When the holiday season rolls around I often hear those around me talking about the movies and specials they anticipate seeing that just gets them in the holiday spirit, from Halloween to Christmas we are inundated with them. My answer to the age-old question of what holiday movie I will be sure not to miss this year often yields startled, disturbed or just confused looks.

My all time favorite holiday movie is Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Those of you who have not seen this movie, I know what you’re thinking. On the surface it sounds like a B Movie, psycho slasher Santa flick; well let me set your minds at ease. The reality is that this much like classics such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Year Without a Santa Claus, and Santa Claus is Coming to Town is a stop motion children’s movie and here’s the best part: it’s a musical too.

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas

Released: October 29, 1993

Director: Henry Selick

Writer(s): Tim Burton, Michael McDowell, Caroline Thompson

Cast: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara, etc.

Music: Danny Elfman

Based on a poem by film legend Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas follows the story of Jack Skellington, the leader of the Town of Halloween who has grown tired of planning Halloween every year. Jack, the Pumpkin King, stumbles onto Christmas Town and excited by what he sees decides to try it for himself and leads the citizens of the Town of Halloween in taking over the Christmas holiday.

This movie has something for kids and adults alike. Whether you like suspense, comedy, horror (which is mild at best so fear not when showing this one for your kids, trust me, most of them can handle it), fantasy or whatever your taste, your family will be sure to love this one. The animation is fantastic, especially for stop motion. The environments spark the imagination from the bleak, dingy gothic Halloween Town to the bright, energetic world of Christmas Town, Tim Burton and the animators on this film draw you into the world they have created and keep you there for the duration of the film.

Kudos I might add, to these titans of animation because according to the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) this film took 100 people three years to make with one second of film equaling 12 stop motion moves.

Danny Elfman who has scored a ton of music in film and television scored the music. Possibly the most famous being the theme for the long running TV series The Simpsons. Elfman also was the singing voice of Jack Skellington, Barrel (one of Oogie Boogie’s henchmen) and the Clown with the tear away face.

The popularity of The Nightmare Before Christmas has spawned several DVD releases, one of the most recent being a 2 disc collector’s edition, video games, lines of toys and even in some theaters in October 2006 was released in 3-D. If you haven’t seen this movie I would strongly suggest it. I give The Nightmare Before Christmas a solid five out of five stars.