Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D Blu-ray Movie Review

The 2D presentation trumps its 3D counterpart, but that doesn't mean this isn't a fine release...

Before Avatar transformed theatrical 3-D into the quote-unquote Next Big Thing, before "post-conversion" and "native 3D" entered the high definition lexicon, before every animated film offered kids the chance to slap on a pair of 3D glasses, The Nightmare Before Christmas was converted to 3D and re- released in theaters. But Nightmare's 3D reissue wasn't anything like the upcoming 3D reissue of The Lion King. This was 2006 and, lest we forget, the landscape of cinema and the viability of 3-D was completely different. Disney had already given 3-D a shot in 2005 with Chicken Little, sure, but The Nightmare Before Christmas wasn't a new release by any means. It was already thirteen-years old, making Disney's post-conversion venture a risky one. Fortunately, the risk paid off. Nightmare's re-release racked up fairly impressive numbers and convinced the studio that 3-D might not be a gimmick for long. Fast forward to 2011. The Lion King is prepping its 3D debut -- in theaters and on home video -- and I doubt anyone is calling its re-release a risky venture. It's safe to say fans, young and old, will turn out in droves. It only seems appropriate, then, that The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D is finally coming to Blu-ray. With Disney set to fully capitalize on Blu-ray 3D, only one question remains: how will the studio's catalog post-conversions look in the comfort of your home theater?

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D isn't a jaw-dropping, hair-rising showstopper like Coraline 3D, nor does its 3D presentation pop as dramatically, immerse as readily or impress as easily. But its technically sound 1080p/MVC-encoded video transfer isn't to blame; the limitations of its post-conversion 3D and the inherent irregularities present in the stop-motion animation are. Depth varies on a scene-by-scene basis and director Henry Selick and producer Tim Burton's puppets don't leap off the screen as often as you might expect. Overall dimensionality is quite good -- the curve of a Skellington skull, the bulge of a rotund St. Nick, the creases in a burlap baddie, the crooks and crevices of a grizzled tree, the headstones of a graveyard -- but the foregrounds and backgrounds are so (intentionally) dreary and dismal that a few too many shots appear flat and listless in 3D. (Darker films don't exactly have a great 3D track record.) Some monstrosities practically step out of the screen while others cling tightly to it; some elements tumble convincingly into the background while others are merely chained to it; some scenes open up the image, particularly those that aren't bathed in shadow, while others slam the window shut. Suffice it to say, Disney's 2006 post-conversion is inconsistent, although whether the inconsistencies trace back to Selick and Burton's production or the quality of the conversion itself isn't entirely clear.

What is clear is that The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D still delivers a visual punch. After all, the film remains a hand-crafted beauty and Disney's encode is as polished and proficient as it should be. Colors (when they slither into view) are either strikingly sickly or seasonally satisfying, black levels are dastardly and ominous, contrast is dead on, and detail reveals every fine texture, tiny stitch, frayed patch of fabric, pinched clay and gnarled bark or brush Burton and Selick's stop-motion animators bring to life. (Or undeath.) Moreover, the presentation isn't dragged down by any sinister artifacting, aliasing, crush or creepy crawlies of their ilk. A touch of ghosting (i.e. crosstalk) haunts a handful of shots -- most notably when Jack's spindly fingers curl or uncurl while moving away from the camera, and when fence posts and thinner structures pass through the backgrounds during pans -- and some exceedingly minor banding crops up on occasion, but both are easy to overlook, even at their worst. In the bittersweet end, the 3D experience isn't as effective as its 2D predecessor (which is also included in this 3-disc release), but that shouldn't prevent Nightmare devotees from discarding their 2D-only disc and nabbing this Combo edition before Halloween comes knocking this year.

Note: the 3D MVC-encoded video transfer is presented at 1.78:1 while the 2D AVC-encoded transfer is presented at 1.66:1. The screenshots accompanying this review are taken from the 2D version.

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Twas The Nightmare Before Christmas and all through the house, I awoke everyone, most especially my spouse. Ahem... sorry. Got carried away there. Disney's chimney-splitting Dolby TrueHD 7.1 surround track may be the same lossless mix audiophiles have enjoyed for three years now, but that shouldn't give anyone pause. Rowdy, rambunctious and oh-so-refined, it remains one of the go-to audio experiences in the studio's catalog and stands shoulder to shoulder with more recent Mouse House monsters. Each and every voice is clear, weighty and impeccably prioritized, be it Jack's gentlemanly musings, his beastly friends' gravelly growls or the Mayor's manic speeches. Lines aren't forced to compete with one another or buried in any ensuing scuffles; they're neatly centered and nicely grounded, without exception. Effects aren't swept under the rug or given full reign of the soundscape; they're paraded from channel to channel, showcased one after the other, for all to hear. Rear speaker activity is as lively as Selick and Burton's dead things permit, and directionality is disarmingly engaging and playfully frightening. Clattering skulls, scraping sleighs, rickety toys, crunching snow, bouncing bogeymen and singing monstrosities make the rounds, each element polished and precise. Likewise, LFE output tromps and stomps across the floor, granting Nightmare's stop-motion puppets heft and presence, its arcane outbursts power and resonance, and its supernatural delights startling substance.

But it's Danny Elfman's music that steals this lossless Christmas. From the film's malevolent songs to its baleful ballads to the orchestral flourishes of Elfman's mischievous score, Nightmare's music is an absorbing, immersive delight. It doesn't just swell, it soars; it doesn't just dance across the soundfield, it washes over the listener with spine-tingling fidelity, hearty low-end support and agile dynamics. It's a whirling, swirling dreamscape and it doesn't shuffle or stumble for a second. Regardless of how you react to the film's 3D presentation, Disney's TrueHD 7.1 audio will lure you into its lair, rattle your bones and leave you screaming. With joy, of course.

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray release of The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D includes a BD-50 disc that houses the film's 3D presentation, a second BD- 50 that features the film's 2D presentation and special features, and a standard DVD/Digital Copy disc. More behind-the-scenes materials would have been a welcome addition -- come to think of it, a fresh retrospective or production documentary would have been a godsend -- but the 2008 supplemental package is a decent one, so I won't complain. Too much...

• Audio Commentary: Producer Tim Burton, director Henry Selick and composer Danny Elfman deliver an "all-new" (circa 2008) commentary, albeit not the group chat fans might long for. Recorded separately, the filmmakers perform their due diligence I suppose, but Elfman is, hands down, the most engaging of the three.
• Tim Burton's Original Poem (HD, 12 minutes): Christopher Lee reads the poem that inspired the film as animated concept art brings the tale to life
• The Making of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (SD, 25 minutes): A six-chapter 1993 television special that covers the development, storyboarding, art direction, production, puppets, animation and music of the film.
• The Worlds of The Nightmare Before Christmas (HD/SD): Three production suites flesh things out a bit more. "Halloween Town" serves up character designs, animation tests, concept art for Jack, Sally, Oogie Boogie, Evil Scientist and Igor, the citizens, the town itself, the laboratory, the treehouse, and Lock, Shock and Barrel. "Christmas Town" delves into the world of Santa and his helpers. And "The Real World" trots out even more concept art and character designs.
• Deleted Storyboards (SD, 3 minutes): Three abandoned scenes -- "Behemoth Singing," "Oogie Boogie with Dancing Bugs" and "Alternate Identity of Oogie Boogie" -- are presented via storyboards.
• Deleted Animated Sequences (SD, 5 minutes): Four fully animated deleted scenes are included as well: "Jack's Scientific Experiments," "Vampire Hockey Players," "Lock, Shock and Barrel" and "Oogie Boogie Shadow Dance."
• Storyboard to Film Comparisons (SD, 4 minutes): A brief, uneventful and none-too-revealing comparison.
• What's This? Jack's Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour (HD, 37 minutes): Each year, Disney World's Haunted Mansion attraction gets a Nightmare Before Christmas makeover. The feature is available as a 7-minute "On Track" tour (complete with pop-up trivia) and a 37- minute "Off Track" trek behind the scenes with the project directors, artists and craftsman responsible for the annual overhaul.
• Frankenweenie (SD, 31 minutes): Burton introduces Frankenweenie, a charming 1984 short film about a whiz-kid who brings his dog back from the dead, Franken-style. It stars Shelley Duvall, Daniel Stern and The NeverEnding Story's Barret Oliver.
• Vincent (SD, 6 minutes): Burton's dark-Dr. Suessian stop-motion short is notable for a number of reasons, among them Vincent Price's narration and Jack Skellington's cinematic debut.
• Posters and Trailers (SD, 3 minutes): The film's teaser and theatrical trailers are paired with a gallery of original Nightmare posters.

The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Those who already own The Nightmare Before Christmas on Blu-ray will have to ask themselves: how much is a hit-or-miss 3D presentation worth? At its current pricepoint, Disney is charging a premium for just that. The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D doesn't include any new special features, any noteworthy video or audio upgrades or, really, anything other than a different viewing experience. If you can't get enough 3D and absolutely adore Tim Burton's dark holiday classic, though, I doubt you'll regret your purchase.