As Christmas quickly approaches, NC students may feel the bite of the crisp autumn air become the frigid breeze of winter. In anticipation of this change, the trees shed their coats of leaves and emerge as skeletons of their former selves, similar to the way Jack Skellington from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” sheds his former life in favor of a jollier life. However, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” remains excluded from the annual list of Christmas movies.
While characterized by the spooky setting and darkened screen, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” displays Christmas ideals as well as the commonly known Halloween expectations. Produced by Tim Burton, this stop-motion film allows the characters to explore the various joys of the festive season. Ranging from the creation of a town for the holiday of Christmas to the inclusion of the secondary character Santa Claus, the cinematic release displays themes that contribute to the festive feelings of the joyous season. Thus, the movie deserves inclusion in Christmas movie lists.
“The values show that even though the movie has darker qualities, it still has a jolly theme to it. Certain values, like community and the cute plot of falling in love, give off a Hallmark movie vibe. Overall, the movie seems more like a Christmas-based movie than a Halloween one,” magnet junior Saffron Laposata said.
The storyline of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” follows the afterlife of a young skeleton who feels discontented with his current life as the Pumpkin King. Skellington then proceeds to find a grove of trees that leads him to towns dedicated to specific holidays. Leaving behind Halloweentown, he begins the ambitious journey of stealing Christmas and integrating the exciting holiday into his own. While he fails to combine Christmas with Halloween’s festivities, he manages to include the delight derived from the yuletide season in his town.
With the inclusion of the secondary character affectionately known as Sandy Claws, the movie begins to develop an air of holiday cheer, even creating a brighter atmosphere dancing on the screen. As Christmas traditions co-mingle with Halloween activities, the values of the seasons coincide and combine. Values such as community and gratitude play along the screen as the characters find that what they needed included each other. Even further engrossing themselves in the joyous holiday, the characters even dress in festive attire dedicated to Christmas while conducting the traditions normally performed by Santa such as creating various toys.
Certain film lovers continue to state that “The Nightmare Before Christmas” should not receive recognition as a Christmas movie due to its spooky setting and release date. However, the same argument remains valid for films similar to “The Grinch” with equally dark undertones and anti-jolly behaviors. As Christmas cinematic releases continue to evolve, the bright, cheery holiday can be perceived as dark or spooky.
“[The Nightmare Before Christmas movie is] more centered around Christmas themes, but it was inherently a Halloween film. Nobody watches anything Halloween-related around Christmas. It’s like ‘The Grinch’ but for Halloween,” junior Sydney Musgrove said.
While it remains true that the film hit theaters in October, the release date should not determine the genre of the movie. For instance, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas[’s]” release date occupied the month of November and the studio released “Miracle on 34th Street” in June. These release dates should not insinuate that the Christmas movies possess a reduced amount of Christmas spirit, however, due to the values instilled and the themes presented in the films.
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” contains the same ideals of community and contentment presented by well-known Christmas movies. Those who celebrate Christmas should avoid characterizing the holiday’s entertainment offerings with only jolly themes and the presence of constant joy but for the values displayed on the screen. Although the interpretation remains up to the viewer, the film undoubtedly possesses the components of a Yuletide presentation.
