You know what's a good movie? The Nightmare Before Christmas. Revolutionary for being the first full-length animated feature to use stop-motion animation, it's also extremely imaginative, with one of the best soundtracks ever, yet isn't quite as well known as many other cartoons films of the early '90's. It's a Gothic fairy tale courtesy of Tim Burton, and one of Disney's cult-classics. (Don't be fooled by the label; Touchstone is owned by the Walt Disney Corporation.)
The music and lyrics were composed by Danny Elfman, who has scored many soundtracks before and since. But of all the scores he's done, the one for TNBF is by far his best; his magnum opus if you will. The motifs for Halloween Town all have that haunting yet kooky vibe to it, while Christmas Town sounds much sweeter, more friendly. And of course, the songs. I love almost all of the songs in the movies. I can't decide on a favorite. I love, "This is Halloween", I love, "Jack's Lament", I love, "What's This?" I love the song Lock, Shock, and Barrel sing, I love Oogie Boogie's song; they're all great. Geeze, how is it all the Disney films of my childhood had such great music?
The premise for TNBF is, different. Jack Skellington is not your average protagonist for a kid-friendly film. Sally isn't your average love interest for a kid-friendly film. The villain doesn't even appear until much later into the movie. The film is a Halloween movie, and a Christmas movie. TNBF has a peculiar sense of humor. (I still laugh every time the street musicians in Halloween Town play Christmas carols.) Unlike the majority of animated films today, all of the voice actors and actresses are unknown. (To me anyways. Have they done anything else? They sounded pretty good.)
And yet, despite being so offbeat, it's still a great movie. It's fun for everyone. It's great for kids, because it's simple, yet not condescending to childrens' intelligence. It's great for grown-ups, because it's mature and so well put together. It's really short, so you don't have to pay attention for too long. The length is also the movie's only real weakness. I would've liked to have seen more of Oogie Boogie, perhaps find out why he is so evil. I would've also liked if the relationship between Jack and Sally was more nuanced. Oh well, you can't have it all. The good outweighs the bad, though.
Perhaps the reason TNBF isn't as remembered as much as it should is, well, look at all the other Disney movies that came out at that time: Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King. Do I like TNBF as much as those films? No, not quite. But is it still a real treat, with beautiful backdrops, flawless animation, an otherworldly soundtrack, and an interesting concept that isn't hackneyed? Oh yes. I bring this all up because I saw somewhere that TNBF is being re-released on DVD in the near future, and on blu-ray for the first time. I've rented the film before, but never bought it. Well, looks like it's time for me to make room for another movie in my collection!
"But Jack! I am only an elected official! I can't do everything by myself!"
I like how he also says that in Kingdom Hearts. Did he say that in KHII, also? I don't remember.
