In all the years of holiday films, one would think every concept has been explored. Family dysfunction, romance, John Candy and Steve Martin, BB guns, ghosts of Christmas past, and George Bailey takes care of everything… or so you would think. Leave it to Tim Burton to take the Christmas holiday and do something with it no one had ever seen.
As a stop motion fanboy, it’s hard not to notice how truly remarkable Nightmare Before Christmas looks. It’s staggering how many of these shots were pulled off, even with modern technology adapted to fit this disappearing film art form. Miniature work is stunning, and the fluidity of every frame is a marvel to look at.
On top of that, there are some amazing character designs, truly unique in the annals of film itself. The Mayor’s swiveling head, Sally’s stitched together design, and Dr. Finklestein’s removable skull are all admirable creations. While the film carries a PG rating, it’s hard to imagine younger children grabbing onto this one as a favorite, especially after seeing Santa as a morbidly obese man being chased by a boogieman.
Amazingly, even with its dark undertones, the heart of the story is a message about being unselfish. Jack Skellington is a fantastic lead and his supporting cast is admirable. His goal of bringing Christmas cheer to muddy, gray Halloween Town quickly goes south entirely of his own doing. It’s a classic story, and one that will surely live on as a holiday classic. Then there’s the music, handled by Danny Elfman. It’s impossibly catchy, and it’s a shame it didn’t gain any Oscar nods.
Nightmare works on every level, with the exception of being a kids film. It’s a remarkable technical achievement, a wonderful musical, and fine piece of original holiday filmmaking. Which holiday the film is about is debatable (there’s far more Halloween than Christmas here), but it’s a classic of the genre nonetheless. 
Nightmare comes to Blu-ray and DVD after an extended wait for a special edition. The Blu-ray transfer isn’t without its problems, but it’s still stunning at times. The problems are simply edge enhancement and some noticeable artificial enhancement. Very few frames of the film look “pure,” like they were pulled right off the film itself. That’s not to say this isn’t a sharp, wonderfully detailed transfer. It is. However, it feels like the entire film has had some form of DNR applied, or maybe artificial sharpening.
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