Nightmare Before Christmas
The Debated Halloween Classic
The Disney animated classic The Nightmare Before Christmas is heavily debated over which holiday it belongs to. Contrary to the mention of Christmas in the title, it is a Halloween movie.
The movie begins with a dilemma concerning Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King. He has become bored with his mundane duties as the Pumpkin King. He decides to leave Halloween Town and finds himself in Christmastown. He soon becomes infatuated with the color and cheer that encompasses Christmas, so he tries to control the holiday.
The movie is aired both on Halloween and Christmas, so confusion is anticipated. The movie also definitely includes motifs of both Halloween and Christmas, so a case could be made for both. The answer lies in which holiday plays a more important role in the movie.
Although the plot centers around the concept of Christmas, all the main characters carry the concept of Halloween. Jack Skellington and all other protagonists Sally, Oogie Boogie, and Dr. Finlkestien reside in Halloweentown. How is a movie the opposite of it’s main characters?
The movie both ends and begins in Halloweentown and there is no point in the movie where there are no Halloween concepts or characters.
The debate over which holiday the movie pertains can only be solved by its creator. The director Henry Selik stated plainly that the movie was a Halloween movie.
