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How many times
has "The Nightmare Before Christmas" been re-released on
a home video format? I've lost count. I'm not
complaining, because this film has become a perennial
classic and it's always been a favorite of mine.
"The Nightmare Before Christmas" is being re-released on
a special two disc DVD and Blu-ray. This is a review of
the DVD.
Surprisingly enough, "Nightmare" didn't do that great at
the box office when it was released in 1993. Disney
wasn't sure whether to release it under their Walt
Disney Pictures label, or under their more adult label,
Touchstone Pictures. It was released under Touchstone
because it was felt that the scary imagery might
frighten children. Nothing could've been further from
the truth, and the film eventually won over adults and
children over the years.
Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town,
grows tired of doing the same Halloween celebrations
every year. During a walk in the woods, he comes to a
holiday tree for Christmas. He falls in and finds
himself in the world of Santa Claus. Jack comes up with
a scheme to bring Christmas to Halloween Town, and as a
result, finds himself over his head.
Tim Burton's Gothic touch is all over this film, but
credit is due to director Henry Selick and his talented
crew of stop-motion animators. The animation is simply
superb. Every little detail of how each character moves
and acts gives "Nightmare" human emotion. Jack is one of
the more genius creations to come out of Burton's
creative mind. Like any great character, he yearns for
something more, something different. As much as we enjoy
the playful horrors of Halloween Town, Jack's visit to
Christmas Town is a remarkable eye opener. Burton used
his childhood fascination with the holiday season with
creative abandon here. Most kids I know love
Halloween and love Christmas, and Burton's story gives
us that exciting feeling of the joys of each holiday.
There's not much else to say about "Nightmare," other
than it's great entertainment. I'm sure that most people
have seen it at least once by now. Is it worth buying this
latest edition? Yes! This new DVD edition is a
spectacular upgrade in both picture and sound quality.
The picture is natural and sharp without being overly
"digitally remastered." The Dolby
Digital 5.1 soundtrack is excellent, though I can't wait
to see and hear the Blu-ray version of this movie. Danny
Elfman's score comes through nice and pretty. This new
edition trumps the previous edition I have on DVD
(catalog number 20102). If
you're a film history buff, and want to prove to your
fellow film geeks that "Nightmare" was originally
released under the Touchstone Pictures label, keep your
old LaserDisc or DVD copy to prove 'em wrong.
It's still too early to celebrate Halloween, and it's
especially early to celebrate Christmas. But it's not
too early to get a sneak peek at this classic film. Plus
the new cover is pretty neat.
Bill Kallay
Special thanks to Click Communications
Photos: © WDSHE. All rights reserved.
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