17, 2023|archive-date=July 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230717211557/https://comicbook.com/gear/news/the-nightmare-before-christmas-30th-anniversary-collection-unveiled-at-hot-topic/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The same studio that produced ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' later created another stop-motion movie based on the [[Roald Dahl]] book, ''[[James and the Giant Peach (film)|James and the Giant Peach]]'' (1996). However, the film failed to receive the same success.

===Marketing===

In 2005, [[Tim Burton|Burton]] returned to the medium of [[stop motion]] with the film, ''[[Corpse Bride]]'', which was distributed by [[Warner Bros.]] An original film with very few similarities to ''Nightmare''. However, this was not pure stop motion animation as it included digital editing as well as the traditional stop-motion animation. It was released to widely positive reviews and was nominated for an Academy Award.

Disney has extensively marketed the film and its characters across many forms of media and memorabilia, including action figures, books, games, art crafts, and fashion products. Jack Skellington, Sally, Pajama Jack, and the Mayor have been made into bendable figures,<ref>{{Cite book|last=Frederick J.|first=Augustyn|title=Dictionary of Toys and Games in American Popular Culture|publisher=Haworth Press|year=2004|page=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryoftoys00fred/page/18 <!-- quote="Nightmare Before Christmas characters". --> 18]}}</ref> Sally has been made into an action figure and a Halloween costume.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/103108/liv_350203107.shtml|title=Halloween gives teens a chance to scare, be silly|website=[[Lubbock Avalanche-Journal]]|date=October 31, 2008|access-date=July 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714001041/http://lubbockonline.com/stories/103108/liv_350203107.shtml|archive-date=July 14, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Various [[Disneyland]] and the branching theme parks host attractions featuring ''Nightmare'' characters, particularly during Halloween and Christmas seasons. Since 2001, [[Disneyland]] has given its [[Haunted Mansion Holiday]] attraction a ''Nightmare Before Christmas'' theme for the holiday season. It features characters, decorations and music from the film, in addition to [[Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party]] and [[Mickey's Halloween Party]] featuring the film's characters.<ref>Ramin Setoodeh, "Haunted Parks", ''[[Newsweek]]'' 144.16 (October 18, 2004): 73.</ref><ref name="CNN"/> Additionally, Jack hosts the ''[[Halloween Screams]]'' and ''[[Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party|Not So Spooky Spectacular!]]'' fireworks shows at [[Magic Kingdom]] (where the host is Ghost Host) and Disneyland (where the host is Jack himself), as well as the [[Mickey's Halloween Party|Frightfully Fun Parade]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=MacDonald|first=Brady|title=Disneyland crowds return for 'Halloween Screams' fireworks show filling both parking garages to capacity|url=https://www.ocregister.com/2019/09/07/disneyland-crowds-return-for-halloween-screams-fireworks-show-filling-both-parking-garages-to-capacity/|date=Sep 7, 2019|work=[[The Orange County Register]]|access-date=June 16, 2025|archive-date=January 29, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230129081455/https://www.ocregister.com/2019/09/07/disneyland-crowds-return-for-halloween-screams-fireworks-show-filling-both-parking-garages-to-capacity/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Chen|first=Eve|title=It's party time at Disney World. What to do at Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween bash.|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/theme-parks/2023/09/05/disney-world-mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-tips/70725342007/|date=October 16, 2023|work=[[USA Today]]|access-date=June 16, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240926030650/https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/theme-parks/2023/09/05/disney-world-mickeys-not-so-scary-halloween-party-tips/70725342007/|archive-date=September 26, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Quinn|first=Dave|title=Disneyland Is Throwing a Brand New After-Hours Halloween Party Inspired by Your Favorite Villains|url=https://people.com/travel/disneyland-nightmare-before-christmas-halloween-party/|date=August 7, 2019|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|access-date=June 16, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127205253/https://people.com/travel/disneyland-nightmare-before-christmas-halloween-party/|archive-date=January 27, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception==

On October 20, 2006, a remastered [[Disney Digital 3D]] version of the film was released in select theatres. In conjunction with the 3D re-release, Disney released a special two-disc soundtrack album on October 24, 2006. It features musical artists such as [[Fall Out Boy]], [[Marilyn Manson]], [[Panic! At The Disco]], [[Fiona Apple]] and [[She Wants Revenge]], who contribute cover versions of songs featured in the film. The album quickly rose to #4 on the iTunes Top Albums chart. [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1539534/20060828/story.jhtml]

===Box office===

Around the release of the film, Hoberman was quoted, "I hope ''Nightmare'' goes out and makes a fortune. If it does, great. If it doesn't, that doesn't negate the validity of the process. The budget was less than any Disney [[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] so it doesn't have to earn ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]''-sized grosses to satisfy us."<ref name="Gems" /> The film earned $50 million in the United States in its initial theatrical run<ref name="mojo"/> and was regarded as a moderate [[sleeper hit]].<ref name="CNN"/>

''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' made an additional $11.1 million in box office gross in its 2006 reissue.<ref name="mojo"/><ref name="/Film"/> The 2007, 2008, 2009, 2020, and 2023 reissues earned $15.8 million, $2.5 million, $2.3 million, and $10 million, respectively, increasing the film's total box office gross to $107.8 million.<ref name="mojo"/><ref>{{Cite news |last=Rubin |first=Rebecca |date=October 22, 2023 |title=Box Office: Scorsese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon' Impresses With $23 Million Debut, but Swift's 'Eras Tour' Remains No. 1 |work=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/box-office-scorsese-killers-of-the-flower-moon-opening-weekend-taylor-swift-stays-first-1235764365/ |access-date=October 22, 2023 |archive-date=October 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022222207/https://variety.com/2023/film/box-office/box-office-scorsese-killers-of-the-flower-moon-opening-weekend-taylor-swift-stays-first-1235764365/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It would also finish in top 10 during the first three-day weekend of its 2024 re-release, grossing $2.4 million.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2024W41/?ref_=bo_wey_table_4|title=Domestic 2024 Weekend 41|publisher=Box Office Mojo|access-date=October 17, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241226145101/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/2024W41/?ref_=bo_wey_table_4|archive-date=December 26, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Technical data==

*Title: ''The Nightmare Before Christmas''

*Directed by: [[Henry Selick]]

*Written by: [[Tim Burton]] (story and characters), [[Caroline Thompson]] and [[Michael McDowell (author)|Michael McDowell]]

*Music by: [[Danny Elfman]]

*Released on: [[October 13]] [[1993]]

*[[United States|American]] picture

*Specifications: Technicolor, 35 mm 1.66:1 (colours, [[Dolby]] digital sound)

*Genre: animation, [[fantasy]], [[satire]], musical

*Runtime: 79 minutes

*[[MPAA]] rating: PG for some scary images

===Critical response===

==Merchandising==

On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' holds a rating of 95% based on 106 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' is a stunningly original and visually delightful work of stop-motion animation."<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nightmare_before_christmas/ | title = The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) | work = [[Rotten Tomatoes]] | publisher = [[Fandango Media]] | access-date = October 18, 2023 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200604015108/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/nightmare_before_christmas | archive-date = June 4, 2020 | url-status = live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a weighted average score of 82 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web | title = The Nightmare Before Christmas Reviews | work = [[Metacritic]] | publisher = [[CBS Interactive]] | url = https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-nightmare-before-christmas | access-date = April 13, 2018 | archive-date = April 19, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180419073346/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-nightmare-before-christmas | url-status = live }}</ref> Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade "B+" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |title= Cinemascore |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/ |archive-date= December 20, 2018 |access-date= July 8, 2019 }}</ref>

Currently, ''Nightmare'' has become one of the most successful franchises in terms of selling merchandise. Much of the original merchandise has become highly collectible and rare. The film has also developed a group of very dedicated collectors, utlizing on-line auction websites such as [[eBay]] to obtain these rare items.

[[Roger Ebert]] praised the film's visual inventiveness: "One of the many pleasures of ''Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas'' is that there is not a single recognizable landscape in it. Everything looks strange and haunting. Even Santa Claus would be difficult to recognize without his red-and-white uniform." He wrote that it presented a world "that is as completely new as the worlds we saw for the first time in such films as ''[[Metropolis (1927 film)|Metropolis]]'', ''[[The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]]'' and ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''. What all of these films have in common is a visual richness, so abundant they deserve more than one viewing." He wrote that "The songs by Danny Elfman are fun too, a couple of them using lyrics so clever they could be updated from [[Gilbert & Sullivan]]. And the choreography, liberated from gravity and reality, has an energy of its own, as when the furniture, the architecture, and the very landscape itself gets in on the act." He notes that "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."<ref>{{cite news | title = The Nightmare Before Christmas | url = https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-1993 | last = Ebert | first = Roger | work = RogerEbert.com | date = October 22, 1993 | access-date = September 26, 2008 | archive-date = June 3, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130603080422/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-1993 | url-status = live }}</ref>

In the past few years many alternative retail stores such as [[Hot Topic]] have obtained the rights to sell products and have dramatically increased production on many Nightmare inspired products. Many original fans of the film contest that these products are cheap and uninspired, bastardizing what once was a cult film.

[[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]'' called it a restoration of "originality and daring to the Halloween genre. This dazzling mix of fun and fright also explodes the notion that animation is kid stuff. … It's 74 minutes of timeless movie magic."<ref>{{cite news | first = Peter | last = Travers | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5947515/review/5947516/the_nightmare_before_christmas | title = The Nightmare Before Christmas | work = [[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]] | date = April 11, 2001 | access-date = September 26, 2008 | author-link = Peter Travers | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081130055653/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5947515/review/5947516/the_nightmare_before_christmas | archive-date = November 30, 2008 | url-status = dead }}</ref> [[James Berardinelli]] stated "''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' has something to offer just about everyone. For the kids, it's a fantasy celebrating two holidays. For the adults, it's an opportunity to experience some light entertainment while marveling at how adept Hollywood has become at these techniques. There are songs, laughs, and a little romance. In short, ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' does what it intends to: entertain."<ref>{{cite news | first = James | last = Berardinelli | url = https://preview.reelviews.net/movies/n/nightmare.html | title = The Nightmare Before Christmas | work = ReelViews | access-date = September 26, 2008 | author-link = James Berardinelli | archive-date = December 8, 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191208234154/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/n/nightmare.html | url-status = live }}</ref> [[Desson Thomson]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' enjoyed the film's similarities to the writings of [[Oscar Wilde]] and the [[Brothers Grimm]], as well as ''[[The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari]]'' and other [[German Expressionism (cinema)|German Expressionist]] films.<ref>{{cite news | first = Desson | last = Thomson | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/thenightmarebeforechristmaspghowe_a0b003.htm | title = The Nightmare Before Christmas | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | access-date = September 26, 2008 | date = October 22, 1993 | author-link = Desson Thomson | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121110172157/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/thenightmarebeforechristmaspghowe_a0b003.htm | archive-date = November 10, 2012 | url-status = live }}</ref>

==Haunted Mansion Holiday==

For the past five years, the [[Disneyland]] in [[California]] and [[Tokyo Disneyland]] in [[Japan]] have received a ''Nightmare Before Christmas'' themed overlay, entitled [[The Haunted Mansion Holiday|Haunted Mansion Holiday]] in California and Holiday Nightmare in Japan, for their [[Haunted Mansion]] attractions. The attractions are closed in September each year for themes to be completely overhauled, and open again themed in October until January of the next year. The attraction generally has a one night opening event each year that includes special guests, a dinner, special merchandise, and a ride through the attraction, although the [[Happiest Celebration on Earth]] halted that in [[Disneyland]] in 2005. Starting in 2001, the ride has included a score that was written specifically for the ride by film composer [[Danny Elfman]]. There has been a great deal of speculation recently that 2006 will be the last year for the event, allegedly at [[Tim Burton]]'s request.{{fact}} Despite this, Disney CEO [[Bob Iger]] dismissed these rumours at the shareholders meeting in 2006, saying "there is no reason why the Haunted Mansion Holiday will not go ahead".{{fact}}

Michael A. Morrison discusses the influence of [[Dr. Seuss]]' ''[[How the Grinch Stole Christmas!]]'' on the film, writing that Jack parallels the Grinch and Zero parallels Max, the Grinch's dog.<ref name="books.google.com">Michael A. Morrison, ''Trajectories of the Fantastic: Selected Essays from the Fourteenth International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts'' (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997), [https://books.google.com/books?id=ssGT7x-jCTYC&dq=Zero+%22Nightmare+Before+Christmas%22&pg=PA154 154] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914190205/https://books.google.com/books?id=ssGT7x-jCTYC&dq=Zero+%22Nightmare+Before+Christmas%22&pg=PA154 |date=September 14, 2023 }}.</ref> [[Philip Nel]] writes that the film "challenges the wisdom of adults through its trickster characters", contrasting Jack as a "good trickster" with Oogie Boogie, whom he also compares with Seuss' [[The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.|Dr. Terwilliker]] as a bad trickster.<ref>Philip Nel, ''Dr. Seuss: American Icon'' (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004), [https://books.google.com/books?id=IjvHQsCn_pgC&dq=%22Oogie+Boogie%22&pg=PA95 95] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611031414/https://books.google.com/books?id=IjvHQsCn_pgC&pg=PA95&dq=%22Oogie+Boogie%22&ei=8nMaSYi2L4jUMoP1tcMG |date=June 11, 2020 }}.</ref> ''Entertainment Weekly'' reports that fan reception of these characters borders on obsession, profiling Laurie and Myk Rudnick, a couple whose "degree of obsession with [the] film is so great that … they named their son after the real-life person that a character in the film is based on."<ref>"Obsessive Fans of the Week!" in ''Entertainment Weekly'' 909 (12/1/2006): 6.</ref> This enthusiasm for the characters has also been profiled as having spread beyond North America to Japan.<ref>Stephen Jones, ''The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror'' (Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2002), [https://books.google.com/books?id=arbgqvfGWfQC&dq=Zero+%22Nightmare+Before+Christmas%22&pg=PA75 75] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230914190209/https://books.google.com/books?id=arbgqvfGWfQC&dq=Zero+%22Nightmare+Before+Christmas%22&pg=PA75 |date=September 14, 2023 }}.</ref> [[Yvonne Tasker]] notes "the complex characterization seen in ''The Nightmare Before Christmas''".<ref>[[Yvonne Tasker]], ''Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers'' (Routledge, 2002), [https://books.google.com/books?id=v0SITBLPJEAC&dq=%22Nightmare+Before+Christmas%22+%22character+development%22&pg=PA76 76] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200611033159/https://books.google.com/books?id=v0SITBLPJEAC&pg=PA76&dq=%22Nightmare+Before+Christmas%22+%22character+development%22&ei=56cbSY38KJSmM8Pv7fkO |date=June 11, 2020 }}.</ref>

==Video Games==

[[Image:Oogie's Revenge.jpg|thumb|right|''Oogie's Revenge'' for the [[PS2]]]]

A [[video game]] based on the original movie was released in 2005. ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge]]'' is an action/adventure game developed by [[Capcom]] from [[Japan]] for the [[PlayStation 2]] and [[Xbox]] systems. Intended to be a sequel to the movie, the game features the return of all the well-known characters in a new and arguably darker story with upgraded versions of the film's songs. In the story, Jack leaves Halloween Town to satisfy his curiosity. During Jack's absence, unfortunately, Oogie Boogie is reconstructed. By the time Jack returns, the monster has taken over Halloween Town and tricked its people into thinking Jack has abandoned them. Now Jack has to stop Oogie Boogie's evil plans as he attempts to take over the other holiday worlds, and the 'real' world. The game features controls similar to [[Devil May Cry]]. The game features a weapon known as a 'Soul Robber'. In the game players get other costumes such as "Pumpkin King," and "Santa Jack".

===Accolades===

A [[GBA]] game, ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King]]'' came out in fall 2005. The opposite of the PlayStation and Xbox versions, the GBA game works as a prequel to the movie. The Pumpkin King is a side-scrolling action platformer (similar to [[Metroid]] and [[Castlevania]]) in which the player controls Jack Skellington and use a number of different weapons to fight enemies and traverse obstacles. The side-scrolling adventure game centers on the first time Jack faced off against his nemesis, Oogie Boogie, to eventually become the Pumpkin King. The game's plot will kick off with the invasion of some unusual bugs in Halloween Town. Jack soon discovers that these nasty insects are under the control of Oogie Boogie, who's looking to take over Halloween himself. With these creepy wheels set in motion, it will be up to Jack and his friends--including characters such as Zero, Sally, Dr. Finklestein, and others to both stop Oogie and save Halloween.

The film was nominated for both the [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects]] and the [[Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation]].<ref name="GoodNightOscars">{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109919042/jurassic-park-another-spielberg/ |title='Jurassic Park,' another Spielberg movie, also has good night with 3 awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921024558/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109919042/jurassic-park-another-spielberg/ |date=March 22, 1994 |access-date=September 21, 2022 |archive-date=September 21, 2022 |page=6 |publisher=[[The Orlando Sentinel]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=1994 Hugo Awards|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/?page_id=124|date=July 28, 2007|publisher=Thehugoawards.org|access-date=May 7, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080928142739/http://www.thehugoawards.org/?page_id=124|archive-date=September 28, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Nightmare'' won the [[Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film]], while Elfman won [[Saturn Award for Best Music|Best Music]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Past Award Winners|url=http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html|website=[[Saturn Award]]|access-date=May 7, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100209012608/http://www.saturnawards.org/past.html|archive-date=February 9, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> Selick and the animators were also nominated for their work. Elfman was nominated for the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Golden Globe nominations|url=https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/golden-globe-nominations-116901/|date=December 22, 1993|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=May 7, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201193935/https://variety.com/1993/tv/news/golden-globe-nominations-116901/|archive-date=December 1, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Fox|first=David|title='Schindler,' 'Piano' Head Globe List|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-23-me-4902-story.html|date=December 23, 1993|website=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=May 7, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230207173704/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-12-23-me-4902-story.html|archive-date=February 7, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> The film ranked #1 on [[Rotten Tomatoes]]' "Top 25 Best Christmas Movies" list.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/best_christmas_movies/nightmare_before_christmas/|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): Rank 1|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=December 20, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224095634/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/best_christmas_movies/nightmare_before_christmas/|archive-date=December 24, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Possible sequel==

{{spoiler}}

{{Anchor|Sequel|Future}}

Halloween Town's first appearance in a video game was one of the worlds in the [[Square Enix]]/[[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]] ''[[Kingdom Hearts]]'' video game series. In this game, Jack tries to create an artificial heart so he can control the [[Heartless]] for use in his "Heartless Halloween". His plan goes awry when Oogie Boogie (one of the Disney villains allied with [[Maleficent]]) steals the heart, ingests it, and tries to use it to control the Heartless for his own purposes. Jack then teams up with Sora and the others to stop Oogie Boogie's plans. Jack can also join [[Sora (Kingdom Hearts)|Sora's]] party whenever they are in Halloween Town. He was also included in the GameBoy Advance game ''[[Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories]]'' as a Friend Card sporting his own unique Sleights, or combos. In this version, he helps Sora stop Oogie Boogie after the latter drank a potion that shows the true memories of the heart and frightens all but the most pure-hearted. His appearance as a Friend unlocks the availability of the Pumpkinhead Keyblade Card as well.

In 2001, Disney began to consider producing a sequel, but rather than using [[stop motion]], they wanted to use [[computer animation]].<ref>{{cite news | first = Fred | last = Topel | title = Director Henry Selick Interview – ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' | date = August 25, 2008 | work = [[About.com]] | url = http://movies.about.com/od/nightmarebeforechristmas/a/nightmare082508.htm | access-date = September 27, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080925081930/http://movies.about.com/od/nightmarebeforechristmas/a/nightmare082508.htm | archive-date = September 25, 2008 | url-status = live }}</ref> Burton convinced Disney to drop the idea. "I was always very protective of [''The Nightmare Before Christmas''], not to do sequels or things of that kind," Burton explained. "You know, Jack visits [[Thanksgiving (United States)|Thanksgiving]] world or other kinds of things just because I felt the movie had a purity to it and the people that like it, because it's a mass-market kind of thing, it was important to kind of keep that purity of it."<ref name=MTV/> The 2004 video game ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge]]'' did serve as a sequel of the film, with [[Capcom]]'s crew of developers going after Burton for advice<ref>{{cite web|url=https://movieweb.com/cynamatic-exclusive-masato-yoshino-gets-oogies-revenge/|title=CYNAMATIC: EXCLUSIVE: Masato Yoshino Gets Oogie's Revenge|work=MovieWeb|date=October 7, 2005|access-date=January 6, 2011|archive-date=June 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230620011700/https://movieweb.com/cynamatic-exclusive-masato-yoshino-gets-oogies-revenge/|url-status=live}}</ref> and having the collaboration of the film's art director, Deane Taylor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://interviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/1309/Tim-Burtons-The-Nightmare-Before-Christmas-Oogies-Revenge-Deane-Taylor-Interview/p3/|title=Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge – Deane Taylor Interview|publisher=TeamXbox|date=September 19, 2005|access-date=January 6, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716195515/http://interviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/1309/Tim-Burtons-The-Nightmare-Before-Christmas-Oogies-Revenge-Deane-Taylor-Interview/p3/|archive-date=July 16, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 2009, Selick said he would do a film sequel if he and Burton could create a good story for it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/how-possible-is-a-sequel-to-nightmare-before-christmas|title=How possible is a sequel to Nightmare Before Christmas?|work=[[Blastr]]|date=February 1, 2009|last=Otto|first=Jack|access-date=January 6, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708013345/http://blastr.com/2009/02/how-possible-is-a-sequel-to-nightmare-before-christmas.php|archive-date=July 8, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In February 2019, it was reported that a new ''Nightmare Before Christmas'' film was in the works with Disney considering either a stop-motion sequel or live-action remake.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Sarkisian|first1=Jacob|title='The Nightmare Before Christmas' writer says a Disney live-action remake would be 'greedy and stupid'|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/nightmare-before-christmas-disney-live-action-remake-2020-12|date=December 5, 2020|website=[[Business Insider]]|access-date=July 8, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240408201840/https://www.businessinsider.com/nightmare-before-christmas-disney-live-action-remake-2020-12|archive-date=April 8, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2019, [[Chris Sarandon]] expressed interest on reprising his role as Jack Skellington if a sequel film ever materializes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://comicbook.com/horror/news/nightmare-before-christmas-sequel-jack-skellington-actor-return-chris-sarandon/|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas Star Would Crawl Across the Country to Play Jack Skellington in a Sequel|work=ComicBook.com|date=October 10, 2019|last=Cavanaugh|first=Patrick|access-date=October 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200621235148/https://comicbook.com/horror/news/nightmare-before-christmas-sequel-jack-skellington-actor-return-chris-sarandon/|archive-date=June 21, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Kingdom Hearts II]]'' also features Halloween Town and its residents. It seemingly follows the movie plot, in which Jack tries to take Santa Claus's place in Christmas. However, at one point during the story, Jack and Santa mention this being the second time Jack has attempted to take over Christmas. This justifies the theory that Kingdom Hearts II takes place after the events of the movie (Although it is not specified whether it also takes place after ''Oogie's Revenge'', as that game and the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series are owned by different companies, though the fact Jack does not wield the Soul Robber in this game may mean that this takes place before ''Oogie's Revenge'', or that the game is not in the Kingdom Hearts continuity), minus Oogie Boogie. In the game, [[Maleficent]] arrives to recruit Lock, Shock, and Barrel to help her wreck Christmas Town and make Santa Claus into a Heartless. But when Sora arrives to help Jack as Santa's bodyguard, Maleficent uses her powers to revive Oogie Boogie, who now seems to have a [[anterograde amnesia|short-term memory loss]], remembering only his undying hatred of Jack and "sidekicks". Nonetheless, Oogie Boogie is defeated just as he had been before.

On February 22, 2021, [[Disney Publishing Worldwide|Disney Publishing]] announced that a sequel was given to the 1993 film in the form of a [[Young adult fiction|young adult]] novel, released as ''Long Live the Pumpkin Queen''. It was written by Shea Ernshaw and features Sally as the main character, told through her point-of-view, with events taking place after the film.<ref name="io9.gizmodo.com">{{cite web |url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/nightmare-before-christmas-sally-gets-to-shine-in-a-new-1846279355 |title=Nightmare Before Christmas' Sally Gets to Shine in a New YA Novel From Shea Ernshaw |work=Gizmodo |last=Whitbrook |first=James |date=February 16, 2021 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=May 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516233002/https://io9.gizmodo.com/nightmare-before-christmas-sally-gets-to-shine-in-a-new-1846279355 |url-status=live }}</ref> The book was released on August 2, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.disney.com/book/long-live-the-pumpkin-queen/ |title=Long Live the Pumpkin Queen |work=Disney Books &#124; Disney Publishing Worldwide |access-date=November 3, 2022 |archive-date=November 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103095955/https://books.disney.com/book/long-live-the-pumpkin-queen/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the second visit, Jack (still wearing the Santa outfit) teams up with Sora to help bring back lost presents to Santa. During their mission, the two learn of a mysterious "gift-thief". This thief turns out to be a robotic creature created by Dr. Finklestein, referred to as the "Experiment." It is caught and defeated while attempting to find a heart by stealing Santa's presents since it lacked its own.

In October 2023, Selick stated that he would like to do a [[prequel]] film about how Jack became king of Halloween Town.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Carly |date=2023-10-14 |title='The Nightmare Before Christmas' Director on His Idea for a Potential Prequel |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-nightmare-before-christmas-director-idea-potential-prequel-1235618279/ |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015051848/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/the-nightmare-before-christmas-director-idea-potential-prequel-1235618279/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Haring |first=Bruce |date=2023-10-14 |title='The Nightmare Before Christmas' Prequel Is Batted Around By Director Henry Selick |url=https://deadline.com/2023/10/the-nightmare-before-christmas-sequel-batted-around-by-director-henry-selick-1235573732/ |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=Deadline |language=en-US |archive-date=October 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014195203/https://deadline.com/2023/10/the-nightmare-before-christmas-sequel-batted-around-by-director-henry-selick-1235573732/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The following month, however, Burton said that he did not want to see any further projects in that universe.<ref>{{cite magaz<!---->ine article |last1=Travis |first1=Ben |title=Tim Burton Doesn't Want Sequels Or A Reboot For The Nightmare Before Christmas: 'Get Off Of My Land!' – Exclusive |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burton-doesnt-want-sequels-reboot-exclusive/ |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |publisher=[[Bauer Publishing]] |language=en |date=November 21, 2023}}</ref> In August 2024, Selick expressed doubt that a sequel would ever materialize, not wanting to "beat [the film] to death."<ref>{{Cite web |author1=Megan Garside |date=2024-08-14 |title=Coraline and The Nightmare Before Christmas director Henry Selick says it's "incredibly rewarding" seeing them celebrate major anniversaries, but they probably won't get sequels anytime soon |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/animation-movies/coraline-and-the-nightmare-before-christmas-director-henry-selick-on-the-movies-major-anniversaries-but-says-they-wont-get-sequels-interview-exclusive/ |access-date=2024-08-18 |website=gamesradar |language=en}}</ref>

==Trading card game==

In September 2005, a card game called The Nightmare Before Christmas TCG was released. In March 2006, a new set came out: Christmas Town. A tournament kit also came out during that time.

==ComicsRelated media==

In the book ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (2025), the authors note the films long-standing fandom and presence within popular culture.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas|editor-last1=Antunes|editor-first1=Filipa|editor-last2=Eldridge|editor-first2=Brittany|editor-last3=Williams|editor-first3=Rebecca|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]]|isbn=979-8-7651-1361-5|last1=Antunes|first1=Filipa|last2=Eldridge|first2=Brittany|last3=Williams|first3=Rebecca|page=3|chapter=Introduction}}</ref>

The characters of The Nightmare Before Christmas have also appeared in the realm of [[comic books]], more specifically in [[manga]]. An adaptation of the movie by Jun Asaga was published by [[Kodansha]] and later translated in English by Disney Press. Jack also appears as a secondary character in the manga adaptation of the videogame [[Kingdom Hearts]] by [[Shiro Amano]], published by Bros.Comics EX (and later translated in English by [[Tokyopop]]). An allusion to the movie is also provided in the manga [[Wallflower]] by [[Tomoko Hayakawa]].

This includes a proliferation of merchandise surrounding it ranging from action figures, clothing, board games, novels, comics, and jewelry.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas|editor-last1=Antunes|editor-first1=Filipa|editor-last2=Eldridge|editor-first2=Brittany|editor-last3=Williams|editor-first3=Rebecca|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]]|isbn=979-8-7651-1361-5|last1=Antunes|first1=Filipa|last2=Eldridge|first2=Brittany|last3=Williams|first3=Rebecca|page=4|chapter=Introduction}}</ref>

===Toys and games===

==Trivia==

Various action figures were released since the films released, including ten from Hasbro in 1993. Alec Plowman in ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (2025) found these action figures "uncharacteristically detailed" for figures of the era with an emphasis on screen accuracy of the characters and being released with display stands.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas|editor-last1=Antunes|editor-first1=Filipa|editor-last2=Eldridge|editor-first2=Brittany|editor-last3=Williams|editor-first3=Rebecca|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]]|isbn=979-8-7651-1361-5|last=Plowman|first=Alec|chapter=Action Figures and the Contextual Reframing of the Nightmare Before Christmas|pages=55–56}}</ref><ref name="Plowman59">{{cite book|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas|editor-last1=Antunes|editor-first1=Filipa|editor-last2=Eldridge|editor-first2=Brittany|editor-last3=Williams|editor-first3=Rebecca|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Academic]]|isbn=979-8-7651-1361-5|last=Plowman|first=Alec|chapter=Action Figures and the Contextual Reframing of the Nightmare Before Christmas|pages=59–60}}</ref> Plowman said this was due to rise of the nascant adult collector market for toys that was emerging in the 1990s.<ref name="Plowman59" /> Other brands would release toys for the film in the 21st century including [[National Entertainment Collectibles Association|NECA]] and [[Funko]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas|editor-last1=Antunes|editor-first1=Filipa|editor-last2=Eldridge|editor-first2=Brittany|editor-last3=Williams|editor-first3=Rebecca|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=979-8-7651-1361-5|last1=Antunes|first1=Filipa|last2=Eldridge|first2=Brittany|last3=Williams|first3=Rebecca|page=11|chapter=Introduction}}</ref>

{{toomuchtrivia}}

*There is a [[hidden Mickey]] when Jack is on the train in Christmas Town. The Steam blower puffs out a Mickey shaped cloud but it quickly turns into a rabbit shaped cloud.

*In the Spanish version for Latin America, the movie is titled "Jack's strange world". Similarly, in the French version, the title translates as "The Strange Christmas of Mr. Jack".

*In the song, "This is Halloween", the lyrics "...tender lumplings everywhere..." refers to "Tender Lumplings," a song composed by Danny Elfman when he was with [[Oingo Boingo]].

*Behemoth is based on B-movie actor/Swedish wrestler [[Tor Johnson]].

*Tim Burton has said the original poem was inspired after seeing Halloween merchandise display in a store being taken down and replaced by a Christmas display. The juxtaposition of ghouls and goblins with Santa and his reindeer sparked his imagination.

*Two items were invented to facilitate the filming of the movie: One was a "light alarm" which would warn the animators if any of the stage lights failed to come on. The other was a system that enabled a puppeteer to seamlessly switch to a replacement puppet if a puppet broke during a shot. Prior to this, either situation, a light failing to come on or a puppet breaking would destroy a shot.

*Two toys that Jack delivers reference ''[[Batman Returns]]'', the film Tim Burton had directing commitments towards at the time. One is an evil duck on wheels, which is the vehicle that [[Penguin (comics)|the Penguin]] drives. The other is an evil cat doll, which has the same head as the mascot for Shreck's corporation.

*The teaser trailer tells us that the film was originally produced by the major [[Disney]] division, playing the movie heavily as the next generation of film making. By the time the theatrical trailer was released, the production team had changed ([[Touchstone Pictures]], which is itself a division of Disney), and the comparisons to Walt Disney as the new great animator are gone. The reason for this was, at the time Disney did not think it proper to have a "PG" rating under the Disney banner, so it was switched to the Touchstone banner.

*This was the first movie to ever be fully animated using the stop-motion technique that was favored by Tim Burton for special effects in some of his other movies for its surreal quality. The animators received [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] nominations for Best Visual Effects as a result, but lost to [[Industrial Light and Magic|ILM]] who created the dinosaurs for ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'' (1993).

*Oogie Boogie is inspired by [[Cab Calloway]], who provided character voices and musical numbers for several [[Fleischer Studios|Fleischer Bros.]] cartoons; he and Santa Claus quote dialog from the [[Betty Boop]] short "The Old Man of the Mountain", when Santa asks (quoting Betty's line) "What are you going to do?", and Oogie returns Calloway's (as the Old Man) "I'm gonna do the best I can..."

*At the film's end vampires are seen playing [[ice hockey]] with a pumpkin. The scene was originally shot using a model of Tim Burton's head but was replaced by the pumpkin.

*Jack Skellington can be seen as a pirate captain in ''[[James and the Giant Peach (film)|James and the Giant Peach]]''.

*This was the fourth Disney animated film to be theatrically re-released since ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]''. The first three were ''[[Fantasia 2000]]'', ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'', and ''[[The Lion King]]''. ''[[Aladdin (1992 film)|Aladdin]]'' was originally set for an [[IMAX]] re-release, but ended up released on DVD.

A [[collectible card game]] based on the film called ''The Nightmare Before Christmas TCG'' was released in 2005 by [[National Entertainment Collectibles Association|NECA]]. The game was designed by Quixotic Games founder Andrew Parks<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quixoticgames.com/quixotic.html|title=Quixotic Games - About Quixotic|work=quixoticgames.com|access-date=April 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416150934/http://www.quixoticgames.com/quixotic.html|archive-date=April 16, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Quixotic Games also developed ''The Nightmare Before Christmas Party Game'' that was released in 2007 by [[National Entertainment Collectibles Association|NECA]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.quixoticgames.com/ludography.html|title=Quixotic Games - Ludography|work=quixoticgames.com|access-date=April 27, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414001809/http://www.quixoticgames.com/ludography.html|archive-date=April 14, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> A ''The Nightmare Before Christmas''-themed [[Jenga]] game was issued with orange, purple and black blocks with Jack Skellington heads on them. The set comes in a coffin-shaped box instead of the normal rectangular box.<ref>{{cite web|last=Cudmore|first=Libby|title=How Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Became a Holiday Classic|url=https://consequence.net/2023/10/nightmare-before-christmas-holiday-classic/|date=October 31, 2023|website=[[Consequence (publication)|Consequence]]|access-date=July 8, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250212025247/https://consequence.net/2023/10/nightmare-before-christmas-holiday-classic/|archive-date=February 12, 2025|url-status=live}}</ref>

===In popular culture===

*In the [[Gamecube]] game, [[Animal Crossing]], a Halloween event allows you to meet "Jack: the King of Halloween". Jack is the character that allows players to obtain the "Spooky" set of furniture, the only Halloween style furniture in the game.

On September 15, 2020, a ''Nightmare Before Christmas''-themed [[tarot]] card deck and guidebook was released and the illustration was done by [[Abigail Larson]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Coyle|first=Deirdre|title=10 Tarot Decks for Fantasy Lovers|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/religion/article/93448-ten-tarot-decks-for-fantasy-lovers.html|date=October 24, 2023|work=[[Publishers Weekly]]|access-date=June 12, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218163626/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/religion/article/93448-ten-tarot-decks-for-fantasy-lovers.html|archive-date=February 18, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> On October 27, 2023, Disney partnered with [[Mattel]] to produce a Jack and Sally doll under their ''[[Monster High]]'' toyline.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Johnston|first=Rylee|title=Mattel Creations Releases 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' Monster High Dolls: Where to Buy|url=https://www.billboard.com/culture/product-recommendations/monster-high-jack-sally-dolls-mattel-creations-buy-1235459051/|date=October 31, 2023|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=June 12, 2025|language=en|archive-date=September 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240924234206/https://www.billboard.com/culture/product-recommendations/monster-high-jack-sally-dolls-mattel-creations-buy-1235459051/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Roberts|first=Tyler|title=Mattel Announces Monster High x The Nightmare Before Christmas Collab|url=https://bleedingcool.com/collectibles/mattel-announces-monster-high-x-the-nightmare-before-christmas-collab/|date=October 26, 2023|website=[[Bleeding Cool]]|access-date=June 12, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228110135/https://bleedingcool.com/collectibles/mattel-announces-monster-high-x-the-nightmare-before-christmas-collab/|archive-date=February 28, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

*The character design in ''[[Okage: Shadow King]]'' has been said to be reminiscent of ''The Nightmare Before Christmas''. It is unclear whether the similarity is an intentional tribute or merely due to ''Nightmare'''s immense popularity in Japan.

*The movie was spoofed in a Halloween episode of ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]''. A pumpkin-headed Jack mourns how bored he is with Halloween and uses Zero as a tissue to blow his nose. He discovers the holiday forest and sees a tree with the Tiny Toons logo on. He tries to open the door, but it falls on him. Later, he is standing around, bored, when the Tiny Toons characters are singing, is then struck by lightning and the title screen crushes him. At the end of the opening credits, he lifts up the title screen and groans, 'How long 'til Mother's Day?'

===Books, comics, and manga===

*There was also a spoof in ''[[The Critic]]'' called "The Nightmare Before Hanukkah".

In 1993, a [[pop-up book]] based on the film was released on October 1.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas: A Super Pop-up Book|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18898.Tim_Burton_s_Nightmare_Before_Christmas|website=[[Goodreads]]|access-date=June 9, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110831094733/http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18898.Tim_Burton_s_Nightmare_Before_Christmas|archive-date=August 31, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Another pop-up book calendar titled ''Nightmare Before Christmas Pop-Up Book and Advent Calendar'' was released September 29, 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cbr.com/tim-burtons-nightmare-before-christmas-ghoulish-advent-calendar/ |title=Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Gets a Ghoulish Pop-Up Advent Calendar |work=CBR |last=Sussman |first=Hillary |date=August 26, 2020 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=November 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102121900/https://www.cbr.com/tim-burtons-nightmare-before-christmas-ghoulish-advent-calendar/ |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Disney Publishing Worldwide|Disney Press]] released a ''Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Party Cookbook: Recipes and Crafts for the Perfect Spooky Party'' on August 21, 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-party-cookbook-disney-press/1126008399 |title=Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Party Cookbook: Recipes and Crafts for the Perfect Spooky Party (B&N Exclusive) |website=barnesandnoble.com |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019151518/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-party-cookbook-disney-press/1126008399 |url-status=live }}</ref> A behind-the-scenes art book titled ''Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas: The Film, the Art, the Vision'' was released on October 14, 1993, and a Disney Editions Deluxe edition was published July 28, 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas: The Film, the Art, the Vision|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36024.Tim_Burton_s_Nightmare_Before_Christmas|website=[[Goodreads]]|access-date=June 9, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231124071209/https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36024.Tim_Burton_s_Nightmare_Before_Christmas|archive-date=November 24, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

*The webcomic [[Grim Tales From Down Below]] by [[Bleedman]] features many characters associated with death and hell. Jack is shown to be the brother of the Grim Reaper (from ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy]]''), and Sally, Lock, Shock, and Barrel, Zero, and Oogie Boogie have been seen thus far.

*In episode 2, of the hentai series ''[[Angel Blade]]'', when General Chloe is in the hospital and goes to Ayame's room, there is a dummy in her bed in place of her. This dummy is Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas, except with modified hair.

In 2006, a picture book containing the poem Tim Burton wrote that originated the film was released on August 15.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas (B&N Exclusive Edition)|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burton/1104088201|website=[[Barnes & Noble]]|access-date=June 9, 2025|archive-url=https://archive.today/20241008235633/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burton/1104088201|archive-date=October 8, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> In celebration of the film's 20th anniversary, the poem was re-released with a hardcover edition in 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas: 20th Anniversary Edition (Disney Storybook)|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18897708-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burton-s-the|website=[[Goodreads]]|access-date=June 9, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208201518/https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18897708-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burton-s-the|archive-date=December 8, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> On July 20, 2009, an illustrated book covering the ''[[Haunted Mansion Holiday]]'' attraction's rendition of "[[The Twelve Days of Christmas (song)|The Twelve Days of Christmas]]" song titled ''Nightmare Before Christmas: The 13 Days of Christmas'' was published. In celebration of the film's 25th anniversary, a book and CD, featuring narration and sound effects, was released on July 3, 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://books.disney.com/book/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-book-cd/ |title=Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Book & CD |website=disney.com |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=October 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017161308/https://books.disney.com/book/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-book-cd/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

*In the [[blink-182]] song "I Miss You," references the movie with "We can live like Jack and Sally if we want//Where you can always find me//And we'll have Halloween on Christmas//And in the night we'll wish this never ends"

*In the song "Where We Begin And I End," by [[Showbread (band)|Showbread]], a few verses from the movie are sung.

In honor of the film's 25th anniversary, a Cinestory Comic made by Disney and published by Joe Books LTD was released on September 26, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas Cinestory Comic: Collector's Edition|url=https://www.abebooks.com/9781987955200/Tim-Burtons-Nightmare-Before-Christmas-198795520X/plp|website=[[AbeBooks]]|access-date=June 9, 2025|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/vUWCy|archive-date=October 15, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[graphic novel]] retelling of the film by Joe Books LTD was released on July 31, 2018, and digital and hardcover versions were released August 25, 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Disney Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Story of the Movie in Comics HC|url=https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3006-347/Disney-Tim-Burton-s-The-Nightmare-Before-Christmas-The-Story-of-the-Movie-in-Comics-HC|website=[[Dark Horse Comics]]|access-date=June 9, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224201730/https://www.darkhorse.com/Books/3006-347/Disney-Tim-Burton-s-The-Nightmare-Before-Christmas-The-Story-of-the-Movie-in-Comics-HC|archive-date=February 24, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 26, 2020, a novel retelling of the film version was released as part of the Disney Animated Classics series.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (B&N Exclusive Edition): Disney Animated Classics|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-marilyn-easton/1142966663|website=[[Barnes & Noble]]|access-date=June 9, 2025|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/4EsQIv|archive-date=October 15, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, another version of ''Nightmare Before Christmas 13 Days of Christmas'' came out on July 6 and was soon followed by [[Little Golden Books]]'s release of their adaptation of ''Nightmare Before Christmas'' on July 13, 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=''Nightmare Before Christmas 13 Days of Christmas''|url=https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nightmare-before-christmas-13-days-of-christmas-steven-davison/1138080366|website=[[Barnes & Noble]]|access-date=June 9, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220928181412/https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/nightmare-before-christmas-13-days-of-christmas-steven-davison/1138080366|archive-date=September 28, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

*In the first volume of the manga [[.hack//Legend of the Twilight]], Mireille, after seeing a stack of bones during a Cherry Blossom festival, asks if someone had uploaded a Nightmare Before Christmas mod.

*The Anime Roleplaying website [[Gaia Online]] features a pumpkinheaded [[Non-player character|NPC]] named Jack who appears every Halloween. The 2005 [[Christmas]] event involved a reference to the Nightmare Before Christmas plot. The event includes Jack and Santa's feud over the events of that years Halloween, resulting in Santa's temporary demise. As a result, Mrs. Claus and the elves formed a company called ''S Corp'' to revive him (S Corp being a parody of the G Corp from the 2004 Halloween event which in itself was a parody of the [[Umbrella Corporation]]). A special world for the Holiday Spirits not unlike the towns in the film was also shown.

In 2017, [[Tokyopop]] secured exclusive licensing for two [[manga]] adaptions for ''Nightmare Before Christmas'', with the first manga being an adaptation of the film's plot line, with art by Jun Asuka, released October 17.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/a-nightmare-before-christmas-sequel-tokyopop-re-emerges-with-disney-licenses/ |title=A Nightmare Before Christmas Sequel: TokyoPop Re-Emerges With Disney Licenses |website=Comicsbeat |last=Allen |first=Todd |date=August 1, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=January 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117171918/https://www.comicsbeat.com/a-nightmare-before-christmas-sequel-tokyopop-re-emerges-with-disney-licenses/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The second manga, a fully colored series illustrated by Kei Ishiyama and titled ''Zero's Journey'', chronicles the adventures of Jack's dog, Zero, in his experiences beginning in Christmas Town after accidentally getting separated from Jack, who tries to find him, and acts as a [[sequel]] to the film, with Tim Burton's story approval.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/books/2017/10/31/jack-and-zero-get-redesigned-for-nightmare-before-christmas-sequel-comic/ |title=Jack and Zero get redesigned for Nightmare Before Christmas sequel comic |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |last=Holub |first=Christian |date=October 31, 2017 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=October 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023123351/https://ew.com/books/2017/10/31/jack-and-zero-get-redesigned-for-nightmare-before-christmas-sequel-comic/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The 20 issues were first published monthly, starting on October 2, and then collected into four full-color graphic novels, with a black-and-white collector's edition manga edition as well.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tokyopop.com/zerosjourney |title=Zero's Journey |website=Tokyopop.com |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=November 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119025138/https://www.tokyopop.com/zerosjourney |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://nerdist.com/article/nightmare-before-christmas-zeros-journey-sequel-comic-exclusive-preview/ |title=The Nightmare Before Christmas Gets A Sequel Comic (Exclusive Preview) |website=Nerdist |last=Diaz |first=Eric |date=September 20, 2018 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=November 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211127194734/https://nerdist.com/article/nightmare-before-christmas-zeros-journey-sequel-comic-exclusive-preview/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Starting on July 21, 2021, Tokyopop released another sequel manga centered around Sally, titled ''The Nightmare Before Christmas: Mirror Moon'', written by Mallory Reaves and fully-colored series illustrated by Gabriella Chianello, and Nataliya Torretta. The first two issues will be collected into a graphic novel that is slated to be released on October 26.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/nycc-21-i-didnt-know-that-had-a-manga-panel/ |website=Comicsbeat |title=NYCC '21: I Didn't Know That Had a Manga! |last=Jewell |first=Sara |date=March 9, 2021 |access-date=October 7, 2021 |archive-date=October 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007230820/https://www.comicsbeat.com/nycc-21-i-didnt-know-that-had-a-manga-panel/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.tokyopop.com/book-catalogue-new-titles/the-nightmare-before-christmas-mirror-moon-issue-1 |title=Disney Manga: The Nightmare Before Christmas — Mirror Moon, Issue #1 — TOKYOPOP |access-date=October 16, 2021 |archive-date=October 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016233435/https://www.tokyopop.com/book-catalogue-new-titles/the-nightmare-before-christmas-mirror-moon-issue-1 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

*During the potion-making step of the recent Haunted Woods plot (A Tale of Woe) on [[Neopets.com]], Sophie the Swamp Witch quotes a line Jack said during his experiments on Christmas items (There's a reaction, but what does it mean?).

*In the children's computer game [[Pajama Sam]] 'No Need to Hide When It's Dark Outside', the character Darkness resembles Oogie Boogie and his house resembles Oogie Boogie's

A novelization of the film written by Daphne Skinner was published on January 1, 1994.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas|url=https://www.abebooks.com/9780140371215/Nightmare-Before-Christmas-Novel-Daphne-0140371214/plp|website=[[AbeBooks]]|access-date=June 9, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241208200958/https://www.abebooks.com/9780140371215/Nightmare-Before-Christmas-Novel-Daphne-0140371214/plp|archive-date=December 8, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> On August 2, 2022, a young adult novel titled ''Long Live the Pumpkin Queen'' by Shea Ernshaw was released. With Sally as the protagonist, with the premise described as "...takes place shortly after the movie ends. It's the yet-to-be-told love story of Sally and Jack. But it's also a coming-of-age story for Sally, as we see her navigate her new royal title as the Pumpkin Queen of Halloween Town". The novel introduced new characters and explored Sally's past, as well as exploring other holiday worlds as Sally and Jack tackle a mysterious villain Sally has accidentally unleashed.<ref name="io9.gizmodo.com"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://nerdist.com/article/nightmare-before-christmas-sequel-novel-sally-shea-ernshaw/ |title=Nightmare Before Christmas Sequel Novel Focuses on Sally |website=Nerdist |last=Diaz |first=Eric |date=March 9, 2021 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211013202825/https://nerdist.com/article/nightmare-before-christmas-sequel-novel-sally-shea-ernshaw/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On November 1, 2022, Tokyopop announced a full-colored [[graphic novel]] series titled ''Disney Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Battle for Pumpkin King'', which centers around the friendship and rivalry between a young Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie. The graphic novel consisted of five issues, starting with the first release in May 2023, and the full graphic novel edition is available in September 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/jack-skellingtons-pumpkin-king-origin-for-free-comic-book-day/ | title=Jack Skellington's Pumpkin King Origin for Free Comic Book Day | date=May 5, 2023 | access-date=May 10, 2023 | archive-date=May 10, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510231111/https://bleedingcool.com/comics/jack-skellingtons-pumpkin-king-origin-for-free-comic-book-day/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

*On one of the Halloween specials for the website Homestarrunner.com, the King of Town dresses as the Mayor of Halloween Town.

*An episode of ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' titled "Donkey Punch" spoofed ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' by suggesting a fictional sequel titled ''The Nightmare Before Hanukkah''. The brief segment featured Jack singing "What's this? What's this? There's magic in the air!", then seeing a Jewish family opening their presents which are socks and [[mezuzot]]. Jack replies to this "Oh wow, this sucks."

A novelization for ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'', written by Megan Shepherd was released on July 4, 2023, to celebrate the 30th anniversary.<ref>{{cite book|title=Tim Burton's the Nightmare Before Christmas Novelization|url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/63251829-tim-burton-s-the-nightmare-before-christmas|website=[[Goodreads]]|isbn=978-1-368-09421-4 |access-date=June 9, 2025|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/7E4T9|archive-date=October 22, 2024|url-status=live |last1=Shepherd |first1=Megan |date=July 4, 2023 |publisher=Disney - RHCB }}</ref> On July 20, 2023, Shepherd also revealed that she will be writing a sequel to Ernshaw's ''Pumpkin Queen'' book and was expected for release in 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Megan |last=Sheperd |title=BIG NEWS! Today at Comic Con... |url=https://www.facebook.com/meganshepherdauthor/posts/pfbid0vRRCX8uEmZhYXVDr2cGnZSHSmqU1zcn6DZ6HYBDCKMxKPaNnYFRWifUi2MCkkJjBl |website=Facebook |access-date=October 13, 2023 |archive-date=October 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015034922/https://www.facebook.com/meganshepherdauthor/posts/pfbid0vRRCX8uEmZhYXVDr2cGnZSHSmqU1zcn6DZ6HYBDCKMxKPaNnYFRWifUi2MCkkJjBl |url-status=live }}</ref> On June 24, 2025 the title of the book was announced as ''Hour of the Pumpkin Queen'' and it will be available on July 8, 2025. <ref>{{Cite web|last=Gooden|first=Tai|title=We Reveal the Time-Bending Cover for HOUR OF THE PUMPKIN QUEEN|url=https://nerdist.com/article/hour-of-the-pumpkin-queen-nightmare-before-christmas-book-sequel-cover-reveal-exclusive/|date=Mar 10, 2025|website=[[Nerdist]]|access-date=July 8, 2025}}</ref>On July 19, 2023, Disney announced that it is partnering with [[Dynamite Entertainment]] to publish new comics based on the film, with the first project being written by Torunn Grønbekk.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://comicbook.com/comics/news/dynamite-to-publish-nightmare-before-christmas-comics/ | title=Dynamite to Publish Nightmare Before Christmas Comics | date=July 19, 2023 | access-date=July 20, 2023 | archive-date=July 20, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720214654/https://comicbook.com/comics/news/dynamite-to-publish-nightmare-before-christmas-comics/ | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/disney-announces-nightmare-christmas-comics-183553179.html | title=Disney Announces the Nightmare Before Christmas Comics, Writer Revealed | date=July 19, 2023 | access-date=July 20, 2023 | archive-date=July 20, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230720214653/https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/disney-announces-nightmare-christmas-comics-183553179.html | url-status=live }}</ref> On August 22, 2023, Epic Ink published a cultural book titled "''Disney Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Beyond Halloween Town: The Story, the Characters, and the Legacy'''" by writer Emily Zemler.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://gizmodo.com/nightmare-before-christmas-book-burton-selick-disney-1850760260 | title=Take a Look at a New Book About the Nightmare Before Christmas | date=August 22, 2023 | access-date=August 22, 2023 | archive-date=August 22, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822212550/https://gizmodo.com/nightmare-before-christmas-book-burton-selick-disney-1850760260 | url-status=live }}</ref>

*In 2006, the regularly scheduled "Halloween" in the online game [[Kingdom of Loathing]] fell on real-world Christmas Day, so the game combined these two events and made it the theme of that year's Crimbo (a month-long event to celebrate real-world Christmas). The game makes several allusions to The Nightmare Before Christmas in its "Crimboween" holiday.

*In December 2006, the song "What's this?" from "Nightmare Before Christmas" was covered by artists [[Michael Franti]], [[Gabriel Rios]] and [[Flip Kowlier]]. This collaboration came to be because of a charity event by Belgium radiostation [[Studio Brussel]] and Dutch radiostation [[3FM]]. The single could be bought at a low price, and the entire profit was donated to the [[Red Cross]] to support their campaign for the victims of landmines, under the motto "Music for Life".

===Video games===

Two ''Nightmare Before Christmas'' video games were released in the 2000s: ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge]]'' (2004) and ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King]]'' (2005).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/11/01/the-nightmare-before-christmas-the-pumpkin-king|work=[[IGN]]|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King|accessdate=April 30, 2025|date=October 31, 2005|last=Harris|first=Craig}}</ref><ref name="sulic">{{cite web|url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2005/10/07/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-oogies-revenge|work=IGN|title=Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge|last=Sulic|first=Ivan|date=October 6, 2005}}</ref> ''Ooogie's Revenge'' was released first in Japan, with [[IGN]] editor Ivan Sulic noting that was due to the film being far more popular in that country than it was in North America.<ref name="sulic" /> The game acts as a direct narrative sequel set one year after the events of the film. It includes contributions of voice actors and some crew of the film, including the art director.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/gaming/23913274/nightmare-before-christmas-sequel-video-game-capcom|work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas Sequel was a Musical, Watered-down Devil May Cry Game|accessdate=October 13, 2023|last=McWhertor|first=Michael|date=October 13, 2023 }}</ref>

===Concerts===

[[File:Nightmare Before XMAS Live 20151031 185935.jpg|thumb|300px|Elfman's ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' live at the [[Hollywood Bowl]], 2015]]

A live concert, produced by [[Disney Music Group|Disney Concerts]], was held at the [[Hollywood Bowl]] in October 2015 and was followed by subsequent performances in 2016 and 2018. The shows featured Elfman, O'Hara, and Page reprising their roles from the film. In December 2019, this show came to Europe, with dates in Edinburgh, Glasgow, London and Dublin.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kit |first1=Borys |title='The Nightmare Before Christmas' Getting 25th Anniversary Concert at Hollywood Bowl |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/nightmare-before-christmas-sets-hollywood-bowl-25th-anniversary-concert-1139056 |access-date=September 6, 2018 |work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |date=September 4, 2018 |archive-date=September 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906124544/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/nightmare-before-christmas-sets-hollywood-bowl-25th-anniversary-concert-1139056 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A one-night-only virtual benefit concert presentation of the film, presented by [[Actors Fund of America|The Actors Fund]] and produced by [[James Monroe Iglehart]] with the cooperation of Burton, Elfman, Disney and [[Actors' Equity Association]], streamed on October 31, 2020. 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Lymphoma Research Foundation, as a response to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] and its [[Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performing arts|impact on the performing arts]]. The cast included Iglehart as Oogie Boogie, along with [[Rafael Casal]] as Jack Skellington, [[Adrienne Warren]] as Sally, [[Danny Burstein]] as Santa Claus and the Narrator, Nik Walker as Lock, [[Lesli Margherita]] as Shock and [[Rob McClure]] as Barrel. Rounding out the cast were [[Kathryn Allison]], [[Jenni Barber]], Erin Elizabeth Clemons, Fergie L. Phillipe, Jawan M. Jackson and Brian Gonzalez.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2020/10/nightmare-before-christmas-benefit-concert-broadway-james-monroe-iglehart-adrienne-warren-danny-elfman-tim-burton-1234593007/ |title='The Nightmare Before Christmas' Benefit Concert Draws Broadway Voices: James Monroe Iglehart, Adrienne Warren, Danny Burstein, More |work=Deadline |last=Evans |first=Greg |date=October 7, 2020 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=October 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005233405/https://deadline.com/2020/10/nightmare-before-christmas-benefit-concert-broadway-james-monroe-iglehart-adrienne-warren-danny-elfman-tim-burton-1234593007/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/theater/the-nightmare-before-christmas-virtual-benefit-concert/ |title=Broadway is coming together for virtual The Nightmare Before Christmas Halloween benefit concert |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |last=Jones |first=Marcus |date=October 7, 2020 |access-date=October 13, 2021 |archive-date=October 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017142643/https://ew.com/theater/the-nightmare-before-christmas-virtual-benefit-concert/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In October 2021, Disney hosted a live-to-film concert of Tim Burton's ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' for two nights at LA's [[Banc of California Stadium]] on October 29 and 31. The show featured [[Billie Eilish]] singing as Sally and [[Danny Elfman]] reprising his role as Jack. [[Ken Page]] reprised the role of Oogie Boogie, while [["Weird Al" Yankovic]] sang as Shock. The concert included a full orchestra led by acclaimed conductor [[John Mauceri]] to perform the film's score and songs live.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9639684/billie-eilish-sally-nightmare-before-christmas-live-to-film-concert-details|title=Billie Eilish to Perform as Sally in 'Nightmare Before Christmas' Live-to-Film Concert: Details|magazine=Billboard|access-date=October 16, 2021|archive-date=October 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017032319/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/9639684/billie-eilish-sally-nightmare-before-christmas-live-to-film-concert-details|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billie-eilish-sally-nightmare-before-christmas-concert-event-1235647/|title=Billie Eilish to Play Sally at 'Nightmare Before Christmas' Concert Event, Because of Course|first1=Daniel|last1=Kreps|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=October 1, 2021|access-date=October 16, 2021|archive-date=October 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016230345/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/billie-eilish-sally-nightmare-before-christmas-concert-event-1235647/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/billie-eilish-nightmare-before-christmas-shows-danny-elfman-1235078831/|title=Billie Eilish to Join 'Nightmare Before Christmas' Shows in L.A. Alongside Danny Elfman|first1=Chris|last1=Willman|date=October 1, 2021|access-date=October 16, 2021|archive-date=October 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016230335/https://variety.com/2021/music/news/billie-eilish-nightmare-before-christmas-shows-danny-elfman-1235078831/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ew.com/music/billie-eilish-joins-nightmare-before-christmas-concert-film-sally/|title=Billie Eilish joins 'Nightmare Before Christmas' concerts film as Sally|first=Jolie|last=Lash|website=Ew.com|access-date=October 16, 2021|archive-date=October 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016230345/https://ew.com/music/billie-eilish-joins-nightmare-before-christmas-concert-film-sally/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2021, Disney announced that they were hosting another live-to-film concert at the [[OVO Arena Wembley]] in London on December 9 and 10, 2022. The show featured Elfman and Page reprising their respective roles, while John Mauceri returned as conductor alongside the [[BBC Concert Orchestra]]. Acclaimed singer and songwriter [[Phoebe Bridgers]] took on the role of Sally.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/phoebe-bridgers-joins-danny-elfmans-the-nightmare-before-christmas-concerts/|title=Phoebe Bridgers Joins Danny Elfman's The Nightmare Before Christmas Concerts|first1=Nina|last1=Corcoran|magazine=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=October 17, 2022|access-date=October 18, 2022|archive-date=October 18, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018142950/https://pitchfork.com/news/phoebe-bridgers-joins-danny-elfmans-the-nightmare-before-christmas-concerts/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In October 2023, Disney hosted another concert from October 27–29 at the [[Hollywood Bowl]]. Elfman, Page, [[Catherine O'Hara]], and other guest stars are set to appear, including [[Halsey (singer)|Halsey]], who is sharing the role of Sally with O'Hara.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DISNEY Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas IN CONCERT |url=https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/events/performances/2858/2023-10-29/disney-tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-in-concert |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=Hollywood Bowl |language=en |archive-date=October 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009223459/https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/events/performances/2858/2023-10-29/disney-tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-in-concert |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=2023-10-09 |title=Halsey and Catherine O'Hara to Alternate as Sally in 'Nightmare Before Christmas' Production at Hollywood Bowl |url=https://variety.com/2023/music/news/halsey-nightmare-before-christmas-catherine-ohara-sally-hollywood-bowl-1235749108/ |access-date=2023-11-22 |website=Variety |language=en-US |archive-date=October 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231011044028/https://variety.com/2023/music/news/halsey-nightmare-before-christmas-catherine-ohara-sally-hollywood-bowl-1235749108/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, days before the concert, Halsey dropped out from her role due to a "scheduling conflict".<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kaufman |first=Gil |date=2023-10-30 |title=Halsey Quietly Dropped Out of Live 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' Performances Due to 'Scheduling Conflict' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/halsey-dropped-out-live-nightmare-before-christmas-performance-scheduling-conflict-1235457952/ |access-date=2023-11-22 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030220342/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/halsey-dropped-out-live-nightmare-before-christmas-performance-scheduling-conflict-1235457952/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=2023-10-28 |title=Halsey Drops Out of Danny Elfman's 'Nightmare Before Christmas' Concerts |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/halsey-drops-out-nightmare-before-christmas-concerts-1234865117/ |access-date=2023-11-22 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |archive-date=October 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030220342/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/halsey-drops-out-nightmare-before-christmas-concerts-1234865117/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Other media===

[[Disney Interactive Studios]] released an ''As Told by Emoji'' animated adaptation of ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' in 2016, which can be found on their official [[YouTube]] channel.<ref>{{cite web|last=Grobar|first=Matt|title='As Told By Emoji': Disney EVP Andrew Sugerman On Pairing Universal Language Of Emojis With Universal Storytelling|url=https://deadline.com/2017/06/disneys-as-told-by-emoji-disney-digital-network-andrew-sugerman-emmys-interview-news-1202110726/|date=June 17, 2017|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=June 12, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818114710/https://deadline.com/2017/06/disneys-as-told-by-emoji-disney-digital-network-andrew-sugerman-emmys-interview-news-1202110726/|archive-date=August 18, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2024, [[Lego]] released a two-thousand-piece set, which includes three locations from the film: Spiral Hill, Jack Skellington's house, and Halloween Town Hall.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bonthuys|first=Darryn|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-lego-set-revealed/1100-6525760/|title=Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas Lego Set Is Available Now|date=September 3, 2024|work=[[GameSpot]]|access-date=June 12, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916192044/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-lego-set-revealed/1100-6525760/|archive-date=September 16, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Miller|first=Ross|title=What's this? What's this?! The Lego Nightmare Before Christmas set is now available|url=https://www.polygon.com/deals/440535/nightmare-before-christmas-lego-release-date-price|date=September 6, 2024|work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|access-date=June 12, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240918224308/https://www.polygon.com/deals/440535/nightmare-before-christmas-lego-release-date-price|archive-date=September 18, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[List of animated featurecult films]]

* [[List of stop-motionghost films]]

* [[List of films set around Halloween]]

* [[List of Christmas films]]

* [[Santa Claus in film]]

==External linksNotes==

{{wikiquoteNotelist}}

*{{imdb title|id=0107688|title=The Nightmare Before Christmas}}

*[http://adisney.go.com/disneypictures/nightmare/ 2006 3-D release] - link to the official site for the 2006 3-D release, including a theater/showtime locator

*[http://www.timburtoncollective.com/nmbcpoem.html Nightmare Before Christmas] - original poem by Tim Burton

*[http://www.scorereviews.com/reviews/review.aspx?id=76 The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack information] at scorereviews.com

*[http://hollywoodgothique.com/nightmarebeforechris.html Film Review]

==References==

{{Tim Burton Films}}

; Footnotes

{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==

{{Disney theatrical animated features}}

* {{cite book | first = Frank | last = Thompson | title = Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Film, the Art and the Vision | type = Paperback |date=July 2002 | publisher = [[Hyperion (publisher)|Hyperion]] | isbn = 978-0-7868-5378-6 }}

* {{cite book|last1=Salisbury|first1=Mark|last2=Burton|first2=Tim|author-link2=Tim Burton|title=Burton on Burton|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_2900571229269|publisher=[[Faber and Faber]]|year=2006|___location=London|isbn=0-571-22926-3}}

* {{cite book | first = Jun | last = Asaga | title = Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas | type = Paperback | date = July 2002 | publisher = [[Disney Press]] | isbn = 978-0-7868-3849-3 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/timburtonsnightm00timb }} [[Manga]] adaptation of the film.

==External links==

[[Category:1993 films|Nightmare Before Christmas, The]]

{{Commons category}}

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{{Wikiquote}}

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* {{Official website}}

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* {{IMDb title}}

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* {{Rotten Tomatoes}}

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* [https://web.archive.org/web/20171024205545/http://www.timburtoncollective.com/articles/nightmare_articles.html ''The Nightmare Before Christmas''] at The Tim Burton Collective

[[Category:Films based on poems|Nightmare Before Christmas, The]]

* {{cite news | first = John | last = Scalzi | title = Why Tim Burton's Recurring ''Nightmare'' Remains So Popular | url = https://www.amc.com/scifi-scanner/2008/08/john-scalzi-nightmare-before-christmas.php | work = [[AMC (TV network)|AMC]] | date = August 28, 2008 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080912215241/http://blogs.amctv.com/scifi-scanner/2008/08/john-scalzi-nightmare-before-christmas.php | archive-date = September 12, 2008 | df = mdy-all | author-link = John Scalzi }}

[[Category:Halloween traditions|Nightmare Before Christmas, The]]

* [[Categoryhttps:Films//vimeo.com/3795656 about Halloween|''Nightmare Before Christmas, The]Behind the Scenes''] A time lapse of the stop-motion animation process.

[[Category:3-D films|Nightmare Before Christmas, The]]

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