Email this story

Thirteen years after its release, the classic, A Nightmare Before Christmas will again grace theaters on October 20, 2006. Hailed for its state of the art animation, compelling characters, and whimsical but touching story - A Nightmare Before Christmas made an enduring mark on audiences of all ages and demographics. It struck a particular resonance with the goth scene - for its dark and moody, romantic, and comical tones. At the birth of CGI, A Nightmare Before Christmas helped to revive the interest in stop-animation and traditional cartoon movie practices.

A Nightmare Before Christmas tells the tale of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town and all things that go bump in the night. Bored with the same tricks and treats, Jack goes off in search of new inspiration; he soon stumbles upon the glorious magic of Christmas Town. Jack decides to bring this holiday back to Halloween Town. But as his dream to fill Santa's shoes unravels, it's up to Sally, the rag doll who loves him, to stitch things back together.

Walt Disney Pictures will be re-relasing a remaster of the movie using three dimensional technology. While the glasses handed out at the theater may be modern, this method of viewing 3-D movies harkens back to the film's original revival of an older movie making technology.

While the original was largely based on the art and writing of Tim Burton and directed by Henry Selick, both Selick and Burton have taken a major role in the crafting and re-mastering of the 2006 version. In the meantime Tim Burton has continued to delight fans of the dark with visions both eerie and whimsical such as Sleepy Hollow and Corpse Bride.

A Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D will be shown at select theaters. For a trailer, show locations, and schedules go to the official website.

A Nightmare Before Christmas

11/10/2006
John R. Harford