A true holiday (a two holiday in fact) classic.
To talk about the story of this film feels silly, as you all know it. Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King, which means he is in charge of the Halloween festivities in Halloween town. Yet deep inside he longs for something a little different in his life. To find what this is he leaves Halloween Town. When he finds Christmas Town he is in awe of what he sees and wants to help spread Christmas cheer by bringing it to Halloween Town and giving Santa Claus (or Sandy Claws) a night off. Unfortunately he still has a lot to learn about Christmas and messes things up. However when the evil Oogie Boogie gets a hold of Santa, Jack may just have to save Christmas and Halloween.
Co-writer and producer (as well as the writer of the original poem this film was based off of), Tim Burton stated that a major influence on this movie was the Rankin and Bass stop motion TV movies, such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964). This is very evident and what makes this film work is what made those movies work. That is to say that this movie is an example of a simple story wonderfully told. As we live in a time period, where it is often believed that bigger is better, it is important to remember that sometimes there is an incredible beauty in simplicity. This is especially true when it comes to holiday movies, especially those revolving around holidays that were such an integral part to our childhoods such as Halloween and Christmas. Perhaps this is why this film brings so many people back to their childhoods as it perfectly captures the childlike simple joy that Halloween and Christmas can bring. This movie has a short runtime for a feature film (only 76 minutes), but it never feels like anything more is needed than what we see. The story moves by at a fast (but never rushed) pace and retains its wonderful charm for every second. This is not only a testament to Tim Burton's wonderful story but also the mastery of director Henry Selick (who also directed James and the Giant Piece (1996) and Coraline (2009)). He knows how to keep the story moving and fun all the way through.
There is still much more to recommend about this film. I have long been a fan of composer/songwriter Danny Elfman, whether it be his movie scores or his work with the rock band Oingo Boingo. Here he is at the top of his game. Every song is wonderfully catchy and fun. They also perfectly capture the feel of this movie. As such they not only sound good on their own but they add to the story and atmosphere of the film. Not only this but Danny Elman lends his beautiful singing voice to Jack Skellington himself (Chris Sarandon provides the character's speaking voice). This is also a beautiful looking movie. Every scene is filled with visual beauty. There is a lot of work and many little touches in the environments of Halloween Town and Christmas Town. You may not notice these little touches upon your first viewing, but you can feel the extra care that went into them, and this heavily enhances the viewing experience. These perfectly capture the magic of both holidays making it perfect holiday viewing. The character designs are also perfect. There is a bit of creepy feel to these characters, but there is also a lot of sweet and likable charm to how they look as well. Tim Burton once said of Jack, "He looks scary but really isn't." Again, how much work and care that went into these characters can be fully felt.
Tim Burton wrote the poem this film was based off of when he was a Disney animator in 1980. He felt the story would make a great TV special, but the Disney studio showed little interest in such an idea. After Tim Burton had great success with his Batman movies and had established himself as a filmmaker, the studio would finally show interest in the idea this time as a stop motion animated feature film. However, despite this the studio would not release the film under the Disney label. Instead, they released it under the Touchstone Pictures label, which is where the studio released their more adult oriented films. The reason for this is that the studio felt the movie was too scary for small kids.
This movie was a modest success when originally released to theaters. However, over the years it has deservedly become considered a real classic. This is both a Halloween and a Christmas movie and it is more than good enough to watch during both seasons.
Resources Used
Christmas in the Movies by Jeremy Arnold
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