The Nightmare Before Christmas
What's this? What's this?
1993 | 76m | English
Popularity: 14 (history)
| Director: | Henry Selick |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Caroline Thompson, Michael McDowell, Tim Burton |
| Staring: |
| Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans. | |
| Release Date: | Oct 09, 1993 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Henry Selick |
| Writer: | Caroline Thompson, Michael McDowell, Tim Burton |
| Genres: | Animation, Family, Fantasy |
| Keywords | magic, musical, stop motion, fire, villain, woods, skeleton, halloween, pumpkin, santa claus, saving christmas, christmas, holiday, christmas tree, christmas horror |
| Production Companies | Skellington Productions, Touchstone Pictures |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $75,634,409
Budget: $18,000,000 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jul 30, 2025 (Update) Entered: Apr 13, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Danny Elfman | Jack Skellington (singing) / Barrel / Clown with the Tear away Face (voice) |
| Chris Sarandon | Jack Skellington (voice) |
| Catherine O'Hara | Sally / Shock (voice) |
| William Hickey | Dr. Finkelstein (voice) |
| Glenn Shadix | Mayor (voice) |
| Paul Reubens | Lock (voice) |
| Ken Page | Oogie Boogie (voice) |
| Edward Ivory | Santa Claus (voice) |
| Susan McBride | Big Witch / WWD. (voice) |
| Debi Durst | Corpse Kid / Corpse Mom / Small Witch (voice) |
| Greg Proops | Harlequin Demon / Devil / Sax Player (voice) |
| Kerry Katz | Man Under Stairs / Vampire / Corpse Dad (voice) |
| Randy Crenshaw | Mr. Hyde / Behemoth / Vampire Corpse Dad (voice) |
| Sherwood Ball | Mummy / Vampire (voice) |
| Carmen Twillie | Undersea Gal / Man Under the Stairs (voice) |
| Glenn Walters | Wolfman (voice) |
| Mia Brown | Additional Voices (voice) |
| L. Peter Callender | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Ann Fraser | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Jennifer Levey | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Jesse McClurg | Additional Voices (voice) |
| John Morris | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Robert Olague | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Bobbi Page | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Elena Praskin | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Trampas Warman | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Judi Durand | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Doris Hess | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Daamen J. Krall | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Christina MacGregor | Additional Voices (voice) |
| David McCharen | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Gary Raff | Additional Voices (voice) |
| David J. Randolph | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Gary Schwartz | Additional Voices (voice) |
| Tim Burton | Zero (voice) (uncredited) |
| Joe Ranft | Igor (voice) (uncredited) |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Danny Elfman | Songs, Original Music Composer |
| Caroline Thompson | Screenplay |
| Mike Cachuela | Storyboard |
| Joel Fletcher | Animation |
| Paul Berry | Animation |
| Owen Klatte | Visual Effects, Animation |
| Jeffrey Katzenberg | Executive In Charge Of Production |
| Kelly Asbury | Assistant Art Director |
| Kendal Cronkhite | Assistant Art Director |
| Greg Dykstra | Sculptor |
| Barbara Harris | ADR Voice Casting |
| Davia Nelson | Casting |
| Richard L. Anderson | Supervising Sound Editor |
| Michael McDowell | Adaptation |
| Stan Webb | Editor |
| Mike Belzer | Animation |
| Rich Zim | Animation |
| Lana Bernberg | Animation |
| Kim Blanchette | Animation |
| Stephen A. Buckley | Animation |
| Angie Glocka | Animation |
| Timothy Hittle | Animation |
| Barry E. Jackson | Art Department Manager |
| Paul Jessel | Animation |
| Mike Johnson | Animation |
| Justin Kohn | Animation |
| Eric Leighton | Animation Supervisor |
| Daniel Mason | Animation |
| Loyd Price | Animation |
| Anthony Scott | Animation |
| Trey Thomas | Animation |
| Harry Walton | Animation |
| Ken Willard | Animation |
| Tamara Khalaf | Animation |
| Jeannine Berger | Post Production Consulting |
| Mary Gail Artz | Casting |
| Barbara Cohen | Casting |
| Deane Taylor | Art Direction |
| B.J. Fredrickson | Background Designer |
| Shelley Daniels Lekven | Sculptor |
| Norm DeCarlo | Sculptor |
| Randal M. Dutra | Sculptor |
| Joel Friesch | Set Dresser, Modeling |
| Gretchen Scharfenberg | Set Dresser |
| David Hanks | Camera Operator |
| Richard E. Lehmann | Camera Operator |
| Selwyn Eddy | Camera Operator |
| Jo Carson | Camera Operator |
| Ray Gilberti | Camera Operator |
| Eric Swenson | Camera Operator |
| Ariel Velasco-Shaw | Digital Effects Supervisor |
| Rebecca Ramsey | Executive Visual Effects Producer |
| Tracy Barber | Post Production Assistant |
| Sarah Duran | Post Production Supervisor |
| Loren Hillman-Morgan | Scenic Artist |
| Jennifer Clinard | Scenic Artist |
| Peggy Hrastar | Scenic Artist |
| Linda Overbey | Scenic Artist |
| John Pospisil | Special Sound Effects |
| Michael Kelly | Additional Editing |
| Edie Ichioka | Associate Editor |
| Dale E. Grahn | Color Timer |
| Theresa Repola Mohammed | Negative Cutter |
| Kat Alioshin | Assistant Production Coordinator |
| Jill Ruzicka | Production Coordinator |
| Phil Lofaro | Production Manager |
| Ralph Stuart | Assistant Sound Editor |
| Chris Boardman | Conductor |
| Mary Andrews | Dialogue Editor |
| Joe Dorn | Dialogue Editor |
| Ezra Dweck | Foley |
| Hilda Hodges | Foley |
| Joan Rowe | Foley |
| Bob Badami | Music Editor |
| Mark McKenzie | Orchestrator |
| Shawn Murphy | Sound Re-Recording Mixer, Scoring Mixer |
| Mike Chock | Sound Effects Editor |
| James Christopher | Sound Effects Editor |
| Terry Porter | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Greg P. Russell | Sound Re-Recording Mixer |
| Janeen Elliott | 3D Artist |
| Jason Smith | Creature Technical Director |
| Nick Bogle | Modeling |
| Jeff Brewer | Modeling |
| Paula Lucchesi | Modeling |
| Marc Ribaud | Modeling |
| Jim Aupperle | Visual Effects Camera |
| George Young | Production Coordinator |
| Dave Bossert | Animation |
| Jørgen Klubien | Art Department Manager |
| Bill Boes | Assistant Art Director, Modeling |
| Kevin Reher | Production Accountant |
| Tim Burton | Characters, Story |
| Glenn Garrett | Musician |
| Andrea Biklian | Negative Cutter |
| Miguel Ángel Poveda | Post Production Coordinator |
| Pete Kozachik | Director of Photography |
| Henry Selick | Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Don Hahn | Producer |
| Kathleen Gavin | Co-Producer |
| Jill Jacobs | Associate Producer |
| Diane Minter Lewis | Associate Producer |
| Phil Lofaro | Associate Producer |
| Tim Burton | Producer |
| Denise Di Novi | Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Awards | Best Picture | N/A | Nominated |
| Sundance Film Festival | Best Animated Feature | Henry Selick | Won |
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 61 | 78 | 50 |
| 2024 | 5 | 64 | 80 | 47 |
| 2024 | 6 | 79 | 112 | 54 |
| 2024 | 7 | 82 | 115 | 54 |
| 2024 | 8 | 83 | 113 | 64 |
| 2024 | 9 | 128 | 204 | 89 |
| 2024 | 10 | 276 | 447 | 147 |
| 2024 | 11 | 180 | 591 | 118 |
| 2024 | 12 | 132 | 198 | 81 |
| 2025 | 1 | 66 | 96 | 47 |
| 2025 | 2 | 46 | 61 | 9 |
| 2025 | 3 | 22 | 57 | 3 |
| 2025 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 8 |
| 2025 | 5 | 9 | 16 | 7 |
| 2025 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 8 |
| 2025 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 9 |
| 2025 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 9 |
| 2025 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 11 |
Trending Position
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 9 | 185 | 541 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 145 | 513 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 7 | 280 | 620 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 6 | 495 | 811 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 314 | 756 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 4 | 144 | 721 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | 372 | 737 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 262 | 748 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 282 | 688 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 12 | 70 | 281 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 11 | 92 | 332 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 10 | 128 | 216 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 9 | 174 | 424 |
| Year | Month | High | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 8 | 394 | 700 |
I suppose I missed watching it at the proper time so I will explain it as not surviving well after all these years. The idea is daring, the stop motion is OKish and Danny Elfman's OST is quite good but even being only 70 min they were still too many for me. Specially, the songs were to close one ... to the next.
This is a cracking animation fantasy centring around "Jack Skellington" - the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. When he feels all just a bit deflated after one celebration, he happens upon Christmas Town and encounters Santa Claus preparing to bring jolity and happiness. "Jack" sends a few of his rath ... er stupid henchmen to kidnap Santa, takes his place and proceeds to deliver Christmas gifts that... well... are not exactly typical. Can Santa be rescued in time?? The animation is wonderfully detailed, dark and enjoyable with plenty of characters including a mad scientist as well as a mummy, the two-faced mayor and plenty of witches and demons. Not for the first time, Tim Burton shows a visionary imagination that I couldn't help but smile at - and coupled with a marvellous score (and lead vocal) from Danny Elfman we are presented with a thoroughly engaging Christmas story with a bit of a twist. Interesting that in the cinema recently, it struggled to hold the attention of the youngsters which was a shame. Perhaps the intervening years have made this more suitable for adults now?