8.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.8 | |
Reviewer | 4.5 | |
Overall | 4.7 |
When the king of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington, gets bored of his job preparing for Halloween every year, he discovers Christmas Town and is inspired to take control of Christmas season for a change. Unfortunately his ghoulish subjects have difficulty getting the festive holiday quite right. Meanwhile, Sally, a pretty maid who takes care of her creator, Dr. Finklestein, is trying to escape from her confines. She worries for Jack and foresees his plans will end in ruin.
Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Catherine O'HaraFamily | 100% |
Animation | 83% |
Fantasy | 74% |
Musical | 40% |
Holiday | 19% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: Dolby TrueHD 7.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0
French: Dolby Digital 5.1 (640 kbps)
Portuguese: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
Digital copy (on disc)
D-Box
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.5 |
It is easy to see why a film like The Nightmare Before Christmas has become as exceedingly popular as it has. Combining a classic musical formula with a signature Tim Burton style, the film only gets better upon repeat viewings. So much love and intricate detail composes every shot of the stop-motion feature. Intense emotion oozes from the musical performances. And throughout it all, a macabre but lighthearted tone permeates the picture. This solid film has transcended the usual audiences and expectations, given its darkness and its "seasonal" themes within the story. It is a film that quite literally can be enjoyed by anyone, at any time of the year, regardless of whether it falls around Hallowe'en or Christmas; I always thought it was a good Thanksgiving movie, myself! Well-produced and unusual, especially for mainstream animation in the U.S., The Nightmare Before Christmas is truly a diamond in the rough.
On Cassius, on Nero, on Ulna and Zero!
Never before has Nightmare Before Christmas looked so good. Having seen this film on VHS, DVD, and projected theatrically - both flat and in "Disney Digital 3D," I can truly say this is the first time that so many small details are actually noticeable. The soulless blank eyes of the vampires. The swamp creature's blue nails. Zero's nose is actually a freakin' jack-o'-lantern! One could never quite make out the detail of the ghost dog's snout; it always reminded me of an old tungsten light bulb or somesuch.
Encoded in AVC and averaging 30 Mbps, Nightmare is absolutely lovely in all of its 1080p glory. The film is made all the more engrossing by the picture clarity, and the carefully crafted puppets look stunning with such a high amount of detail. For a film with a relatively limited color palette, especially in the grim Edward Gorey-like world of the Hallowe'en holiday, hues are vibrant and really pop from the screen when they are present, such as the neon splendor of Oogie Boogie's Las Vegas-flavored haven. There of course is a lot of black present throughout, and the levels are well balanced, rich, and deep with no evidence of crush. No video artifacts are present throughout the feature, nor any noticeable compression artifacts. In short, Disney has done it again with a breathtaking, flawless picture presentation.
Being a very musical film - in fact, more of an operetta than a traditional musical - Nightmare Before Christmas obviously relies heavily on its sound presentation. Here the lossless audio - a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix - wonderfully complements the stellar picture quality. Well-balanced and boasting incredible clarity, the music, sound, and dialogue have arguably never sounded better. The film's scoring is spread nicely throughout the channels, and center channel-heavy dialogue is aided by the front speakers here and there. The musical performances are outstanding and feature a nice level of equalization that does not leave one scrambling for the remote control. Ambiance is captured well in the rear channels, and LFE effects for bass instruments and the rumbling effects of cannon fire, for example, are excellent.
In addition to Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital 5.1 mixes of English, Spanish, and French are included, as well as a Portuguese track in Dolby Digital 2.0. It is fun and interesting listening to the translated songs, which is quite fun seeing as a film's music is often left to be performed in English. The clarity of the lossless track, in addition to the wonderful aural variety provided, make this Blu-ray of Nightmare Before Christmas a winner.
This latest release of Nightmare Before Christmas, and its first on Blu-ray Disc, comes supplied with a healthy amount of extra features. Although much of the material has been available on previous editions, it has been fortunately ported over to the BD, along with some interesting new additions.
The first of these is What's This? Jack's Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour, a new behind-the-scenes look at the classic "Haunted Mansion" Disney theme park ride when it gets done up in a Nightmare Before Christmas theme every year for thirteen weeks, starting in October and running until mid-January. Presented in high definition AVC with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, viewers can select from two modes. "On Track" takes you through the entire ride, complete with narration and optional trivia pop-up text. "Off Track" intercuts the ride experience with relevant discussions on the conceptual work and making of specific sections of the ride. The interviewed "Imagineers" enthusiasically relate how certain effects were achieved and reveal interesting trivia; the gingerbread centerpiece in the mansion's dining hall, for example, is made of real gingerbread and its theme changes every year. I could not help but notice how flippantly the current Imagineering crew seemed to treat the classic ride, however; they speak of the resident animatronic characters as some sort of obstacle to be overcome, rather than respecting their presence and legacy.
A second new feature is Tim Burton's Original Poem Narrated by Christopher Lee, dramatically read by the renown British thespian and using animated graphic art from Burton's original conceptual drawings. Another high definition AVC bonus feature presented in Dolby Digital 5.1, it's admirable just how little was changed or adapted from the poem when converted to a full feature film; the most significant are cast augmentions like Sally, Dr. Finklestein, the Mayor, and a slew of other tertiary characters.
An All-New Audio Commentary with producer Tim Burton, director Henry Selick and composer Danny Elfman is offered up next. Although recorded separately, the trio share some genuinely interesting backstory on the film and its subsequent legacy. Elfman's enthusiasm for the project is especially noticeable, and he was certainly the most fun to listen to during the feature.
Frankenweenie With All-New Intro By Tim Burton is a short film by directed by Burton from 1984. Essentially a re-telling of the classic Frankenstein with a boy and his beloved bull terrier, the film is given a short introduction by Burton, who also mentions the development of a full stop-motion Frankenweenie feature film set for release in 2009. The live action short is presented in AVC standard definition with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio. Likewise, Burton's stop-motion short Vincent from 1982, about a young boy who fancies himself a dark and tormented Vincent Price, is included in standard definition and Dolby Stereo.
The most substantial of the following ported features is The Making of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas - a 25 minute behind-the-scenes featurette encoded in MPEG-4 and presented in Dolby Digital 2.0. Divided into 6 chapters, the program harks back to the film's theatrical release, with a slight bit of a promotional feel to it. Still, it satisfactorily covers the inspiration for the film, the music, the animation process and art direction, though it would have done some good if it were allowed to be a bit more in-depth.
Deleted Scenes are up next, consisting of three storyboards and four animated sequences. All quite brief and in standard definition, the storyboards contain two pieces cut for time purposes, as well as an alternate ending. The animated sequences show an extended scene with Jack's Christmas experimentation, an alternate shot of the "puck" among some hockey playing vampires, and two fully excised scenes involving the film's villain, Oogie Boogie. The Worlds of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas are concept art slideshow galleries categorized by film setting, being Halloween Town, Christmas Town, or The Real World. The Storyboard-to-Film Comparison is a short segment in standard definition showing the "Town Meeting" sequence in a split screen presentation between the final film and the initial storyboards.
The remaining material is rather gimmicky and promotional. Poster and Trailers contains a short slideshow of Nightmare's domestic release onesheets, as well as the original teaser and full trailer for the film. The Blu-ray Disc itself contains Sneak Peeks for current Blu-ray releases, as well as the upcoming Tinker Bell, Prince Caspian, Sleeping Beauty, and WALL•E. The theatrical teaser for Beverly Hills Chihuahua, as well as advertisements for the Disney theme parks and its loyalty program Disney Movie Rewards, round out the shameless plug offerings. At least they're all presented in high definition! Lastly, a second disc is packaged along with the Blu-ray, providing a Digital Copy of the film. In typical Disney home video tradition, the company has re-branded the technology as a Disney File. Slick.
The Nightmare Before Christmas only continues a meticulous ascent in popularity and renown. It is little why - the film's fantastic elements consist of a fascinating, lighthearted macabre world full populated by distinctly Burtonesque characters. They are at once horrid and lovable, and the film's stop motion technique lends a unique, surreal feel to the entire affair. Elfman's heartfelt score and emotive songs are quite memorable, as all good music should be. The Blu-ray Disc presents the film in a beautiful light, helping it to shine like never before. The disc is only boosted all the more by a great amount of bonus material than any fan will be happy to sink their teeth into. A lovely, dark little gem sure to stand the test of time, Nightmare is a must-own title on Blu-ray Disc!
1993
Collector's Edition
1993
1993
20th Anniversary Edition
1993
20th Anniversary Edition
1993
25th Anniversary Edition
1993
25th Anniversary Edition
1993
25th Anniversary Edition
1993
25th Anniversary Edition / Sing-Along Edition
1993
25th Anniversary Edition
1993
25th Anniversary Edition
1993
1993
25th Anniversary Edition / Sing-Along Edition / With Glow-in-the-Dark Slipcover
1993
Ultimate Collector's Edition
1993
Disney100
1993
Disney100
1993
Disney100 Edition with Collectible Pin
1993
2009
The Signature Collection
1937
Dance Party Edition
2020
Special Edition
1996
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1959
Diamond Edition
1950
Peter Pan 2
2002
2005
2019
The Signature Collection
1940
1999
60th Anniversary Edition
1951
2004
Rental Copy
1940
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1989
Anniversary Edition | The Signature Collection
1953
Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
2012
2014
1997
Deluxe Edition
1969