Why I Love The Nightmare Before Christmas

'Tis the season, so I thought it was about time to dedicate an entire post to one of my favorite movies of all time: The Nightmare Before Christmas. Some come with me and you will see, this our town of Halloween- *ahem* I mean, come with me and allow me to explain my deep love for this film.

The Perfect Mix

It's spooky, but charming. Dark, but funny. That air of lightness keeps the whole movie from being too scary, even in the darker moments. These might be terrifying creatures, but when it comes down to it, they're actually just going about their job. It's not their fault that their job is to be scary.

That ordinariness really brings you into the world. They love what they do, and they do their jobs well. It's hard to be scared of vampires that carry umbrellas during daylight hours, or a devil with a posh British accent.

But it does also include that scarier aspect. Oogie Boogie? Scary as all get out. Lock, Shock, and Barrel? Adorable but I don't want to meet them in a back alley. The haunted Christmas they pull off? Great for Halloween, terrible for Christmas. I don't want a python under my tree, thank you.

Jack Skellington

The main man himself. Jack is a major reason I love this movie. He's feeling lost in the daily grind of his job, as year after year he brings the same things to his role on Halloween. Thus, he begins his search for something new, something fresh, that leads him to Christmas Town.

Even though he does some bad things throughout the movie that end not so great, because he's so innocent, we forgive him. He didn't mean to ruin Christmas or hurt people. He doesn't even realize everyone hates what he did at first. He was simply excited by something new, almost childlike in his delight.

But he's not only childlike, he's the leader of the people of Halloween Town. Everyone looks up to him. Even Oogie's boys are afraid of him. When Sally gets in trouble, he goes to save her. Jack may be a skeleton, but he's also gallant and brave.

Sally

We can't talk about Jack without talking about Sally. Ugh, she's so sweet. She's the only one who can see what's going to happen if they try to pull off Christmas, and does her best to convince Jack of that. When that doesn't work, she resorts to other things, like sabotage.

She's smart, she can cook, and like Jack, wants something more from life. That's how she and Jack first connect. The moment with the meal she sends him? Makes me smile every time. And don't even get me started on the ending and the little song they sing together. "And sit together, now and forever. . ."

Sally isn't a fighter or a Strong Female Character. She's gentle and sweet, but still willing to stand up for what's right. I love her as a character so, so much.

The Music

It's not like I have the soundtrack memorized or anything. Vocal and orchestral tracks both. The music is fantastic, and written by the excellent composer Danny Elfman. It too captures that creepy yet whimsical air. Haven't you always wanted to hear Jingle Bells in a minor key?

The songs are great for conveying character emotions and inner thoughts. They help guide us through the story and give us information to keep things moving. I love each and every one of them, and don't really think I could pick a favorite.

A mood, Jack

Great Writing

It's a simple story, and that's what makes it work so well. But even though it's simple, you know what each character wants and why. As I said, the music does a great job at getting those across, rather than dragging down the plot.

The runtime is short (only like an hour seventeen minutes, I think) but they still manage to tell a complete personal realization story and a budding romance. You don't feel rushed or like it's too short.

And let's just have a moment of appreciation for the animation. It's stop-motion, shot at 24 frames per second. For context, that means for a single second of footage, they had to take twenty-four individual pictures. And they still managed to convey all the emotions that you need. It's a masterpiece.

I'll leave you with this cuteness

What is one of your top movies ever? Do you like The Nightmare Before Christmas? Tell me in the comments.

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