The Nightmare Before Christmas
“We've got to find Jack! There's only 365 days left until next Halloween!” -Mayor
This is a movie I had only seen once before at a very formative age. Even though I only saw it one time, it stuck with me decades later. This movie scared me as a kid and I have refused to watch it since. It took a ZEJ trip to the theater to get me to watch it again, as it is one of E’s favorite Halloween movies. As I am older, I do agree that it is less scary (still really scary) but I was able to appreciate it for what it is. A great animated film with some extremely catchy tunes with a fun and unique story. I think the humor 31 years later still hits along with the fact it completely holds up. In those 31 years of animation, so much has changed and I would say that this looks better than most of the stuff coming out today. Overall I am glad I overcame my fear to go see this again and it is hard to argue that it isn’t a classic or even THE Halloween movie.
-J
E and I have seen The Nightmare Before Christmas a handful of times now, and are basically locked in on it being a Spooktober tradition moving forward, but had not officially rated it thus far, and wow, I am glad that the rating watch was in theaters with the whole ZEJ team! For one, finally convincing Jord to watch this after him leaving in fear of it for two decades was cathartic for everyone involved. And for two, seeing the absolutely BEAUTIFUL claymation on the big screen was really something. I was surprised at how much more detail that was able to display, and really made the unique aesthetic of the film even more pronounced and lived in. I consider this a masterpiece, but its somewhat difficult to give a rating. Critically-speaking, E and I’s only complaint is that a couple of the songs are bit more lackluster than others. That said, the less lackluster songs are the kind of earworms that just eat and eat at your brain until there’s nothing left but THIS IS HALLOWEEN THIS IS HALLOWEEN. The character designs are iconic, and were clearly the work of maestros. I am so impressed with its timelessness, both after 30+ years and in subsequent watches. Jord posited it could be THE Halloween movie, and I am here to tell you that there’s no could. It is THE Halloween movie.
-Z
