Movie Reviews
Nightmare Before Christmas In 3D
By Mitch Emerson
October 27, 2006 - 11:24

Studios: Walt Disney Pictures
Writer(s): Tim Burton (story), Michael McDowell (adaptation), Caroline Thompson (screenplay)
Starring: Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page, Ed Ivory, Susan McBride, Debi Durst, Greg Proops, Kerry Katz, Randy Crenshaw, Sherwood Ball, Carmen Twillie, Catherine O'Hara
Directed by: Henry Selick
Produced by: Caroline Thompson, Tim Burton, Denise Di Novi
Running Time: 76 Minutes
Release Date: October 29th, 1993 (October 19, 2006 3D re-release)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Distributors: Walt Disney Pictures
Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy, Musical



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I’m not going to go too deep into a review of the actual movie because it’s 13 years old. If you haven’t seen it by now, you probably won’t. Anyway, for the uninitiated, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is about Jack Skellington’s (voiced by Danny Elfman and Chris Sarandon) plot to steal Christmas and make it his own Holiday. He then kidnaps Santa Claus and enlists the aid of Halloweentown’s residents to help with his plan. Sally (voiced by Catherine O’Hara) has a terrible vision of how Jacks plans will fall apart and tries to convince him to stop.

The movie is just as good as it ever was but the 3-D is lacking. Now to be honest, I arrived late and got stuck on the far left side of the theater so it could’ve just been the angle. If that was the case then that lowers my already low opinion even more because Disney should have made the effort to make it look good from every seat in the house. The backgrounds lacked any real depth. It was like Grover’s bit on Sesame Street. All you had was near and far. Any quick movement such as Jack running or the sleigh flying quickly across the screen seemed to become a jumble of images that my eyes couldn’t quite keep up with. Jacks legs became rubbery and almost looked like the tentacles of an octopus or something. And, some of the wide panning shots actually made my eyes water and want to cross, which is definitely not what I want to happen while trying to enjoy a movie. The only thing that really stood out (pun intended) was the snow at the very end of the film.

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In Disney’s defense, I was on the far side of the theater and The Nightmare Before Christmas wasn’t intended to be a 3-D film. But, if this is what Disney has to offer, I’ll stick with the IMAX.  

Final thought- Good movie, bad execution. So, unless you are a die-hard fan I would skip this and watch it at home.

On a side note, this may be the last “kid’s” movie I see at the theater. I had a kid sitting behind me that wouldn’t shut up for anything AND he kept kicking the back of my seat. Lady if that was your kid – Control him or get the hell out of the theater! Trust me, that kid’s behavior was utterly unacceptable. He wouldn’t stay in his seat at all. They actually left halfway through the movie.

Well, this turned into more of a rant than a review. Sorry about that.

Until Jack Skellington actually jumps out of the screen,

Keep reading.

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The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D Review
Nightmare Before Christmas In 3D
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