It’s that time of the year between Halloween and Christmas where viewers are looking for the perfect watch for the spooky and/or festive season.
That’s where Tim Burton’s Halloween and Christmas hybrid tale The Nightmare Before Christmas – the stop-motion animation film he conceived in 1993 – comes into play.
Directed by stop motion wiz Henry Selick, the timeless classic gives life to Burton’s sketches, plunging us into an imaginative world full of skeletal pumpkin kings and creepy-crawlies and drawing us into a musical sequence showcasing the ghoulish residents of Halloween Town.
Bored of the same old routine, however, Jack Skellington, the “Pumpkin King” who leads the supernatural creatures of the town, discovers the door leading to Christmas Town and decides to organise a takeover of Christmas.
The animated film, starring a voice cast including Catherine O’Hara and Chris Sarandon, became a huge success and was the first animated movie to be nominated for a Best Visual Effects Oscar.
Read on for everything you need to know about how to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas.
In the meantime, why not check out our best Christmas film of all time shortlist, featuring The Polar Express and The Muppet Christmas Carol.
How to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas
The easiest way to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas is on Disney Plus, with the film available to subscribers of the popular streaming platform.
If you aren’t signed up to Disney Plus, then there are other options as well, with the film available for digital purchase on Amazon Prime Video for £13.99, and on Sky Store at the same price
And if you fancy catching it on the big screen, select cinemas around the country have also put on showings of the film for Halloween.
Is The Nightmare Before Christmas on Netflix?
Unfortunately not – while you can enjoy another prominent Burton-associated animation, Corpse Bride, on the streamer, The Nightmare Before Christmas is not currently available on Netflix.
Who wrote The Nightmare Before Christmas?
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Fans might be surprised to hear that Burton didn’t actually write or direct The Nightmare Before Christmas – those roles were fulfilled by Caroline Thompson and Henry Selick respectively – but it is based on a poem he wrote and characters he created, and his DNA is stamped all over it.
Thompson also wrote the screenplays for Burton’s Edward Scissorhands and Corpse Bride, but revealed in 2020 that her relationship with Burton broke down during the making of The Nightmare Before Christmas when she asked to change the “dangerous” Oogie Boogie character (to no avail).
“The Oogie Boogie character looks like a Klansman,” she told The Independent. “Oogie Boogie is a derogatory term for African Americans in the American South. I begged the powers that be to change something about that character, because of that. I said, ‘This is so ugly and dangerous and antithetical to everything inside me.’ I did not win that fight… It was a troubling part of the film for me, to be frank.”
“I really did beg Tim to reconsider,” she added. “Particularly the name… it’s a really evil derogatory term. That’s not a fight I won. I think it’s a fun segment of the story as it was executed but it’s a troubling one.”
The Nightmare Before Christmas plot
The 76-minute film tells the story of Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween Town.
One day, Jack accidentally travels through a portal and finds himself in Christmas Town, instantly becoming enamoured with the December holiday.
In fact, he becomes so obsessed with Christmas that he attempts to take Santa Claus captive and brings him back to Halloween Town – whose residents aren’t quite as welcoming to the prospect of festive cheer.
The Nightmare Before Christmas cast
Jack Skellington is voiced by Dog Day Afternoon and The Princess Bride star Chris Sarandon, with the exception of the songs, which are performed by the film’s composer and frequent Tim Burton collaborator Danny Elfman.
Other cast members include Beetlejuice – and more recently Schitt’s Creek – star Catherine O’Hara as the voice of Sally, Jack’s ragdoll love interest, and William Hickey as the mad scientist Finkelstein.
The voice cast is rounded out by Glenn Shadix (Beetlejuice), Ken Page (All Dogs Go to Heaven), Paul Reubens (Batman Returns), and Ed Ivory, the latter of whom voices Santa Claus.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our TV Guide.