Nightmare Before Christimas

Tim Burton is a name that if some said they never heard of him, you knew they were lying. Anything from animation or directing, Burton is well rounded. The list for everything that he had a hand in is so extensive, we are not going to go into it, yet, we need to go towards his Disney affiliation for the piece at hand. He has worked for Disney for more than a few decades and continues to produce masterpieces in the eerie and vivid gothic design. His style is so distinct, the ability to pinpoint is non-degree required. Thinking Burton and Disney, the first thought is the classic The Nightmare Before Christmas; Not to be confused with the 1993 stop-motion film Tim Burton’s Nightmare before Christmas.

Nightmare was a poem that Burton wrote back in 1982. Now, even though at the time he wrote it was not for Disney, this is a prime example why "never throw away, never erase" is so important when it comes to writing. Coming back to the poem after 20 years and presenting it to Disney, it produces the most memorable Christmas and Halloween movie in their archive.

The direction that the movie and the poem take are slightly different with the same outcome to an extent. This is not a comparative piece, but a view on the development of the original poem.

The story really only has three characters. Jack Skellington, Santa Clause and Zero. The illustrations show most of the characters in the movie. Unsure if the original idea of them were provided before or after, but knowing the movie you get to see them all in the story. Sally, the rag doll from the movie is seen throughout the story as well, but never indicated; same as the Mayor. Lock, Shock and Barrel have a line, but that is the extent of the rest of Halloween Town. Oogie-Boogie is in the story, nor illustration.

“Nightmare has always meant a lot to me. To revisit it after twenty years and adding a few additional illustrations has been a special experience.”- Tim Burton

An epic poem is a narrative style, lengthy poem of a heroic feat. I would not call Jack’s feats heroic, but that is beside the point. Too short to be a short story and too long to be a normal poem, we are going to call Nightmare an epic poem.

The poem follows Jack Skellington, just a resident in Halloween Town. It starts with his sadness on the curled hill and has him talking to himself about how he is tired and bored of Halloween town. With his dog Zero, who is upset that Jack is in so much dismay fails to notice him, they walk deep in to a forest. A much shorter opening then the epic musical number of the movie.

In the forest the story only shows three doors. Christmas, Easter, and Valentine’s Day.

And we all know what door he picks.

In addition to that similarity, Jack indeed steals bunch of stuff. Even the big C on the Christmas town sign. He does this as proof to his friends that he was not crazy.

Going in to a deeper analysis in this scene, why would his friends think him crazy? He doesn’t leave and tell his friends, then they say, “Jake you’re crazy,” and then he goes back for proof. He immediately goes for his friends will never believe.

“If someone tell you what a story is about, they are probably right. If they tell you that that is all the story is about, they are very definitely wrong” Neil Gaiman, Fahrenheit 451, introduction.

This could indicate that there is something more than just him being tired of Halloween town. Possibly he has a different mind-set then his friend and gets out-casted or made fun of? He is not the King in this one. For the sake of argument, he was going to prove them wrong about his imagination, like he has been down this road before.

There a million possibilities that can be pulled from that small line. And a million more that could have been in his back-story straight from Burton.

Continuing on in the story, he makes it back and shows the goods. Most of the town are excited but a few are worried, like in the movie. And Jack falls to obsessively wondering about it. And so, the heist begins.

They have the capture and the planning. The skeleton deer and the fog. Zero finally getting Jack's attention as Rudolph. Yet, it seems that Santa, against his will obviously, stayed in Halloween Town and was not restrained.

During Jack’s delivery, Burton uses the rhythm of Twas the Night Before Christmas. As so fit, it would be.

In the end, he is shot down for the evil toys he was leaving. He starts to cry in a graveyard at his failure as Zero stays close. Santa then appears and talks to him.

Some more analyzation really quick. Santa must have had some kind of lesson in mind for him to show up at the end. Obviously, he was not restrained to have come so easy and promptly after the failure. Instead, we can think the Santa knew the only way for Jack to learn his lesson was for him to fail.

Lessons are tricky things to teach people effectively. Not everyone is compliable of understanding something that another will. Santa commends him in trying and then sends him back home. The end is not as satisfying as Jack getting the girl, or Sally getting her man. But Santa gives snow to Halloween Town which implies in the illustration, Jack standing with arms stretch high, he was satisfied with the action.

The tone was light hearted with the rhythmic flow fairly even with a few hiccup’s, I am sure for effect. Though the story line, per se, was not as complex as the movie openly showed, there is a few things that I am sure we can grab and blow way out of portion.

Jack’s feelings in the story are very real and relatable. The need to find something new, and realizing you had to make want you have better then stealing from others. It was more a lesson then an overcoming story. He did fail in the end but became wiser.

The Nightmare Before Christmas poem is a must have on the shelf so show off to your die-hard Nightmare fans. (but if they were die hard, then they would have one too. Just saying.) Or have to read to the kids at any time of the year before bed to give your own heart a nostalgic joy.

A classic book that you will want to read just as many times as you watch the movie.