SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Frances Chung Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

erika-2-160114 I felt like this film is more for grow ups than kids. I felt that weirdness and frighting parts would be too munch for the kids. Having two different holidays put together as one in film didd not work. The whole idea of this film did not work.

cinephile-27690 I was not allowed to see this as a kid because my Mom thought this would be too scary. At first, she was right. Now, I have seen this numerous times! My cousin gave me his DVD and now this is "our" movie-we discuss it a lot. I can't count how many times I have seen it-it's probably double digits! However, i must say that little kids should not see this until they are about 6 or 7, or until they understand that it is just a cartoon and not real. Songs like This Is Halloween or Kidnap The Sandy Claws and countless images throughout the movies can scare children-hence why it was one of the few Disney movies of the time to get a a PG rating. But the PG should stand for perfectly great!

Movie_Muse_Reviews With its pioneering use of stop-motion animation, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" will always have its hard-earned place in the annals of film animation history. Conceptually birthed by gothic master Tim Burton and brought to life with the most incredible vision and detail by Henry Selick, it stands as an incredible marriage of creative energy and top-notch artistry.Released in 1993, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" actually predates the collaboration that truly saved Walt Disney Pictures - Pixar's "Toy Story." Both films were groundbreaking in their own right - "Nightmare" for stop-motion and "Toy Story" for computer-generated animation - though as the latter became mainstream, the former continues to be underrated, even today. Regardless, both films show the world-building ingenuity that we've come to expect from animated films in the 21st century.What helps keep "Nightmare" timeless and relevant, however, is that it's steeped in holiday spirit. Halloween and Christmas are two holidays that evoke their own special, unique energy and Burton's story pounces on marrying their two wildly different aesthetics. It's Selick of course, who really sees (and seizes) this opportunity in bringing Halloween Town to life with aplomb.Of the film's many vivid components, however, its story doesn't hold up as well nearly 25 years later. Fortunately, at an unusually brisk 76-minute runtime (likely due to stop-motion's time-consuming nature) it doesn't need to. The film can afford to survive on its whimsy, artistic sight gags and inventive musical numbers. That said, it's not among the more emotionally compelling holiday-themed films either. Yet anyone who has ever been in position to be jealous of Christmas or idyllic depictions of Christmas celebrations might identify with Pumpkin King Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon, singing vocals by Danny Elfman) and his longing to do something different and truly extraordinary. Or if not Jack, then Sally (Catherine O'Hara), a Frankensteinian creation longing to serve her own desires for once, not just that of her maker, the Evil Scientist (William Hickey). Helping us better acquaint ourselves with these characters are Elfman's songs. Although most of them do serve an expository purpose, a few take a moment to bring us closer to Jack and Sally.The musical nature of "Nightmare" shows the film's ambition. It's hard enough to make a film requiring this much detail, let alone set it all to music. Elfman and Burton have been a perfect pair throughout their respective careers; Elfman simply gets the fantastical gothic tone Burton has made his career on. His songs are a great match for the material, even if you can't recall how most of them go in the same way you can the songs of the traditional animation musicals of that time period.In family entertainment, story generally proves to be most important. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is a remarkable exception, getting by on its tone, visual effects, creative world-building and the Halloween and Christmas spirit. At times when it feels like a glorified animated short film, best to just remember all the ground it broke as the first mainstream and widely successful stop-motion animated feature.~Steven CThanks for reading! Visit Movie Muse Reviews for more

Stevieboy666 I can remember watching this at the cinema way back & being thrown into a magical place. Have now just revisited but with my son and in the comfort of my own home. An animated, musical love story that beautifully combines Halloween & Christmas. Based on characters written by & also produced by Tim Burton but NOT directed by him, I do feel that adding his name as a pre-fix is slightly misleading, but just a minor quibble. The fact that I have a The Nightmare Before Christmas 2017 calender hanging on my wall is testament to the film's enduring popularity.