The Nightmare Before Christmas

95%

Tomatometer

108 Reviews

92%

Audience Score

250,000+ Ratings

The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown's beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the "real world." When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life -- he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role. But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry.

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The Nightmare Before Christmas

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a stunningly original and visually delightful work of stop-motion animation.

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Critics Reviews

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The Nightmare Before Christmas | Rotten Tomatoes (1)

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

I'm blown away by just the construction of the scenes, and by all of the effects that have been incorporated to make everything move fluidly; and there's also this charming imperfection to the animation that just makes it so gorgeous.

Rated: A

Apr 13, 2018

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The Nightmare Before Christmas | Rotten Tomatoes (2)

Kenneth Turan

Los Angeles Times

Part avant-garde art film, part amusing but morbid fairy tale, it is a delightfully ghoulish holiday musical that displays more inventiveness in its brief 75 minutes than some studios can manage in an entire year.

Dec 3, 2013

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The Nightmare Before Christmas | Rotten Tomatoes (3)

Anthony Lane

New Yorker

This full-length animated movie was shot in stop motion, with all the febrile, twittery fascination that the medium exerts; it has a magic-toy shop feeling, with unexpected objects stuttering into life.

Dec 3, 2013

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The Nightmare Before Christmas | Rotten Tomatoes (4)

Kristy Strouse

Wonderfully Weird and Horrifying

The Nightmare Before Christmas is unique and timeless, a magical adventure that’ll delight the senses and steal your heart.

Nov 14, 2023

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The Nightmare Before Christmas | Rotten Tomatoes (5)

Lauren Veneziani

DC Film Girl

One of the best films of all-time, the gorgeous stop-motion animation and story of Jack Skellington longing for something more leaves us breathless, happy and fulfilled.

Rated: 5/5

Oct 30, 2023

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The Nightmare Before Christmas | Rotten Tomatoes (6)

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

In the days of computer-animated films that occasionally appear no different than your average videogame, looking back, we must appreciate that Tim Burton and Henry Selick created something so wonderfully original.

Rated: 4/4

Sep 5, 2023

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Audience Reviews

View All (271) audience reviews

Michael I like everything about this movie. It's one of the few movies I have seen that seems to hold up no matter how old it is. I was glad to see it return to theaters, it was a great experience. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/20/24 Full Review Len cool stop motion art, songs were mehhh. Rated 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/09/23 Full Review Claire the theater is old and needs updated. love that they do reshowings though. Rated 2.5/5 Stars • Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 11/09/23 Full Review Tee I absolutely love this movie💕💜✨tim Burton is amazing ! I felt like a child seeing this in 3D all the wonder and amazement came back to me, just like the first time I ever saw it🎃✨🎄 amazing cast! perfect movie!! I miss you pee wee❤️✨❤️ Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/08/23 Full Review Zilla Probably my 50th time seeing it, but the first in 3D! Very nice Rated 4.5/5 Stars • Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 11/06/23 Full Review Elvin urbina A classic masterpiece remastered to the highest quality 🔥 Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Nightmare Before Christmas

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Cast & Crew

Henry Selick Director Danny Elfman Jack Skellington Chris Sarandon Jack Catherine O'Hara Sally William Hickey Evil Scientist Glenn Shadix Mayor

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