I believe Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is the perfect November film. As a Halloween lover, as soon as the holiday is over and the calendar reads November, I can’t quite get into the Christmas spirit yet. Watching this movie in November gives me the perfect segue into jolliness, as it has elements of both Halloween and Christmas. This may be a controversial take, but it’s what I truly believe.
The 1993 film “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a classic musical with creepy characters and animations, catchy songs and holiday spirit. The film holds a 7.9/10 rating on IMDb, a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and 4/5 on Letterboxd.
The plot follows Jack Skellington, also known as “The Pumpkin King,” as he battles himself to find something more beyond his beloved Halloweentown. Jack takes a walk and finds a circle of trees with portals to lands of every holiday: Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. He stumbles upon the Christmas portal and enters the jolly world of Christmastown, which he is quickly enamored by. He watches as sparkling snow falls from the sky and elves make toys for children. Jack decides to bring Christmas to Halloweentown, but it all goes horribly wrong for him.
Tim Burton is the king of all things weird, and this film isn’t an exception. The grotesque characters, dimly lit scenes and gothic feel of the movie all screams Burton. Though another star of the show for this movie is Danny Elfman, the composer of the soundtrack.
All of the songs perfectly fit within the movie, clearly dictating the emotions felt within the characters. “Jack’s Lament” so clearly shows the Pumpkin King’s longing for a life outside of his own, and “What’s This?” shows the hopefulness and pure excitement at the thought of Christmas. Of course, “This is Halloween” is another fantastic song and exemplifies Halloweentown perfectly.
Although the film is highly enjoyable at any point in the year, many argue which holiday the film best aligns with: Christmas or Halloween?
When you go shopping during the fall months, you’ll often see Halloween decorations featuring Jack, Sally, Zero and Oogie Boogie, waiting to be bought to fill your house with fright for the Halloween season. However, during Christmas time, you can find Christmas ornaments featuring the characters, ugly sweaters, wrapping paper, stockings and even Christmas trees. So, which is it?
In my opinion, I think this movie aligns with both holidays. It has magic, whimsy and a valuable lesson at the end: being your authentic self will bring you the most joy. It also has spooky visuals, darkness, scary villains and creepy songs. Both of these factors align with their respective holidays, but bringing them together creates something completely unique.
All in all, I think that the film is great and stands the test of time. The songs are wonderful, the visuals are stunning and the nostalgia of this movie is heartwarming. No matter which holiday you think this movie aligns with, watching it once a year, no matter the month, is the way to go.