From The Grave
THE HIJACKING OF CHRISTMAS
In 1990, Tim Burton was Hollywood’s golden child. Having made Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Beetlejuice, and of course one of the biggest cash-cows in all of block buster land---BATMAN. There was nothing he couldn’t do. In the early 80’s Burton was an animator at Disney, having worked on The Fox and the Hound as well as The Black Cauldron. He also made Vincent and Frankenweenie (live action version.). Burton had written a poem and did some design work for a project that Disney considered making at that time.
That project turned out to be The Nightmare before Christmas. One of the best animated films ever produced. The smartest thing Burton did and he has always done so, is surround himself with great talent, such as hiring Henry Selik (James and the Giant Peach, Coraline), to direct the film and writers Michael McDowell (Tales from the Darkside, Beetlejuice) and Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, Addams family).
There is a forest that has trapdoors or portals that leads to other Holiday worlds, such as Easter, Thanksgiving, etc. Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon---Dog day Afternoon, Fright Night) the Pumpkin King is bored with Halloween Town and the celebrations. Jack can’t quite place a finger on what’s wrong. Just by chance, Jack finds a portal that leads him to Christmas Town. Jack is mesmerized by what the holiday and its citizens have to offer. He gets excited and vows to bring the tradition to Halloween Town.
The other residents of Halloween Town can’t understand Christmas, but Jack becomes fanatical about the whole thing and obsesses over “Sandy Claws”. He hires the Boogie boys to kidnap Sandy Claws. The other residents are assigned tasks to bring Christmas cheer. Sally, a beautiful ragdoll, (Catherine O’Hara---SCTV, Beetlejuice) is assigned to create Sandy Claws’ costume for Jack. Sally lives with a mad scientist (William Hickey--- Tales from the Darkside movie, Prizzi’s Honor) who has his own obsession on keeping Sally his prisoner. Sally likes to give the mad scientist his soup with a dash of poisonous nightshade to make him sleep.
In the meantime the Boogie boys (a trio of mean-spirited children that love giving tricks more than receiving treats.) tells Oogie-Boogie (Ken Page---Dreamgirls, All Dogs go to Heaven), a hateful ghost dressed in a potato sack about his plans to bring Sandy Claws to Halloween Town and take over Christmas. Oogie loves the idea, but wants Sandy Claws for himself.
Sally realizes that Jack’s plans for Christmas would be disastrous. At first she tried to reason with Jack, and then she uses fog to stop him. Jack wants to deliver the presents himself. With the fog so thick, it seems impossible to fly through the air with the reindeer. But Jack has his ghostly-dog, Zero. Oogie has commanded the Boogie boys to bring him Sandy Claws.
"One of the best animated films ever produced."
The animation is breath- taking. It feels like the old holiday specials that Rankin-Bass used to produce, but the quality they never achieved. Even though its stop-motion, the animation is fluid and the camera never lets you know it is animation. The same artistic enthusiasm as Selik’s Coralline and Burton and Mike Johnson’s Corpse Bride. The songs never get in the way of the film, they compliment. The songs even bring out the characters personality more than what is written. All music and lyrics are by Danny Elfman (The Simpsons, Batman, numerous Tim burton films), you can expect nothing less than prominence.
The project took two years to complete in a studio in San Francisco. When the film was first released the Disney logo appeared nowhere in the credits. Touchstone was used. Disney execs thought the film would be too scary for children. Funny how Tim Burton has proved Disney wrong. Nightmare has been a cash cow for the company for years. So much so, they keep releasing DVD and Blue ray versions every year, including a 3D spectacular that had a theatre run. All versions now proudly display the Disney logo on the front.
Burton has said Disney wants to make sequels such as Jack stealing Thanksgiving or Easter and he protectively refuses to let them, even though Director Henry Selik has said he would be involved. I’m actually hoping they never make one, unless Burton comes up with the idea and Caroline Thompson writes it with Selik directing. For now, I’m just happy to share this great film with my daughter.
Mark Slade, HMS
Read the previous installment.