I am not going to engage in the “Is ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie?” debate. The answer is pretty clear; it's both. You can pop it on during your Halloween party just as easily as you can during your Christmas party. Whether you watch it in October or December, it is still a great movie with iconic songs and impressive stop-motion animation.
I love me some stop-motion animation. It is an art form that deserves respect. The amount of time it takes to make anything, let alone a movie, is insane. Each movement must be meticulously filmed bit by bit. “The Nightmare Before Christmas” was one of the movies that made me fall in love with stop-motion. One of my favorite sequences in “Nightmare” is when Jack fights Oogie Boogie. The fight ends when the sack that makes up Oggie Boogie’s body is torn off, and we see he is made of bugs. To see individual bugs moving is incredible, and you watch it knowing that the quick shot of Oggie’s bug body took days and days to make.
Apparently, I have never looked at the cast list of this movie. Jack is voiced by Chris Sarandon, with Danny Elfman (who also wrote the music and lyrics) as Jack’s singing voice. The great Catherine O’Hara is the voice of Sally. Not knowing this before today is a massive regret I have. Sarandon is probably best known as Prince Humperdinck from “The Princess Bride,” and O’Hara has been one of the funniest people in movies and TV for decades; just watch her in “Schitt’s Creek.” This just makes me love this movie more. Not only is it a great movie, but it also features an incredible voice cast.
