Introduction Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
is an amazing example of stop motion animation that took over two
years to produce. In this story, the Pumpkin Patch King who ruled
Halloween decides to become the new Santa Claus. In trying to improve
Christmas, however, he and his friends turn it into a very scary
experience for the kids. This twisted holiday fairy tale pays homage
to earlier Christmas season television specials such as: Rudolph,
the Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Year Without a Santa Claus.
Viewers can enjoy the movie just for its fantastical contrast of
two familiar holidays. But this movie also provides a great opportunity
for class discussions about complex stop motion animation, storytelling,
character development, and popular culture.
Materials Special Edition DVD
of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas
Special features include: The Making Of, still frame gallery of concept
art and character designs (over 450 images), Vincent –
Tim Burton’s Directorial Debut, and Frankenweenie –
the uncut version of Burton’s early film never before available. The
Tim Burton Collective Website
Critical Viewings for The Nightmare Before Christmas
What is this story about?
Ask students to storyboard a particular sequence, as practice
for storyboarding their own longer pieces. Choose a short segment
of the film to re-watch as a class, and work together to identify
scene transitions and key frames.
Identify a moment in the animation that lingers in your mind
after it is over, and explain why.
What was your favorite character of The Nightmare Before Christmas?
Why? What was the character’s personality? How did the appearance
of the character influence your perception of its personality?
Why did Jack want to become the new Christmas Santa? What are
some of the lessons that Jack realizes by the end of the movie?
Does this animated movie seem be aimed toward a young or adult
audience? Why?
This movie is 99.9% handmade stop motion (the only real Computer
Graphics used is at the very end where the snow is falling). Describe
some qualities about this technique that makes it so appropriate
for this animation?
Animator Tim Burton Tim Burton (1958-)
has created some of the most outstanding, dark, strange, and stimulating
creative visions in filmmaking history. He grew up in Burbank, California,
close to many movie and television studios. In school Tim was shy,
but he enjoyed sketching and watching movies. After high school, he
won a scholarship to the California Institute of the Arts, and decided
that animation was what he wanted to do. After college he got a job
at Disney and soon captured the attention of people who recognized
his rare and unusual talent. Before long he completed the writing
and drawings for his first animation, Vincent. Since then,
filmmaker Tim Burton has directed many movies such as Pee-Wee's
Big Adventure (1985), Beetlejuice (1988), Edward
Scissorhands (1990), and Big Fish (2003). Burton is
currently involved with two new projects at the moment, Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory and the stop motion feature film
Corpse
Bride.