113 Fun Facts About Nightmare Before Christmas

When Burton first showed him the concept art and storyboards, what was Henry Selick's job?

Selick was a Disney animator, like Burton, when he first saw the artwork in the early 1980s; he later turned down an MTV series based on his short Slow Bob in the Lower Dimensions to direct the feature.

How long was Burton's original 1982 poem that became the film?

Burton's 1982 poem was three pages long; Disney first considered making it a short or a half-hour TV special, and the poem was reissued in hardcover for the film's 20th anniversary.

How many individual frames were photographed to make the film?

109,440 individual frames were photographed; at 24 frames a second that adds up to the film's 76-minute running time.

Which actor provided the speaking voice for Jack Skellington?

He was cast after the songs were recorded so his speech would match the singing, and in 2019 he said he would happily return for a sequel.

Whose Threepenny Opera did Elfman name as a source for the score's deliberately old-fashioned sound?

Kurt Weill's The Threepenny Opera was Elfman's model for the songs' deliberately old-fashioned sound; the score went on to earn a Golden Globe nomination.

How many different types of face did Sally's puppet have, each with eleven expressions?

Sally had ten types of face, each with eleven expressions; only her face mask was swapped during animation so her long red hair stayed in place. Catherine O'Hara voiced her.

Which actor voiced the villainous, gambling-addicted Oogie Boogie?

Ken Page based the gambling-addicted villain's voice on Bert Lahr's Cowardly Lion crossed with the demon from The Exorcist, and still reprises the role at Hollywood Bowl concerts.

Roughly how many heads were made for Jack Skellington's puppet to allow different expressions?

Around 400 heads were sculpted for Jack so every expression could be swapped in; the Jack puppet itself was later reused as Captain Jack in Selick's James and the Giant Peach.

Under which Disney label was "The Nightmare Before Christmas" originally released?

Touchstone Pictures got the film because the studio thought its Gothic tone would be too dark and scary for kids under the main Walt Disney Pictures brand.

What is Jack Skellington's primary title in Halloween Town?

A 2022 young adult novel, Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, hands the crown to Sally and picks up after the film.

Sally's detachable limbs are stuffed with what?

Sally is a rag doll stuffed with fall leaves; she carries needle and thread to sew herself back together, as after she throws herself from Dr. Finkelstein's tower window to escape.

Zero's glowing nose is shaped like what?

Zero's nose is a tiny glowing jack-o'-lantern; like Rudolph's red nose it lights the way when he leads Jack's sleigh on Christmas Eve.

What are the costumes worn by the trick-or-treating trio Lock, Shock, and Barrel?

Lock wears a devil costume, Shock a witch's and Barrel a skeleton's; Paul Reubens, Catherine O'Hara and Danny Elfman voice the three, who answer to Oogie Boogie.

What is the title of the song Jack Skellington sings when he first discovers Christmas Town?

'What's This?' is Jack's breathless tour of Christmas Town; Fall Out Boy covered it for the 2006 special-edition soundtrack.

Elfman wrote the songs, in consultation with Burton, before the film had what?

Elfman wrote ten of the songs with Burton before any script existed; Caroline Thompson's screenplay was then written around them.

In The Nightmare Before Christmas, what name do Jack Skellington and Halloween Town give Santa Claus after mishearing it?

Jack dubs him Sandy Claws after mishearing the name; the residents picture a lobster-clawed monster, and Lock, Shock and Barrel are sent to fetch him.

Production began in July 1991 in which city?

Burton, busy with Batman Returns and Ed Wood, visited only about five times over two years, spending no more than eight or ten days in total.

Roughly how many puppets did the filmmakers build for the cast?

The crew built 227 puppets for the cast, with foam-latex skins over steel armatures that held each pose between frames.

Why did Tim Burton hand the director's chair to someone else rather than take it himself?

He also had no appetite for the painstakingly slow process, and by his own account was in San Francisco for no more than eight or ten days of production.

Oogie's Revenge (2004) launched first in which country, where the film was more popular than in North America?

Capcom's developers consulted Burton and worked with the film's art director, Deane Taylor, and the game is set a year after the film.

What kind of creature is Zero, Jack Skellington's loyal pet?

Zero is Jack's ghost dog, a translucent pup who floats and passes through walls; Tokyopop's manga Zero's Journey follows him after he is separated from Jack in Christmas Town.

How does Sally learn that the Christmas takeover will end in disaster?

Sally has a vision: a flower in her hand becomes a tiny Christmas tree that bursts into flames, which Jack waves off as a good omen when she warns him.

What is the Mayor of Halloween Town's unique physical characteristic regarding his head?

The peach face has a permanent smile and a spiral eye; the white one a permanent frown with pointed teeth. Glenn Shadix voiced him.

In The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack's coffin-shaped sleigh is pulled on Christmas Eve by what creatures?

Skeletal reindeer, brought to life by the mad scientist, haul the coffin sleigh after Jack assigns Halloween Town Christmas jobs like carolling and making presents.

What is Oogie Boogie made of?

Bugs and insects spill out when Jack unravels his thread into the lava, and Santa squashes the lead bug that acts as his brain.

What happens to Jack Skellington's sleigh after the military attacks him?

Halloween Town believes him dead until he sits up in the arms of a stone angel and finds his love of Halloween rekindled.

Which crestfallen ballad does the rag doll sing after her warning is brushed aside?

O'Hara was nervous about singing it; Fiona Apple covered it in 2006 and Amy Lee for Nightmare Revisited.

Selick compared the film's production design to what?

Halloween Town is German Expressionism, Christmas Town is Dr. Seuss, and the real world is deliberately plain and perfectly aligned.

In what year was "The Nightmare Before Christmas" originally released?

The stop-motion classic "The Nightmare Before Christmas" made its theatrical debut on October 29, 1993.

Which Beetlejuice collaborator did Burton first ask to adapt the poem, before it became a musical?

Burton first asked Michael McDowell, co-writer of Beetlejuice, to adapt the poem; after they fell out he built the film around Elfman's songs, and Caroline Thompson wrote the screenplay afterwards.

Which curling landmark, where Jack sings and finally kisses Sally, was in the 2024 Lego set?

The 2,000-piece set also builds Jack's house and the Town Hall.

What is the name of the scientist who created Sally?

The credits list him only as 'Evil Scientist', and his 'I made you with my own hands' quotes James Whale's Frankenstein.

What is the main problem Jack Skellington faces at the beginning of the movie?

Jack is bored with Halloween, weary of the same scares every year; Elfman said he wrote Jack's songs from his own perspective as an Oingo Boingo bandleader wanting a way out.

How did the Oogie Boogie puppet compare in height with the others?

He was two feet high. Burton loosely based him on Cab Calloway's turns in Betty Boop cartoons, which is why his song swings.

Which holiday specials shaped Tim Burton's first concept for The Nightmare Before Christmas?

Burton drew on the TV specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, plus the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, whose title supplied the film's cadence.

What does Jack Skellington wear as his signature attire in Halloween Town?

The suit was originally meant to be all black, but it blended into the background, so the pinstripes were added.

The trick-or-treating trio's names are a play on which phrase?

Lock, Shock and Barrel's names pun on 'lock, stock and barrel'; the three work for Oogie Boogie and get about in a walking bathtub.

Burton originally wanted his poem read as a TV special by which of his favourite actors?

Price had just narrated Burton's short Vincent.

Which Star Trek captain recorded the prologue and epilogue narration heard only on the soundtrack album?

His readings were dropped from the finished film but kept as bonus tracks; Ed Ivory delivers the brief prologue on screen.

In which melancholy number does Halloween Town's king wish he could give up his crown?

Elfman said he wrote it from his own perspective, feeling trapped as the frontman of Oingo Boingo.

Selick said Halloween Town's design is 'entirely' in which style?

Henry Selick described Halloween Town as entirely German Expressionism, all jagged angles and deep shadows, while Christmas Town is outrageous Dr. Seuss and the real world is plain and perfectly aligned.

In The Nightmare Before Christmas, what is Dr. Finkelstein's assistant called, a role voiced uncredited by Pixar's Joe Ranft?

Igor, the hunchbacked helper in Dr. Finkelstein's lab, was voiced uncredited by Joe Ranft, the Pixar story artist who later shared story credit on Toy Story and A Bug's Life.

What is one of the "scary" toys Jack Skellington tries to deliver to children?

Jack hands one boy a shrunken head, which Santa later replaces with a puppy; his other gifts include a fanged vampire teddy bear and a giant snake that swallows a Christmas tree.

What does Sally slip her creator so she can escape his lab?

Sally spikes Dr. Finkelstein's soup with deadly nightshade, masking its smell with frog's breath, so the doctor dozes off and she can slip out of the lab.

Which number, sung in the cemetery wreckage, ends with the singer feeling like his 'old bony self again'?

It is one of four solo numbers Elfman sang for the character, alongside 'Jack's Obsession'.

What does Jack Skellington intend to do with Santa Claus after kidnapping him?

Jack wants to replace Santa and deliver Christmas himself, telling Lock, Shock and Barrel to make him comfortable; instead they hand him to Oogie Boogie, who gambles with his life.

In which Oscar category did the film earn a nomination — the first ever for an animated feature?

No animated film had been nominated for Visual Effects before. The Best Animated Feature category did not yet exist.

How did the film actually perform in cinemas on its first release?

It found its enormous audience gradually, growing into a seasonal fixture over decades rather than opening as a blockbuster.

In which year was The Nightmare Before Christmas added to the National Film Registry?

The Library of Congress named The Nightmare Before Christmas to the National Film Registry in December 2023, its 30th-anniversary year, as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.

Which other film from 1993 joined the National Film Registry in the very same year as this one?

Each registry row lists title, release year, then year inducted — both this film and Ang Lee's comedy-drama show 1993 and 2023.

Which of Jack's two performers was cast first, shaping how the other performed?

Danny Elfman recorded Jack's songs first, during development, and Chris Sarandon was then cast as the speaking voice because his tone matched Elfman's singing.

Besides singing for Jack, Danny Elfman voiced which two other residents of Halloween Town?

Danny Elfman also voiced Barrel, the smallest of Oogie Boogie's three trick-or-treaters, and the unicycle-riding Clown with the Tear-Away Face.

Catherine O'Hara voiced Sally — and which one of Oogie Boogie's trick-or-treaters?

O'Hara pulled double duty as the rag doll and the oldest and most cunning of the trio.

How is Dr. Finkelstein actually identified in the film's credits?

The end credits list the wheelchair-bound doctor only as "Evil Scientist"; the name Dr. Finkelstein is heard in dialogue but never appears in the credits.

At which festival did the film hold its world premiere?

The film premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 9, 1993, three weeks before its wide theatrical release on October 29.

Per the Special Edition DVD, an early Nightmare Before Christmas idea gave Oogie Boogie what secret identity?

An early idea discussed on the Special Edition DVD would have unmasked Oogie Boogie as Dr. Finkelstein in disguise; Tim Burton rejected the twist and it was dropped.

In which earlier Tim Burton film does a skull design foreshadowing Jack's face already appear?

In Beetlejuice (1988), during the seance scene, Betelgeuse's head sprouts a carousel topped with a skull that closely resembles the Jack Skellington design Burton had sketched years earlier.

Which film did Henry Selick direct next, again with Tim Burton producing?

Selick's next feature, James and the Giant Peach (1996), was again produced by Tim Burton and Denise Di Novi; the two did not collaborate on Selick's later films.

Which later Selick film brought him an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature?

Coraline, Selick's 2009 stop-motion adaptation of Neil Gaiman's novella, was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the 82nd Academy Awards, losing to Up.

How high did the original 1993 soundtrack album climb on the US Billboard 200?

The 1993 soundtrack peaked at No. 98 on the Billboard 200 on its original release; it found a far larger audience in later decades as the film's cult following grew.

Which label put out the film's soundtrack album?

Walt Disney Records released the album on October 12, 1993, to promote the stop-motion musical ahead of its October 29 premiere.

Which two acts covered "This Is Halloween" in 2006 for the soundtrack's special edition?

Marilyn Manson and Panic! at the Disco each recorded "This Is Halloween" for the 2006 two-disc special edition; only Manson's version was reused on the 2008 tribute album Nightmare Revisited.

Haunted Mansion Holiday, the seasonal overlay themed to the film, runs at which two parks?

The overlay mixes the Mansion's own ghosts with Halloween Town's residents in California and Tokyo.

Roughly how long does the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay stay open to guests each year?

Haunted Mansion Holiday opens with the parks' Halloween season in September and stays through the Christmas period into early January, because the changeover is too large to mount for one holiday.

Danny Elfman was the frontman and main songwriter of which band?

Danny Elfman fronted the new wave band Oingo Boingo from 1979 until 1995; its guitarist Steve Bartek became his longtime film-score orchestrator.

Which Disney studio chairman pushed for the film after Burton's live-action success?

Katzenberg saw it as a chance to extend Disney's streak of animated hits.

In what year was the film first re-released in Disney Digital 3-D?

The first Disney Digital 3-D reissue opened in October 2006 under the Walt Disney Pictures banner; further 3D runs followed in later Octobers and a 30th-anniversary re-release came in 2023.

Which band joined Fall Out Boy and Fiona Apple covering songs for the 2006 soundtrack reissue?

Marilyn Manson and Panic! at the Disco rounded out the five covers on the bonus disc.

Which Pixar short accompanied the film's 2006 3-D re-release?

A 3D version of Pixar's 1989 short Knick Knack, about a snow-globe snowman, played before the reissue, which opened on October 20, 2006, under the Walt Disney Pictures label.

How much did the film earn in the United States on its initial theatrical run?

The original 1993 run grossed about $50 million in the United States, a solid return on a budget under $25 million though far from blockbuster numbers.

Which two awards did the film win at the Saturn Awards?

At the 1994 Saturn Awards the film won Best Fantasy Film and Best Music for Danny Elfman, who was also nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Original Score.

Besides the Oscar, the film was nominated for which science-fiction and fantasy prize?

It competed for Best Dramatic Presentation.

When Disney considered a sequel in 2001, how did it want to make it?

Burton, protective of the film, resisted sequels of any kind.

Which two voice actors had both previously appeared in Burton's Beetlejuice?

O'Hara played Delia Deetz and Shadix the interior decorator Otho.

Roughly how many crew members did Selick's team have when production began in 1991?

At its peak, 20 individual sound stages were in use simultaneously.

How many sound stages were used at the peak of the film's stop-motion production?

The film was shot in San Francisco starting in July 1991.

Which cinematographer joined Selick on the film's DVD audio commentary?

The DVD also included a 28-minute making-of documentary and deleted scenes.

How does Jack Skellington make his grand entrance at the start of the film?

As Pumpkin King he serves as master of ceremonies for Halloween Town's celebration.

Which zombie-like Halloween Town resident wears blue overalls and has an axe in his head?

Behemoth is the hulking, pale resident with an axe lodged in his skull and blue overalls, a prominent face among the townsfolk in "This Is Halloween" and at the town meeting.

What can the Clown with the Tear-Away Face do after removing his face?

In "This Is Halloween" the unicycle-riding Clown with the Tear-Away Face rips off his face, revealing nothing behind it, and vanishes in a puff of smoke, gone without a trace.

What does Sally pour into the town fountain to try to ground Jack's sleigh?

Sally empties a bottle of fog juice into the fountain, blanketing Halloween Town in thick fog so Jack cannot take off, until Zero's glowing nose lights the way.

Which 2022 stop-motion film did Henry Selick direct after Coraline?

Wendell & Wild (2022), co-written with Jordan Peele for Netflix, was Selick's first feature since Coraline; Pinocchio was Guillermo del Toro's and Kubo was Travis Knight's.

Tim Burton was born and raised in which California city?

His father Bill, a former minor league ballplayer, has a Burbank baseball field named after him.

Which 1985 comedy was Tim Burton's feature directorial debut?

Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands followed before he produced Nightmare in 1993.

Which festival gave Tim Burton a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2007?

France followed with its Order of Arts and Letters in 2010.

Jack's speaking voice, Chris Sarandon, played which villain in The Princess Bride?

He also played vampire Jerry Dandrige in Fright Night and Detective Norris in Child's Play.

Chris Sarandon earned an Oscar nomination for which 1975 film?

He played Leon Shermer opposite Al Pacino; he was raised in Beckley, West Virginia.

Sally's voice, Catherine O'Hara, first came to prominence on which sketch series?

She won an Emmy for Second City Television and later another for Schitt's Creek.

Catherine O'Hara, Sally's voice in The Nightmare Before Christmas, won an Emmy and a Golden Globe as which Schitt's Creek character?

Moira Rose brought Toronto-born O'Hara a career resurgence, playing opposite Eugene Levy, her frequent castmate from SCTV and Christopher Guest's films.

Oogie Boogie's voice, Ken Page, played which role in the original Broadway cast of Cats?

Page also created the part of Ken in Ain't Misbehavin' and returned to Cats for the 1998 video.

Ken Page made his Broadway debut as the Lion in which musical?

He then played Nicely-Nicely Johnson in the all-Black revival of Guys and Dolls.

Which comedian beat Lock's voice actor to an SNL spot, prompting the Pee-wee stage show?

Reubens was one of 22 finalists and thought his career was over.

Which Beetlejuice character had been played by Glenn Shadix, voice of the Mayor?

Burton later cast Shadix again in Planet of the Apes (2001).

Glenn Shadix retired in 2007 to his native town in which state?

He bought a Victorian home in Bessemer and died in Birmingham in 2010.

Dr. Finkelstein's voice, William Hickey, was Oscar-nominated for which John Huston film?

Hickey also played Uncle Lewis in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Besides Nightmare, which two Tim Burton films did Caroline Thompson write?

Thompson also directed the 1994 film Black Beauty.

Which 1994 film did screenwriter Caroline Thompson direct?

She was born in Washington, D.C., and graduated from Amherst College in 1978.

In what year did Haunted Mansion Holiday first open at Disneyland?

It became so popular that FastPass machines were activated for the overlay.

Which poem inspires the storyline of the Haunted Mansion Holiday overlay?

It retells Jack, as Sandy Claws, visiting the mansion on Christmas Eve.

Which company developed the 2004 game Oogie's Revenge for PlayStation 2 and Xbox?

Its combat resembles Capcom's own Devil May Cry, made easier for younger players.

What is the name of Jack's whip-like green weapon in Oogie's Revenge?

Dr. Finkelstein gives it to Jack before he learns of Oogie's revival.

Nightmare Revisited, the 2008 cover album, marked which anniversary of the film?

Amy Lee of Evanescence performed her 'Sally's Song' cover on The Tonight Show that October.

Which Evanescence singer covered 'Sally's Song' for Nightmare Revisited?

She performed it on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on October 13, 2008.

Production designer Rick Heinrichs won an Oscar for which Burton film?

Heinrichs met Burton at CalArts and first collaborated with him on The Fox and the Hound.

Skellington Productions' last work before Disney closed it was season one of which show?

Burton had renamed Selick's studio Skellington Productions and sold it to Disney in 1992.

Under what name was the future Skellington Productions first formed in 1985?

It let Burton direct TV episodes while Selick focused on animation.

Which Japanese band covered 'This Is Halloween' on the 2011 album V-Rock Disney?

The song has also been covered by Leetspeak Monsters and the symphonic metal band Ad Infinitum.

The 2005 Game Boy Advance game The Pumpkin King is set how long before the film?

It tells of Jack's first encounter with Oogie Boogie and how he earned his title.

Which classic game series does The Pumpkin King's exploration gameplay resemble?

The platformer was developed by Tose for the Game Boy Advance in 2005.

Where in Halloween Town does Jack find the doors to other holiday worlds?

He stumbles through the one leading to Christmas Town.

The 2022 sequel novel Long Live the Pumpkin Queen is told from whose point of view?

Shea Ernshaw's young-adult book picks up after the film, and Megan Shepherd continued the series with Hour of the Pumpkin Queen in 2025.

Which pop star sang as Sally at the 2021 live-to-film concerts in Los Angeles?

Danny Elfman reprised Jack, Ken Page returned as Oogie Boogie, and 'Weird Al' Yankovic sang the part of Shock at the Banc of California Stadium shows.

Which singer-songwriter played Sally at the December 2022 concerts at London's OVO Arena Wembley?

John Mauceri conducted the BBC Concert Orchestra for the two-night run, with Elfman and Page again voicing Jack and Oogie Boogie.