The Nightmare Before Christmas Turns 30

Consider This from NPR

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🗓️ 29 October 2023

⏱️ 17 minutes

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Summary

The Nightmare Before Christmas is back in theaters, celebrating its 30th anniversary. The film, directed by Henry Selick and produced by Tim Burton, was not a smash hit upon its release, but has become something of a holiday classic over the years. And while there is some debate as to whether it counts as a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie, its spooky themes draw many viewers back to the film every October.

NPR's Scott Detrow spoke with Todd Lookinland, the set builder for The Nightmare Before Christmas, and writer and film critic Jordan Crucchiola, about the enduring legacy of film.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	30 years ago, this weekend, a film completely out of the ordinary arrived in theaters, and
0:12.4	it probably had a lot of moviegoers asking the same question.
0:16.6	What's this?
0:17.6	What's this?
0:18.6	Does color everywhere?
0:19.6	What's this?
0:20.6	Does white things in the air?
0:21.6	What's this?
0:22.6	I can't believe my eyes.
0:23.6	I must be dreaming wake of Jack versus a bear.
0:26.6	What's this?
0:27.6	This was the nightmare before Christmas, of course, the story of Pumpkin King Jack Skellington's
0:33.1	attempt to take over Christmas.
0:38.3	The catchy music in lyrics came from Oscar-nominated composer Danny Elfman, and Jack's gleefully
0:52.8	Gulish World came from the mind of Tim Burton, the man responsible for other dark and quirky
0:57.8	90s entertainment like Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice.
1:01.2	But with the nightmare before Christmas, a lot of fans feel that Burton and director
1:04.7	Henry Selnick made a film unlike any other.
1:07.6	I think it was something that always came across about Tim Burton's stuff in that era,
1:11.6	was that you could feel it.
1:13.1	You watched Jack walk through the pumpkin patch, and you can feel yourself crunching on
1:19.3	pumpkin underneath your feet.
	...

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