The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the “real world.” When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life — he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry.
Director: Henry Selick Story by: Tim Burton Music: Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman wrote the film score and provided the singing voice of Jack, as well as other minor characters.
The Nightmare Before Christmas originated in a poem written by Tim Burton in 1982 while he was working as an animator at Walt Disney Productions. With the success of Vincent in the same year, Burton began to consider developing The Nightmare Before Christmas as either a short film or 30-minute television special to no avail. Over the years, Burton’s thoughts regularly returned to the project and in 1990, he made a development deal with Walt Disney Studios. Production started in July 1991 in San Francisco.
Vincent is a 1982 stop motion short horror film written, designed, and directed by Tim Burton. It’s produced by Rick Heinrichs. It is the second Disney horror film, the first being The Watcher in the Woods. At approximately six minutes in length, there is currently no individual release of the film except for a few bootleg releases. It can be found on the 2008 Special Edition and Collector’s Edition DVDs of The Nightmare Before Christmas as a bonus feature and on the Cinema16 DVD American Short Films.
While working as a conceptual artist at Walt Disney Productions, Tim Burton found himself two allies in Disney executive Julie Hickson, and Head of Creative Development Tom Wilhite. The two were impressed with Burton’s unique talents and, while not “Disney material”, they felt he deserved respect. As such, in 1982, Wilhite gave Burton $60,000 to produce an adaptation of a poem Burton had written titled Vincent. Burton had originally planned the poem to be a children’s short story book but thought otherwise.
Together with fellow Disney animator Rick Heinrichs, stop motion animator Stephen Chiodo and cameraman Victor Abdalov, Burton worked on the project for two months and came up with the six-minute short film. Shot in stark black-and-white in the style of the German Expressionist films of the 1920s, Vincent imagines himself in a series of situations inspired by the Vincent Price/Edgar Allan Poe films that had such an effect on Burton as a child, including experimenting on his dog — a theme that would subsequently appear in Frankenweenie — and welcoming his aunt home while simultaneously conjuring up the image of her dipped in hot wax. Vincent Malloy, the main character in the film, bears a striking resemblance to Tim Burton himself.
The film was narrated by Burton’s childhood idol, Vincent Price, and marked the beginning of a friendship between them that lasted until Price’s death in 1993. Burton credits the experience as one of the most formative experiences of his life.
The film was theatrically released for two weeks in one Los Angeles cinema with the teen drama Tex. Before it was consigned to the Disney vaults, it garnered several critical accolades when it played at film festivals in London, Chicago and Seattle, winning two awards at Chicago and the Critics’ Prize at the Annecy Film Festival in France.
The film is narrated by actor Vincent Price, a lifelong idol and inspiration for Burton. From this relationship, Price would go on to appear in Burton’s Edward Scissorhands. Price later made the following statement:
“Vincent was the most gratifying thing that ever happened. It was immortality — better than a star on Hollywood Boulevard.”
The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the “real world.” When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life — he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry.
Director: Henry Selick Story by: Tim Burton Music: Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman wrote the film score and provided the singing voice of Jack, as well as other minor characters.
The Nightmare Before Christmas originated in a poem written by Tim Burton in 1982 while he was working as an animator at Walt Disney Productions. With the success of Vincent in the same year, Burton began to consider developing The Nightmare Before Christmas as either a short film or 30-minute television special to no avail. Over the years, Burton’s thoughts regularly returned to the project and in 1990, he made a development deal with Walt Disney Studios. Production started in July 1991 in San Francisco.
Vincent is a 1982 stop motion short horror film written, designed, and directed by Tim Burton. It’s produced by Rick Heinrichs. It is the second Disney horror film, the first being The Watcher in the Woods. At approximately six minutes in length, there is currently no individual release of the film except for a few bootleg releases. It can be found on the 2008 Special Edition and Collector’s Edition DVDs of The Nightmare Before Christmas as a bonus feature and on the Cinema16 DVD American Short Films.
The film is narrated by actor Vincent Price, a lifelong idol and inspiration for Burton. From this relationship, Price would go on to appear in Burton’s Edward Scissorhands. Price later made the following statement:
“Vincent was the most gratifying thing that ever happened. It was immortality — better than a star on Hollywood Boulevard.”
Vincent is a 1982 stop motion short horror film written, designed, and directed by Tim Burton, and produced by Rick Heinrichs. It is the second Disney horror film, the first being The Watcher in the Woods. At approximately six minutes in length, there is currently no individual release of the film except for a few bootleg releases. It can be found on the 2008 Special Edition and Collector’s Edition DVDs of The Nightmare Before Christmas as a bonus feature and on the Cinema16 DVD American Short Films.
The film is narrated by actor Vincent Price, a lifelong idol and inspiration for Burton. From this relationship, Price would go on to appear in Burton’s Edward Scissorhands. Vincent Price later said that Vincent was “the most gratifying thing that ever happened. It was immortality — better than a star on Hollywood Boulevard”.
Frankenweenie is a 1984 short film directed by Tim Burton and co-written by Burton with Leonard Ripps. It is both a parody and homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein based on Mary Shelley’s novel of the same name. Burton later directed a feature-length stop-motion animated remake, released in 2012.
The Finale is the final song of the movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is sung by Jack Skellington as he realizes that he is the Pumpkin King and that he must return to Halloween Town in order to help the citizens fix Christmas. Later, Santa thanks Jack for helping him save Christmas by bringing snow to Halloween Town. Jack and Sally sing together under the moonlight in the final scene as they lovingly embrace and kiss.
Written by Danny Elfman (1993)
Cyclops: Jack! Corpse Father: Jack’s back! Undersea Gal: Jack? Winged Demon: Jack’s okay! Offscreen Voice: He’s all right!
Chorus: Jack’s okay, and he’s back! Oh, yay!
(with Corpse Kid) He’s all right!
(with the Mayor) Let’s shout, make a fuss Scream it out, wheee!
Jack is back now, everyone sing In our town of Halloween…
(“What’s This?” verse)
Corpse Kid: What’s this?
Cyclops: What’s this?
Harlequin Demon: I haven’t got a clue…
Mr. Hyde: What’s this?
Clown with the Tear-Away Face: Why, it’s completely new!
Offscreen Voice: What’s this?
Wolfman: Must be a Christmas thing…
Offscreen Voice: What’s this?
Mayor: It’s really very strange…
Chorus: This is Halloween Halloween, Halloween, Halloween
What’s this, what’s this? (verse repeated three more times)
(instrumental verse)
(“We’re Simply Meant to Be” verse)
Jack: My dearest friend, if you don’t mind I’d like to join you by your side Where we can gaze into the stars
(with Sally)
And sit together now and forever For it is plain as anyone can see We’re simply meant to be
Poor Jack is a song from the film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is sung by Jack after he survives an explosion in Christmas Town that was meant to kill him. The song is about Jack confronting his guilt surrounding the mess he made of Christmas Town. He then chooses to remain the Pumpkin King and rushes off to save Sandy Claws.
Written by Danny Elfman (1993)
What have I done? What have I done? How could I be so blind? All is lost, where was I? Spoiled all, spoiled all, everything’s gone all wrong
What have I done? What have I done? Find a deep cave to hide in In a million years they’ll find me Only dust and a plaque that reads here lies poor old Jack
But I never intended all this madness, never And nobody really understood, well how could they? That all I ever wanted was to bring them something great Why does nothing ever turn out like it should?
Well, what the heck I went and did my best And by God I really tasted something swell, that’s right And for a moment, why I even touched the sky And at least I left some stories they can tell, I did
And for the first time since I don’t remember when I felt just like my old bony self again And I Jack, the Pumpkin King That’s right I am the Pumpkin King
And I just can’t wait until next Halloween ‘Cause I’ve got some new ideas that will really make them scream And by God, I’m really gonna give it all my might Oh, oh, I hope there’s still time to set things right Sandy Claws
Sally’s Song is sung by Sally Finklestein in the film, The Nightmare Before Christmas after her plan to stop Jack fails. During her song, she sings about how she hopes that Jack is safe, yet she feels that Jack will never accept her feelings for him.
Written by Danny Elfman (1993)
I sense there’s something in the wind That feels like tragedy’s at hand And though I’d like to stand by him Can’t shake this feeling that I have The worst is just around the bend And does he notice my feelings for him? And will he see how much he means to me? I think it’s not to be
What will become of my dear friend? Where will his actions lead us then? Although I’d like to join the crowd In their enthusiastic cloud Try as I may, it doesn’t last And will we ever end up together? No, I think not, it’s never to become For I am not the one
Oogie Boogie’s Song is the main villain song from the film, The Nightmare Before Christmas sung by Oogie Boogie and his prisoner, Santa Claus. Due to time constraints, the instrumental break was cut from it in the film, while the second verse was omitted because its sequence which was to feature bugs dancing on Oogie Boogie’s arm was deemed impossible and too difficult to animate after being storyboarded. But both were present on the soundtrack of the film.
Written by Danny Elfman (1993)
Oogie Boogie: Well, well, well, what have we here? Sandy Claws, huh? Ooh, I’m really scared! So you’re the one everybody’s talkin’ about? Ha, ha, ha, ha!
You’re jokin’, you’re jokin’! I can’t believe my eyes! You’re jokin’ me, you gotta be, This can’t be the right guy!
He’s ancient, he’s ugly; I don’t know which is worse! I might just split a seam now If I don’t die laughing first.
When Mr. Oogie Boogie says There’s trouble close at hand, You’d better pay attention now ‘Cause I’m the Boogie Man!
And if you aren’t shakin’, There’s something very wrong! ‘Cause this may be the last time You hear the Boogie Song!
Woah
Skeletons: Woah
Oogie Boogie: Woah
Skeletons: Woah
Oogie Boogie: Woah
Bats: Woah
Oogie Boogie and Chorus: I’m (he’s) the Oogie Boogie Man!
Santa: Release me now or you must face The dire consequences The children are expecting me So please, come to your senses
Oogie Boogie: You’re jokin’, you’re jokin’! I can’t believe my ears! Would someone shut this fella up? I’m drownin’ in my tears!
It’s funny, I’m laughing; You really are too much. And now, with your permission, I’m going to do my stuff…
Santa: What are you going to do?
Oogie Boogie: I’m going to do the best I can.
Oh, the sound of rollin’ dice To me is music in the air ‘Cause I’m a gamblin’ Boogie Man Although I don’t play fair.
It’s much more fun, I must confess When lives are on the line Not mine, of course but yours, old boy, Now that’d be just fine.
Santa: Release me fast or you’ll have to answer for this heinous act!
Oogie Boogie: Oh brother, you’re somethin’! You put me in a spin! You aren’t comprehending The position that you’re in.
It’s hopeless, you’re finished You haven’t got a prayer ‘Cause I’m Mr. Oogie Boogie, And you ain’t goin’ nowhere!
Jack Skellington the Pumpkin King prepares the citizens of Halloween Town for Christmas in this fun diddy from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Written by Danny Elfman (1993)
This time, this time Making Christmas Making Christmas Making Christmas, making Christmas is so fine
It’s our this time and won’t the children Be surprised? It’s ours this time Making Christmas Making Christmas
Time to give them something fun They’ll talk about fir yeas to come Let’s have a cheer from everyone It’s time to party
Making Christmas, making Christmas Snakes and spiders get wrapped up So nice with spider legs and pretty bows It’s ours this time
All together, that and this With all our tricks we’re Making Christmas Here comes Jack
I don’t believe what’s happening to me My hopes, my dreams, my fantasies Hee hee hee
Won’t they be impressed? I am a genius See how I transformed this old rat Into a most delightful hat?
Hmm, my compliments from me to you On your most intriguing hat Consider though this substitute A bat in the place of this old rat
Huh, no, no, no, now that’s all wrong This thing will never make a present It’s been dead for much too long Try something fresher, something pleasant Try again, don’t give up
All together, this and that With all our tricks We’re making Christmastime
This time this time Making Christmas, making Christmas La la la It’s almost here
And we can’t wait ‘Cause when the full moon starts to climb We’ll all sing out, it’s Christmas time Hee hee hee
Tim Burton featuring Vitamin String Quartet (2008)
Vitamin String Quartet is an American musical group from Los Angeles, widely known for its series of tribute albums to rock and pop acts.
VSQ is not a string quartet in the traditional sense. Rather, VSQ is a series of string quartet projects developed and produced by CMH Label Group, an independent record company based in Los Angeles. The CMH team works with an ever-evolving cast of arrangers, producers, string players and other creatives to bring each project to life. Their albums are released through Vitamin Records and primarily performed by a string quartet, though other instruments have been used. “Vitamin String Quartet is about applying rock n’ roll attitude to classical technique,” says Tom Tally, a violist and arranger who has performed on and produced over fifty Vitamin String Quartet albums.
Kidnap the Sandy Claws is a song from the film, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is sung by Lock, Shock, and Barrel when they plan to capture Santa so that Jack could take over Christmas, which only brings in a disastrous result.
Written by Danny Elfman (1993)
Lock, Shock, and Barrel: Kidnap Mr. Sandy Claws?
Lock: I wanna do it! Barrel: Let’s draw straws! Shock: Jack said we should work together
Barrel: Three of a kind Lock: Birds of a feather Lock, Shock, and Barrel: Now and forever!
La, la, la, la, la, la La-la-la-la-la La, la, la, la, la, la La-la-la-la-la
Kidnap the Sandy Claws, lock him up real tight Throw away the key and then turn off all the lights
Shock: First, we’re going to set some bait inside a nasty trap and wait When he comes a-sniffing, we will snap the trap and close the gate
Lock: Wait! I’ve got a better plan to catch this big red lobster man Let’s pop him in a boiling pot And when he’s done, we’ll butter him up!
Lock, Shock and Barrel: Kidnap the Sandy Claws, throw him in a box Bury him for 90 years, then see if he talks
Shock: Then Mr. Oogie Boogie Man… Lock and Shock: …can take the whole thing over then Lock and Barrel: He’ll be so pleased, I do declare Lock and Shock: That he will cook him rare Wheeee!
Lock: I say that we take a cannon, aim it at his door and then Knock three times and when he answers, Sandy Claws will be no more!
Shock: You’re so stupid! Think now If we blow him up to smithereens, we may lose some pieces And then Jack will beat us black and green
Lock, Shock, and Barrel: Kidnap the Sandy Claws, tie him in a bag Throw him in the ocean, then see if he is sad
Lock and Shock: Because Mr. Oogie Boogie is the meanest guy around If I were on his boogie list, I’d get out of town
Barrel: He’ll be so pleased by our success That he’ll reward us too, I bet
Lock and Barrel: Perhaps he’ll make his special brew Lock and Shock: Of snake and spider stew (Shock: Mmmm!)
Lock, Shock, and Barrel: We’re his little henchmen and we take our job with pride We do our best to please him and stay on his good side
Shock: I wish my cohorts weren’t so dumb Barrel: I’m not the dumb one Lock: You’re no fun Shock: Shut up! Lock: Make me!
Shock: I’ve got something, listen now! This one is real good, you’ll see We’ll send a present to his door Upon there’ll be a note to read Now, in the box we’ll wait and hide until his curiosity
Lock, Shock, and Barrel: Entices him to look inside And then we’ll have him! One, two, three!
Kidnap the Sandy Claws, beat him with a stick Lock him up for 90 years, see what makes him tick Kidnap the Sandy Claws, chop him into bits Mr. Oogie Boogie is sure to get his kicks Kidnap the Sandy Claws, see what we will see Lock him in a cage and then throw away the key…!
Jack’s Lament is a song from the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. It is sung by Jack Skellington who is tired of celebrating Halloween and wants to experience something else. The All American Rejects covered this song for the album Nightmare Revisited, which was released in 2007.
Jack laments the mundane repetition of Halloween as he wishes for a new adventure and hopes to experience something new as he searches for meaning in his life.
Nightmare Revisited is a cover album of songs and score from the 1993 Disney animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas. It was released on September 30, 2008 by Walt Disney Records to commemorate the film’s 15th anniversary of its theatrical release. In addition to the album’s eighteen covers are two re-recordings by original composer Danny Elfman, of the “Opening” and “Closing” tracks. One song featured on the album, Marilyn Manson’s “This Is Halloween”, was previously released nearly two years earlier, on the 2006 reissue of the film’s original soundtrack which, featuring five covers of songs from the film, acted as a precursor to Nightmare Revisited. The album also features Korn covering “Kidnap the Sandy Claws” which is also their first recording to feature Ray Luzier on drums. Enhanced content on the disc features the trailer of The Nightmare Before Christmas, as well.
American psychobilly band Tiger Army also provided a cover of “Oogie Boogie’s Song”, which was not featured on physical CD editions of Nightmare Revisited, but was released as a digital bonus track. Scott Murphy’s cover of “Sally’s Song” is also featured on Japanese pressings of the album.
Danny Elfman (1993)
There are few who’d deny, at what I do I am the best For my talents are renowned far and wide When it comes to surprises in the moonlit night I excel without ever even trying With the slightest little effort of my ghostlike charms I have seen grown men give out a shriek With the wave of my hand, and a well-placed moan I have swept the very bravest off their feet
Yet year after year, it’s the same routine And I grow so weary of the sound of screams And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King (SHOUT!) Have grown so tired of the same old thing
Oh, somewhere deep inside of these bones An emptiness began to grow There’s something out there, far from my home A longing that I’ve never known
I’m a master of fright, and a demon of light And I’ll scare you right out of your pants To a guy in Kentucky, I’m Mister Unlucky And I’m known throughout England and France And since I am dead, I can take off my head To recite Shakespearean quotations No animal nor man can scream like I can With the fury of my recitations
But who here would ever understand That the Pumpkin King with the skeleton grin Would tire of his crown, if they only understood He’d give it all up if he only could
Oh, there’s an empty place in my bones That calls out for something unknown The fame and praise come year after year Does nothing for these empty tears
Come, one and all, and bear witness to the fantastic freakishness of the creepy crypt creators Tim Burton and Marilyn Manson as stop-motion animation meets shock rock.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 American stop-motion animated musical dark fantasy film directed by Henry Selick and produced and conceived by Tim Burton. It tells the story of Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween Town who stumbles through a portal to Christmas Town and becomes obsessed with celebrating the holiday. Danny Elfman wrote the songs and score, and provided the singing voice of Jack.
The Nightmare Before Christmas originated in a poem written by Burton in 1982 while he was working as an animator at Walt Disney Productions. With the success of Vincent in the same year, Burton began to consider developing The Nightmare Before Christmas as either a short film or 30-minute television special to no avail. Over the years, Burton’s thoughts regularly returned to the project and in 1990, he made a development deal with Walt Disney Studios. Production started in July 1991 in San Francisco; Disney released the film through Touchstone Pictures because the studio believed the film would be “too dark and scary for kids”.
Written by Danny Elfman (1993)
Boys and girls of every age Wouldn’t you like to see something strange? Come with us and you will see This, our town of Halloween
This is Halloween, this is Halloween Pumpkins scream in the dead of night This is Halloween, everybody make a scene Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright It’s our town, everybody scream In this town of Halloween
I am the one hiding under your bed Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red I am the one hiding under yours stairs Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair
This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
In this town we call home Everyone hail to the pumpkin song In this town, don’t we love it now? Everybody’s waiting for the next surprise
Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can Something’s waiting no to pounce, and how you’ll… Scream! This is Halloween Red ‘n’ black, slimy green Aren’t you scared?
Well, that’s just fine Say it once, say it twice Take a chance and roll the dice Ride with the moon in the dead of night Everybody scream, everybody scream
In our town of Halloween! I am the clown with the tear-away face Here in a flash and gone without a trace I am the “who” when you call, “who’s there?” I am the wind blowing through your hair I am the shadow on the moon at night Filling your dreams to the brim with fright This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Tender lumplings everywhere Life’s no fun without a good scare That’s our job, but we’re not mean In our town of Halloween In this town Don’t we love it now? Everybody is waiting for the next surprise Skeleton jack might catch you in the back And scream like a banshee Make you jump out of your skin This is Halloween, everybody scream Wont’ ya, please, make way for a very special guy Our man, Jack, is king of the pumpkin patch Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King now This is Halloween, this is Halloween Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! In this town we call home Everyone hail to the pumpkin song La, lala la, lala la La la la, lala la, lala la La la la, lala la, lala la La la la, lala la la la Heir
