Critic Reviews
Nightmare Before Christmas, The (1993) Rank 4 Reviews
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based on (105) reviews
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Edinburgh U Film Society (Neil Chue Hong)
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas clearly displays the results of a disturbed childhood, combined with an amazing, if warped, imagination. Breathtaking stop-motion animation brings to life the dark and frightening place that is Halloweentown. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Edinburgh U Film Society (Neil Chue Hong)
Reeling Reviews (Robin Clifford)
This is an amazing looking film. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Reeling Reviews (Robin Clifford)
rec.arts.movies.reviews (Laura Clifford)
This is an amazing looking film. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at rec.arts.movies.reviews (Laura Clifford)
FilmJerk.com (Edward Havens)
Re-imagining "The Nightmare Before Christmas" as a three dimensional film has taken Henry Selick's modern masterwork and turned it into a timeless classic. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at FilmJerk.com (Edward Havens)
HorrorWatch
This is the story book inspired tale of the Pumpkin King Jack Skellington (Voiced by Fright Night's Chris Sarandon). Jack is the lord and master of Halloween Town, a place where all things that go bump in the night dwell. After the latest Halloween ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at HorrorWatch
Exploded Goat review (Kent Conrad)
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a rare jewel in the canon of modern Hollywood - a film of pure, uncompromised imagination. It presents us with a world crafted from whole cloth (and plastic and foam...), filled with creatures whose simple motivation is ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Exploded Goat review (Kent Conrad)
Dallas Morning News (Nancy Churnin)
Thirteen years after its debut, Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas has gone 3D, which makes a good thing even better. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Dallas Morning News (Nancy Churnin)
filmcritic.com relives the Nightmare before Christmas
Just in time for Halloween and Christmas, the reissue of The Nightmare Before Christmas couldn't be more appropriate. With all of the attention thrown to "family films" in recent years, namely those starring pocket monsters and Nickelodeon characters, ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at filmcritic.com relives the Nightmare before Christmas
Sun Newspapers of Cleveland (--)
There is no denying the presence of depth to the updated imagery. In fact, the new picture adds clarity as the animated cast bops around in front of beautifully textured backgrounds that now fall deep into the frame.
Still, it would appear this new ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Sun Newspapers of Cleveland (--)
BBCi - Films
Jack Skellington (voiced by Sarandon), the pumpkin king of Halloweentown, has grown bored with his lot in life and the repetitive nature of giving people a scare each Halloween. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at BBCi - Films
SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review
This dark and brilliant film is one of the few masterpieces to come out of the muchly debased sub-genre of children's filmmaking in recent years. But despite unanimously glowing reviews The Nightmare Before Christmas did only moderate ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at SF, Horror and Fantasy Film Review
JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
Wonderfully dark and moody children's Halloween tale that gently stirs all of the required elements of humour, musical charisma, children's imagination and amazing special effects in a successful simmering pot of entertainment. This film is filled with ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at JoBlo's Movie Emporium ("JoBlo")
eFilmCritic.com (--)
Jack Skellington is the Pumpkin King, a tall and skeletal figure who is the de-facto ruler of "Halloweentown", the place where Halloween is "manufactured" from year to year. Peopled by a vast assortment of freaky creatures, Halloweentown is a jaunty ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at eFilmCritic.com (--)
WaffleMovies.com (Willie Waffle)
feels like it should have always been in 3-D. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at WaffleMovies.com (Willie Waffle)
iF Magazine (Sean Elliott)
Now down to the 3D elements review. This film looked amazing in 3D to begin with so don't expect HUGE leaps forward in the way the movie is presented. There are some very obvious 3D sequences, like Jack tumbling through the Christmastown door, and the wit ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at iF Magazine (Sean Elliott)
Entertainment Weekly (Scott Brown)
Flattened for years on cable and video, Nightmare has been resurrected in all its tactile glory. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Entertainment Weekly (Scott Brown)
One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Light, amusingly macabre, droll, looking and sounding freshly minted...a marvelous holiday treat with luscious tricks up its sleeve. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at One Guy's Opinion (Frank Swietek)
Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)
If there's a more wickedly funny, inventive and totally engrossing festive flick than this, I've yet to see it. Tremendous. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Movie Gazette (Gary Panton)
The Cold Spot
I was reading the Greg Suarez's review of The Nightmare Before Christmas on The Digital Bits, when a thought occurred to me. What in the world was I thinking when I only gave this film four stars? I suddenly remembered how I had spent the entire film ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at The Cold Spot
Cinenganos (Luis Martinez)
Una joya de la cinematografía animada y musical. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Cinenganos (Luis Martinez)
New York Times (Janet Maslin)
The Nightmare Before Christmas is a major step forward for both stop-motion animation, which is stunningly well used, and for Mr. Burton himself. He now moves from the level of extremely talented eccentric to that of Disney-style household word. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at New York Times (Janet Maslin)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
The Nightmare Before Christmas has something to offer just about everyone. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Reel.com DVD review (Rod Armstrong)
The DVD format is particularly well-suited to the world of animation. Not only can each frame be minutely examined, but the extras attached, like storyboard comparisons and character designs, are often much more interesting than they would be with a ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Reel.com DVD review (Rod Armstrong)
Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
Of all the new Halloween films, only this one has the power to truly haunt our dreams. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Rolling Stone (Peter Travers)
filmcritic.com (Max Messier)
Just in time for Halloween and Christmas, the reissue of The Nightmare Before Christmas couldn't be more appropriate. With all of the attention thrown to "family films" in recent years, namely those starring pocket monsters and Nickelodeon ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at filmcritic.com (Max Messier)
New York Daily News (Elizabeth Weitzman)
(Producer Tim) Burton's skewed vision is seamlessly realized by director Henry Selick and cleverly enhanced by Danny Elfman's songs. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at New York Daily News (Elizabeth Weitzman)
Rotten Tomatoes - Reviews from the Nation's Top Critics
Every other movie released these days gets hyped with a booming pronouncement of "In a world where -" Usually, though, the world in question is just more run-of-the-Hollywood-swill. But now comes something genuinely new yet familiar from Tim Burton, ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Rotten Tomatoes - Reviews from the Nation's Top Critics
Spinning Image (Graeme Clark)
In Halloween Town, the inhabitants are congratulating themselves on another successful night of scares, but the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon and sung by Danny Elfman) is strangely dissatisfied. He feels there must be more to ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Spinning Image (Graeme Clark)
Mr. Mikey's Video Views (J. Michael Dlugos)
Tim Burton has long been considered a "mad" man of Hollywood. He's the guy responsible for flicks like Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and Batman. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Mr. Mikey's Video Views (J. Michael Dlugos)
Cinescape (--)
Tim Burton's skewered sensibility finds excellent expression through the masterful stop-motion of director Henry Selick. The songs and score by Danny Elfman are wonderful; the characters are engaging; the visuals are enthralling. Amidst all the weirdness ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Cinescape (--)
Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
The movies can create entirely new worlds for us, but that is one of their rarest gifts. More often, directors go for realism, for worlds we can recognize. One of the many pleasures of ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Chicago Sun-Times (Roger Ebert)
Washington Post (Richard Harrington)
Disney takes an ambitious turn for the weird with Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas," an animated musical so twisted that the studio has released it under its adult Touchstone logo -- all the easier to differentiate this movie from ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Washington Post (Richard Harrington)
ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
The Nightmare Before Christmas has something to offer just about everyone. For the kids, it's a fantasy celebrating two holidays. For the adults, it's an opportunity to experience some light entertainment while marvelling at how ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at ReelViews (James Berardinelli)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Daniel Gray Longino)
If the 3-D fails to grab you as much as you might hope, it never takes you out of the movie, which is a remarkable feat. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Daniel Gray Longino)
Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
It's an inspired idea that allows for all kinds of wickedness and invention, and the filmmakers take it to the limit. But the movie's tone is lighthearted, kept buoyant by Elfman's songs and holiday cheer. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Combustible Celluloid (Jeffrey M. Anderson)
Zap2it.com
Tim Burtons The Nightmare Before Christmas — a delightfully madcap and limber stop-motion puppet feature about a band of Halloween misfits who try to take over Christmas — has a grotesque charm, a pie-eyed magic. With its crack-brained, ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Zap2it.com
At-A-Glance Film Reviews
With this claymated Disney film, director Tim Burton has created a rich, stunningly imaginative world where holidays are embodied in settlements characteristic of their respective occasions. The story concerns one Jack Skellington, a celebrity in the ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at At-A-Glance Film Reviews
Movie Vault (The Moose)
Tim Burton is not the first person that comes to mind when you think of children’s entertainment but he has a closer connection with that film genre then most would think. Tim Burton attended the California Institute of the Arts, also known as ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Movie Vault (The Moose)
Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
The hippest of all holiday classics, the 1993 release rendered anew in 3-D format remains a postmodern three-ring circus of morbid humor, eye-popping puppet animation and show-stopping songs. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Minneapolis Star Tribune (Colin Covert)
San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
Concise, elegant, a tad scary, this is a treat for Halloween. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at San Diego Union-Tribune (David Elliott)
kids-in-mind.com
The film is filled with pseudo-scary visuals, but little actual harm is done. For instance: one character has a hatchet embedded in his head, but it might just as well be a hat. The characters are mostly toys, or, could be interpreted as un-dead ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at kids-in-mind.com
JackassCritics.com (Matt Fuerst)
I feel pretty strongly that aside from the commentary within a piece art, you have an opportunity to look inside the artist themselves. Now, this isn't always the case with film, since let's face it, not every piece of celluloid (soon to be digital?) ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at JackassCritics.com (Matt Fuerst)
Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Chris Hicks)
Burton, Elfman and director Henry Selick, whose camera movements are more inventive than most live-action pictures, have certainly created one of the most surprisingly unique films to come along in many a full moon. ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Deseret News, Salt Lake City (Chris Hicks)
Guardian [UK] (Peter Bradshaw)
The 1993 movie has been zapped up with a digitalised 3-D makeover. This is very much branded as Tim Burton's film, on the grounds that the story and characters are his, but maybe it should be Danny Elfman's, because it is Elfman's elaborate ...read the complete Nightmare Before Christmas movie review at Guardian [UK] (Peter Bradshaw)
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by darin on January 27, 2009 North Salt Lake, Utah
This is one of Tim Burton's best animated shows. Wonderful and catchy toons and great animation. This movie did take a long time to make and it was all worth it. With the claymation and time it took to put this show together, it was wonderfully done. ...
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