Plot: What’s it about?
Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, the ghoul who makes sure each Halloween is scarier than the one from the previous year. He is the master of the macabre, able to deliver shrieks and screams to people all over the world, creating the eeriest night on each calendar. As much fun as he has had doing this devilish work each Halloween, Jack finds himself wanting more and looking to do something new with his skills. When he discovers the portals to other holiday worlds, he is smitten with Christmas Town, with all the lights, presents, and joyful spirits. So he takes what he saw in Christmas Town and pitches a chance o apce to the other Halloween Town residents. But can Jack and his ghoulish cohorts manage to pull off Christmas, or will he simply ruin this once beloved holiday?
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a masterful motion picture, a landmark in animation and a fun, enjoyable trek through an unforgettable world. The stop-motion animation on showcase is impressive, with fluid movements and kind of style that you simply can’t take your eyes off of. The dark, gothic visual design is decorated to the nines, with small touches galore that help bring this world to life. The characters are memorable also, not just the central ones either, though Jack and Sally are wonderful creations. The other inhabitants of Halloween Town also deserve some recognition, from the vampires to the two-faced Mayor to all the other detailed residents who make this such a deep, fun to watch movie. The story is a rather basic one and it does seem rushed at times, but it works well enough. The real draw here are the visuals and the atmosphere created by those visuals, a unique world that you never want to leave. The Nightmare Before Christmas is highly recommended and this Blu-ray version makes the old DVDs obsolete, so don’t miss this great release.
Video: How does it look?
The Nightmare Before Christmas is presented in 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen. If you own one of the first two DVD releases of this movie, then you know it looked mediocre at best in those incarnations. This new transfer is a revelation to be sure, free from the softness and digital artifacts that plagued those editions. Now the visuals have a crisp, sharp presence that shows off subtle detail in every inch of the frame. The depth is impressive throughout, giving fans a chance to see this movie like they’ve never seen it before on home video. The colors look accurate also, while contrast performs superbly, which is crucial in this case, given how dark the visuals are. In short, a few minor issues do surface, but fans should be thrilled with this new transfer.
Audio: How does it sound?
This Dolby TrueHD 7.1 option is impressive in its own right, with a bold and expansive presence. The mix really opens up when the musical numbers kick in, letting the music flow through the speakers and the vocals remain sharp and clear, simply great work here. Not just those scenes sound great however, as almost every scene has a lot of audio presence, which helps further bolster the film’s atmosphere. The music is well handled, the dialogue is clear, and sound effects are excellent, not a whole lot more we could demand in this department. This release also includes a Dolby Digital 5.1 option, French and Spanish language tracks, and subtitles in English, Spanish, and French.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Not all of the extras have been brought over for this release, but most have and some new ones have been tacked on, to soften the loss. A new audio commentary track brings sessions with Tim Burton, Henry Selick, and Danny Elfman together, which covers the most prominent perspectives on the production. Not a lot of new ground covered, but worth a spin once to seek out the new insights to be heard. The commentary track from the original DVDs hasn’t been ported over, neither was the decent behind the scenes piece. Also new are two looks at how Disney’s Haunted Mansion is given a Nightmare makeover each Halloween, Burton’s introduction, Christopher Lee reads Burton’s original poem, and a second disc houses a digital copy of the movie, for your portable device of choice. The rest of the goodies are rehashes, but they’re still welcome additions to this release. Burton’s shorts Frankenweenie and Vincent are both present, as are some deleted storyboard segments and unused animated sequences. A twenty-five minute look behind the scenes returns as well, as do the extensive design & concept artwork galleries, poster artwork, and the film’s teaser and theatrical trailers.
