Jack and Sally
'Tim Burton's' The Nightmare Before Christmas
by Marc Ray Libunao
The Nightmare Before Christmas, often promoted as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, is a 1993 American stop motion dark fantasy musical film directed by Henry Selick, and produced and conceived by Tim Burton. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, a character from "Halloween Town" who opens a portal to "Christmas Town" and decides to celebrate the holiday, with some dastardly and comical consequences. Danny Elfman wrote the film score and provided the singing voice of Jack, as well as some minor characters. The remaining principal voice cast includes Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Ken Page,Paul Reubens and Glenn Shadix.
Originated in a poem written by Tim Burton in 1982, while he was working as an animator at Walt Disney Feature Animation. With the success of Vincent in the same year, the Walt Disney Studios started to consider developingThe Nightmare Before Christmas as either a short film or 30-minute television special. Over the years, Burton's thoughts regularly returned to the project, and in 1990, he made a development deal with Disney. Production started in July 1991 in San Francisco. Disney released the film through the Touchstone Pictures banner because the studio believed the film would be "too dark, and scary for kids."
My dearest friend, if you don't mind... I'd like to join you by your side. Where we can gaze into the stars...
— Jack
And sit together, now and forever. For it is plain, as anyone can see. We're simply meant to be.
— Jack Skellington, Sally
