Nightmare Before Christmas, The

Somehow if you never watch this movie in your life this is the best fairy tail themed movie like ever like actually seen the entire movie play out as an actual physical fairy tale is amazing and has the very solid aesthetics of stop-motion Gothic Christmas, it is a perfect movie to show to the family with very memorable characters and it's very straight to the point.Even the intro just shows you the magic immediately!

The early 90's was a great time for film and animation, especially for Walt Disney Studios, who were experiencing a renaissance in terms of quality and popularity. Another giant at the time was Tim Burton, a star director who directed both the Batman films as well as Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands. Tim Burton has a unique vision and an ability to materialize his colorful personality better than most other film makers are cable of. From the very beginning, the idea of Tim Burton and Disney collaborating on a stop-motion animation film and its a match made in heaven. Add score master Danny Elfman to write the music, and you've got history in the making!The film opens with a brilliant song called 'This is Halloween', that establishes the setting and many of the major characters as they prepare to celebrate their yearly ritual of Halloween. They live in Halloweentown, so Halloween is kind of a big deal for them. They all go bananas when their pumpkin master Jack Skelington rolls onto the scene sporting a flaming pumpkin. He gives a spectacular show and everybody loves him, but in classic Disney style our hero is riddled with inner turmoil, longing for something new instead of the same ritual year by year. He wanders off and discovers a new holiday, Christmas! Jack falls in love with the jolly spirit of Christmas as a contradiction to his normal life and attempts to make the next Christmas the best one ever, though it doesn't exactly go the way he plans.The film is filled with catchy and memorable songs that will definitely tempt you to sing along (even in a crowded theater). Some of my personal favorite tracks from the movie are 'Jack's Lament', the town meeting song, and 'Making Christmas'. The songs are so memorable and iconic that there even exists a tribute album entirely dedicated to them, and it's pretty good too! Although it doesn't hold a candle to the originals by Danny Elfman, that man is a genius.Stop-motion animation was an excellent choice because it gives the film a very unique, life-like look. The animators put many man-hours into making the film frame-by-frame, and their dedication shows in the attention to detail. The amount of detail and care given to smooth out the movements really makes everything look a lot more realistic than most traditionally animated films. Tim Burton's twisted and dark imagination comes to life in the most fantastic of ways in Halloweentown, populated by a whole bunch of weird and wacky monsters who are honestly more lovable than scary (until they bite your face off).There is a lot of humor in this movie, which I really appreciate because it helps keep things interesting. One of the most hilarious characters in the movie is the Mayor, who switches between his confident face and nervous face to wacky results. Another favorite of mine is the Oogey Boogey Man. That guy used to crack me up as a kid. I have to admit, though, his ending part really used to freak me out.I've seen this movie three times in movie theaters when it was rereleased in 3d. It has remained a favorite of mine since I was a little kid and had it on VHS. For some reason it became a trendy, hot topic sort of thing and got super popular, but to me its not a fashion trend its a great animated movie!

Note: This is a review of the 2008 DVD releaseWhat's this? A new "Nightmare Before Christmas" DVD package? Actually there are three versions: this two-disc set that includes a downloadable digital copy, a Blu-ray version, and a collector's edition that comes with a bust of Jack Skellington with a detachable Sandy Claus beard and hat.Though this version is billed as a two-disc set, it actually has three discs. The third one contains the digital copy. An instruction sheet spells out in clear steps how to download the file to an iPod or similar device.The movie itself is a feast for the eyes, ears and imagination. A delectable witches' brew of stop-motion animation, catchy show tunes and a seriously warped creative license, it always stays true to its timeless message: to be happy, be yourself. Devilishly nonconformist, it's an enduring holiday musical for the whole Addams family.Well, almost. Though all of its fright gags are played entirely for laughs, some of the imagery is downright creepy, especially for small children. Anyone older than say, 6, however, should enjoy every minute. Teenagers will love it.The story -- the citizens of Halloweentown attempt to annex neighboring Christmastown -- comes from the macabre mind of producer Tim Burton, who wrote it in his spare time (as a poem!) while working as a Disney animator in the 1980s. The movie blends the tastiest bits of Burton's earlier Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands with a sprinkling of the stop-motion magic first found in Disney's 1961 Babes in Toyland.The imaginative cast of characters includes:* Pumpkin King Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon), a mischievous misfit who believes his purpose in life is to merge the holidays of Halloween and Christmas.* Jack's faithful dog Zero, a ghost with a glowing, jack-o'-lantern nose who, like the hound in How the Grinch Stole Christmas, eventually pulls a sleigh* Rag-doll heroine Sally (voiced by Catherine O'Hara), Jack's love interest, who sews herself back together when she loses a body part* Oogie Boogie (Broadway veteran Ken Page), a slimy, singing bag of bugs who channels the cartoon version of Cab Calloway in the old Betty Boop cartoons* Lock (Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens), Shock (O'Hara) and Barrel (Danny Elfman, the film's composer), a trio of evil trick-or-treaters who "kidnap the Sandy Claws"* Wheelchair-bound evil scientist Dr. Finklestein (William Hickey), a duckbilled quack whose flip-top head lets him scratch his brains for inspiration* A mayor (Glenn Shadix, the interior director Otho in Beetlejuice) who is literally two-faced.Blessed with the ability to bring adult minds back to child's level, Burton dwells in dark mischief. In fact, some of Nightmare's best scenes include the kidnapping of Santa Claus and Jack's hilarious attempt to replace him on Christmas Eve, when the skeleton gleefully delivers presents such as tree-devouring snakes and severed, shrunken heads.Director Henry Selick painstakingly created the film over three years. Though he had a production crew of over 100, each minute of footage took a week, as each second required 24 ever-so-slightly different shots.BONUS FEATURESThis 2-disc DVD package has a nice collection of extras:* An audio commentary with Burton, Selick and Elfman.* A downloadable digital copy of the film, which you can transfer to an iPod or similar device.* Burton's first short, 1982's 6-minute "Vincent," a black-and-white stop-action film about a boy who dreams of being Vincent Price, who narrates.* Burton's 1994 Disney live-action short "Frankenweenie." This 30-minute black-and-white film re-imagines the Frankenstein story as the tale of a young boy and his car-struck pet dog in suburban America. A recently taped introduction by Burton shows some working sketches being used for his full-length version now in development.* A reading of Burton's original "Nightmare Before Christmas" poem by actor Christopher Lee* A promotional film for the annual "Nightmare" makeover of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion.* Promotional and making-of featurettes, a storyboard to film comparison, deleted scenes and theatrical trailers and posters

Nightmare before Christmas I remember seeing this movie when it first came out it wasn't bad I really enjoyed it but since then I had recently bought this movie on 4K and the movie was more incredible now than it was back then. I highly recommend it to anyone or those also who collects movies by Tim Burton the movie came in 4k and it was a low pricey but not bad I would highly recommend it because it is a family friendly movie or a child to see. But then again I would also caution the parent to use discretion for the younger age group. Otherwise I'm happy happy with the price happy with the shipping and happy with the condition of the movie.

Classic

I received the Nightmare Before Christmas DVD thank you it's perfect and a good price.

This movie is pleasing to watch. One can easily see the details that went into the characters, the animation, and the background. Plus, the songs are catchy and entertaining. But, who cares? A good movie is only good if its story is good, and this movie's dark, whimsical plot makes it a classic.Nightmare Before Christmas's unique story is about Jack Skellington and his role in Halloween Town, but he is bored with his town's repetitive rituals. He leaves the town to find something new, and he finds it in Christmas Land. Jack is intrigued by this land and plans to take over Christmas this year. Exciting, right? Yes...and no! The tension between Sally and Dr. Finkelstein distracts me from the overall story.Their relationship is disturbing because it represents verbal and mental abuse. Dr. Finkelstein constantly remains Sally that he owns her, and he even locks her in a room, so she doesn't escape his control. Sally hates Dr. Finkelstein and performs extreme tactics to free herself from him. She dislocates her arm, poisons him, and jumps out of a window. There are moments in the movie where I am scared for Sally because I think Dr. Finkelstein is going to hit or kill her.Another problem in the story is Oogie Boogie. He randomly arrives toward the end of the movie and tortures Santa. I don't understand why he does this? I don't even understand his place in Halloween town. How did he become evil? Why did Jack lock him up in that dungeon? It seems like Oogie Boogie is thrown in the story so the audience could have someone to hate. I will admit, I like Oogie's musical number, but he is a cheap character. He needs more development, or he shouldn't be in the story at all.With these two negative aspects sprinkled in the story, this movie is still worth watching...only if you're an adult. If you are a child, I wonder hoe this beautifully wrapped gift of dark situations will affect your well being. I guess only time will tell.

My favorite movie

Super film à regarder en fin Halloween

I have always been a fan of many of Tim Burton's films and his artwork / visual style; that's what I admire so much in this film is not just the highly imaginative story and original artistry in sculpting / drawing the characters and locations, but the stop-motion film making process, which is credit to the director Henry Selick and his production team also.Burton's eclectic mix of styles is recognisable immediately with influences of: german expressionism, hammer horror, universal horror, Dr. Seuss artwork and the story of the outsider trying to fit in and eventually accepting or being accepted for who he is as a person. Danny Elfman's score and musical numbers are of course genius and perfectly suited for the film, which stands alone as a great score in it's own right; the film would not be the same without it (comes in 7.1 surround sound on this blu-ray).Overall I would highly recommend buying this film in Blu-ray, there are a good deal of interesting special features available such as: documentaries, deleted scenes and original early short films by Tim Burton such as 'Vincent' and 'Frankenweenie'. The transfer looks and sounds stunning and as expected the film has never looked or sounded so bright, crisp, detailed and colourful - it looks 3D even in 2D!

Nightmare before Christmas ist ein wunderschöner, vor Details strotzender Film über eine (zwei) Jahreszeiten, welchen man jedoch das ganze Jahr geniessen kann. Es ist eine Art Puppen-Musical. Also es wird hier ziemlich viel gesungen.Die Story ist schnell erzählt:Jack Skellington, unangefochtene Star von Halloweentown, ist der immer wiederkehrenden Halloweenvorbereitungen leid. Gibt es für ihn denn nichts anderes auf der Welt, als immer nur die Welt in Angst und Schrecken zu versetzen?Tief in Gedanken findet er bei einem Spaziergang eine Lichtung, mit Türen zu anderen „Dimensionen". Durch seine Neugier findet er sich urplötzlich in der Weihnachtswelt wieder. Von dieser frohen, glücklichen Welt fasziniert, beschließt er das kommende Jahr Halloween sausen zu lassen und Weihnachten selbst in die Hand zu nehmen.Dafür überzeugt er mit einer kleinen List die Einwohner Halloweentowns Halloween durch Weihnachten zu ersetzen und lässt dazu noch den Weihnachtsmann entführen...Mehr möchte ich von der Geschichte hier nicht weiter verraten - das müsst ihr einfach selbst sehen.Tim Burton haucht den Puppen solch ein Leben ein, dass man wirklich mit ihnen fühlt oder sie aber auch richtig widerlich findet. Es gibt hier eine solche Vielzahl an interessanten, genialen Figuren, wie es kaum ein anderer Film bietet.Die StopMotion Technik, hier mit einem Oskar ausgezeichnet, ist auch heute noch eine heruntergeklappte Kinnlade wert.Der Soundtrack von Danny Elfman ist eine wahre Freude für die Ohren:die schön-schaurige Musik, die Lieder, die Texte, all das vermittelt solch starke Emotionen, dass man richtig in den Film hineingesogen wird.Sehr zu betonen ist, dass dies auf beide Tonspuren zutrifft, Englisch sowie auch Deutsch. Denn die deutsche Syncro ist wirklich erstklassig gemacht worden. Die Stimmen sind sehr gut getroffen. Auch verlieren die (reimenden) Lieder kaum an Inhalt, was hier wahrlich schwer zu verwirklichen war.Dass diese Ausgabe auch den Namen Special Edition verdient, wird durch folgende Dreingaben sichergestellt:2 Kurzfilme, zum einen Vincent, eine Hommage an Vincent Price (Kindheits-Heroe von Burton) sowie Frankenweenie.Beides Titel aus früheren Tagen Burtons.Desweiteren gibt es noch ein ca. 20 min. Making-Of, einige Produktionsentwürfe sowie diverse geschnitte Szenen.Alles in allem, ein wahrlich meisterhaftes Fest für die Sinne mit entzückenden, morbiden Einfällen, zum Lachen, teilweise fast zum Weinen sowie auch zum Nackdenken anregend. Nur kleinen Kindern würde ich diesen Film nicht unbedingt empfehlen, da manche Szenen sie vielleicht etwas erschrecken könnten.

Good

Excellent movie ...