Customer Reviews

The Nightmare Before Christmas: Special Edition (Widescreen) [Import]

5 star:		(175)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

So, for the holidays, I decided to buy some of my favorite seasonal films, and "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was on my list. I like eye-candy, and thus I like Tim Burton. But I'm not reviewing the film so much as this version of it. This is a special, widescreen edition that includes: an original trailer, a "making of", "Vincent," narrated by Vincent Price, and "Frankenweenie".

What it *doesn't* include, however, is the ending I saw in the theater. This version ends with the song near a pumpkin patch (as I clumsily try not to spoil the film for anyone who hasn't already seen it), and not the closing narration. Okay, so I'm picky. I thought I was getting the entire film, and I didn't. The closing narration wasn't long or even, to my mind, boring. Granted, it probably wasn't necessary either, but then, how was including "Frankenweenie" necessary?

It's a wonderful movie and a really cool edition considering what all you get in it. However, if you intended to get the *complete* film that you may have seen in the theaters, you may want to hunt around for a different version.

I remember seeing this back in '93. It was the late showing and I was the only one in the theater, a very cool way to see this film for the first time. The Nightmare Before Christmas showcases two of Tim Burton's trademark influences: German expressionist films and stop-motion animation. The dark, foreboding sets, high-contrast lighting, and stark angles of The Nightmare Before Christmas harken back to German films of the silent era, such as Nosferatu and The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari. Burton has employed stop-motion animation in several of his earlier films, such as Beetlejuice (by the way, if you look closely in one particular scene, you can see Jack Skellington's head atop Michael Keaton's carousel hat). The Nightmare Before Christmas follows the animated movie tradition of using music and songs to progress the story. Naturally, being a Tim Burton movie, the songs are provided by his frequent collaborator, Danny Elfman. The music and the visuals are inseparable. The wonderful songs breath life into characters who are at home with their dark, sinister nature. Anyone can enjoy Danny Elfman's music, which is easily the best you'll ever hear in an animated musical. The voice talent for The Nightmare Before Christmas is a splendid bunch, drawing from the stable of Tim Burton regulars and improvisational comedy geniuses. Children will be able to grasp the story with little difficulty, and most will be able to grasp that these characters are not at all scary.

The original DVD release, while it contained an excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack and an exemplary video transfer, albeit non-anamorphic, had a dismal lack of extras. It's these extras that make the new DVD worth buying. First up, you get a commentary track with director Henry Selick and director of photography Pete Kozachik. A twenty-five minute documentary highlights the making of the film. Several deleted storyboarded or fully animated sequences are presented. A thorough concept art gallery presents the design work of Tim Burton and the storyboard artists. Two theatrical trailers are included - one is a "teaser" that presents the project as the brainchild of Tim Burton (who was riding high after the success of Batman and Edward Scissorhands), while the other is a more standard theatrical trailer. Also included are his first directorial efforts, the short films Vincent and Frankenweenie. He directed both shorts prior to directing Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. Frankenweenie received a video release around the time of Batman Returns, but has been unavailable for many years. This is the first time either film has been available on DVD, and it will probably be the last. If that isn't reason enough to buy this disc, well, nothing will convince you.

I love this movie and I am huge fan of creative box sets.
I was ecstatic when I saw this and had to buy it right away. I was skeptical at first because the one I purchased was used, but when I received it, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was in perfect condition - like brand new. One of my favorite purchases from amazon.

its one of my favorite movies to watch, i really like stop motion movies its a dying breed out in the movie land.

This was bought for my Grandson for a Christmas Present and he was very happy when he opened it ,its one of his favorite films.

Film itself is a 5 star. Disc (new) arrived packeged well BUT did not play properly. Refused to play in two different places. Was able to polish out the first start dvd again then hit a second. Again lots of polishing to get it to play. I do not appreciate getting new DVDs in this condition.

I made the mistake of ordering this DVD from Europe! I did not realize that Amazon shipped from there. The format is not compatible with my player so we could only watch it on the laptop thus reason for the low rating.

Boo! Sorry, wrong holiday!

Or is it?

The excitement and merriment of this Christmas season got me to thinking, it had been years since we had viewed Tim Burton's Classic film The Nightmare Before Christmas, and it was high time for a revisit.

And are we ever thankful we did.

For the uninitiated, The Nightmare Before Christmas was the brainchild of Tim Burton, the excellent director behind such movies as Beetlejuice and the Michael Keaton Batman movies. He had created the concept years ago while working for Disney and after his other successes, the idea was revived. Instead of animation, they used stop motion claymation to bring this tale to life.

And what a tale it was. Jack is in charge to the mystical realm of Halloween Town, where all creepy crazy things that go bump in the night for October 31st are formed. But despite Jacks success and the loyal adoration of his people, he grows restless and yearns for a something beyond his reach. Led by fate or the universe or the whims of chance, Jack finds a magical portal in the forest that transports him to Christmas Town. He is mesmerized by the wondrous concept of this place and is determined to fully understand this "Christmas" idea.

Then he takes action. Surprising action. Scary action. Not to spoil the rest, but the remainder of the story spills forth from this twist, with the numerous highs and lows that follow enticing the viewer in.

The story is compact, taking up approximately 116 minutes, and is interlaced with beautiful songs throughout. It is also packed with emotion wallops, from Jacks discovery of Christmas Town with the brilliant melody "What's this?" to the heartfelt love songs he shares with Sally.

Which brings up Sally. While Jack is the exuberant and leaping headfirst into adventure one, with Sally trying to be the more reasonable organized one. Her repeated pleas of caution to Jack are brushed off or misunderstood by him, making her heartbreak very sorrowful. Like any great love story, you are cheering for the this couple with every beat. Jack would be happier with Sally, if only he realized it.

Behind the backdrop of this love story and main journey is the macabre humour infiltrating the DNA of this tale. To say this is not for the little ones or the squeamish is a massive understatement. But for those who love their tales with a sickly twist topped with gross out weirdness and layered upon strangeness, please go right ahead and follow Jack to Halloween Town.

All these elements combine into an throughly enjoyable journey, with so many ideas percolating forth to make you think and fill you with wonder. The basic story of discontent with your lot in life, seeing true love when it is right in front of you, and truly enjoying your special gifts are the surface of The Nightmare Before Christmas. In many ways this movie harkens back to another Christmas classic It's A Wonderful Life. Jack and George Bailey share a restless soul and a need for something more. Next year we should watch these gems back to back to get the full experience.

For the geeks among us, the thought of a Halloween Town and Christmas Town and various other ones mentioned or alluded to, remind me of the concept of The Endless from Neil Gaiman's Sandman comic from the nineties. Each "Town" has an universal function, the same as how each of The Endless fulfill a role in existence. The main character Dream presides over us as we slumber and he is quite a jerk. He is close to his sister Death, distant from brother Destiny, and estranged from other brother Destruction. And William Shakespeare is a supporting player. I'm not kidding. For anyone who loved this movie, travel into The Dreaming and acquaint yourself with its master. You will devour the entire series, and even forage into Death's mini-series as well.

So for this season, venture into the realm of Jack and Sally with The Nightmare Before Christmas. Sing the songs, dance to young love, and embrace the Christmas Spirit.

See Christmas through Jack's eyes. As it should be.

Scoopriches

Thanks a lot for the quick shipping. The item was intact, shipping was quick and I am just happy.

Thanks again.

If you are looking for a film that wold be good for children day older than 7 this would be a good christmas present. But younger children like 6 or under may be scared by this movie. The movie's characters break into songs about 5 minutes after finshing a song. Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon and signing voice is done by Danny Elfman) is the town's head pumkin man, but is diappointed when he doesn't get a prize. So he leaves town, and goes to another town named Chirstmastown. Jack goes back to Halloweentown with the idea of Christmas. Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York's Catherine O'Hara voices Sally a creation of an evil scientist (William Hickey). Okay where is Eastertown, Thanksgvingtown, April Fool's Day Town? Warning for parents this movie was rated PG for mild voilence.