This is the third installment in the author’s series of opinion pieces. In each installment, the author will go over recently released or classic Disney television shows or films and give her thoughts about them.
SPOILER WARNING: This post contains spoilers for the Disney film The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Please refrain from reading this post if you do not want elements of the film (plot, themes, etc.) to be spoiled for you.
Despite the fact that the film was released thirty years ago, I have never actually seen Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) from start to finish. During Fall 2022, The Disney Club at UCLA actually hosted a watch party for the film, but I couldn’t stay for the whole meeting and only saw about a third of it. In the spirit of Halloween just passing and Christmas coming up, I decided to give the film the proper attention it deserves and interestingly found it to be very relatable for people like us entering the real world. But first! A quick summary.
Once upon a time, in a spooky place far far away
There lived Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. He has just finished another successful Halloween but finds himself longing for more. One day, he stumbles into the forest and discovers different doors that lead to other holiday-themed worlds such as Easter. Jack Skellington is accidentally lured into Christmas Town and instantly falls in love with the gleam and cheer this world offers. He learns what Christmas is and decides that he will take over the town but just cannot seem to capture the same Christmas spirit the town embodies and nearly ruins the holiday. Meanwhile, the other residents of Halloween Town grapple with their leader’s new-found obsession. A power struggle of sorts emerges as Oogie Boogie, resident bogeyman, attempts to dethrone Jack and, to a lesser extent, Sally attempts to earn her freedom from Doctor Finklestein, her creator.
The offical trailer for The Nightmare Before Christmas. Interestingly enough, it only focuses on the concept of Halloween Town and does not tell us much of what the film is about.
Source: YouTube.com
Interestingly enough, this film contains a lot of hidden moments that point out the hardships of growing up. The entire narrative of The Nightmare Before Christmas is essentially Jack Skellington going through a midlife crisis. He has this successful career going for him and is well respected for it yet he is still unhappy. He chooses to pivot to something completely different and attempts to master it but in the end learns that it is okay to not know what to do in life. He goes through his first true bit of growing pains.
Growing up is scary
All of the residents in Halloween Town unknowingly represent several different horrors about the “real world” that children are often sheltered from. Jack openly endorses kidnapping a person (Santa Clause) to get what he wants and literally steals various things from Christmas Town. Sally is in captivity and resorts to poison and deception to break free and experiences brief moments of heartbreak. Oogie Boogie tortures an elderly man and as such commits elder abuse.
At the heart of the story, Jack Skellington is just a big ol' kid (adult) who is learning how to grow up
Source: Cineluxe.com
So why feature all these horrible acts in a movie aimed at children? Well, one could speculate as to why for a while but here is my working theory. More often than not, parents are sitting there with their children watching the film themselves. I feel that Tim Burton took this knowledge to his advantage and inserted these, while brief, actions into the overall narrative to remind parents that it is scary being in “the real world.” While children would likely not pick up on these horrors themselves and be exposed to most of them, it serves as a reminder to parents of what lurks outside and what could become reality. Ultimately, it is a reminder to hold on to them tight and protect them for as long as possible.
Author Bio
Felicity Girty is a first year MFA Film & Television student at UCLA as well as a recent UCLA alum ('23)! She is the club's Head Blog Writer and is addicted to all things Disney. Felicity has an enormous passion for literature and entertainment and when not immersed in either can be found listening to literally any kind of music. She hopes to work her way into the entertainment industry after graduating and become a producer and wants to start out in development.