There has been lots of debate whether this film is a Halloween or a Christmas movie. Maybe even both? In my opinion, I've done my research by the way, but my opinion is that it's a Halloween movie. And letme tell you, it creeped me out! I'm not a fan of most stop motion films.
Enjoy!
Fact #3191
The film is based on a poem Tim Burton wrote in 1982 while working as an animator for Disney.
Fact #3192
Disney considered developing The Nightmare Before Christmas in 1982 as either a short film or 30-minute TV special. The studio eventually shelved it for being “too weird.” Disney decided to produce the movie after the success of Burton’s films Beetlejuice and Batman.
Fact #3193
Jack Skellington first appeared in Beetlejuice in 1988. His head can be seen atop Beetlejuice’s carnival hat.
Fact #3194
Burton did not direct the movie due to the film’s time commitment and his scheduling conflicts with Batman Returns.
Fact #3195
Burton hired his friend, Henry Selick, to direct — this was also his feature film directing debut. He went on to direct two other classic stop-motion films, Coraline and James and the Giant Peach.
Fact #3196
The film used over 230 sets that were set up in 19 soundstages.
Fact #3197
It took an entire week of shooting to create one minute of film.
Fact #3198
Burton’s friend and composer Danny Elfman wrote the songs and music for the film without a script or storyboard. According to Elfman, Burton would just describe the scenes to him.
Fact #3199
Elfman also provided the singing voice for Jack after it was discovered that Chris Sarandon, Jack’s speaking voice, could not sing.
Fact #3200
In the scenes with the street band, there is a small man inside the bass who is based on Elfman.
Fact #3201
Elfman also provided the voices for Barrel and the Clown with the Tear-Away Face.
Fact #3202
Patrick Stewart was the film’s original narrator, but was cut at the last minute for unclear reasons. He does, however, appear as the narrator on the film’s soundtrack.
Fact #3203
In the original ending, Oogie Boogie was actually supposed to be Doctor Finklestein in disguise.
Fact #3204
The film was only a modest success at the box office — earning just $50 million during its first theatrical run.
Fact #3205
Subsequent releases over the years have pushed the film’s box office total to $75 million.
Fact #3206
Disney wanted to build a Nightmare Before Christmas ride at Disneyland, but reportedly, Burton who owns 50% of the rights to the characters nixed the idea. he ride would have been constructed right next to It’s a Small World. So now instead, you can check out the ride for a limited time during Disneyland's Halloween party.
Fact #3207
Burton also turned down Disney’s request to make a sequel, stating that “some movies should just be left alone. I think it keeps their kind of spirit intact in a way.”
Fact #3208
Jack makes a cameo as a pirate skeleton in James and the Giant Peach.
Fact #3209
He also makes hidden cameos in several films: as a shadow in the The Princess and the Frog, as a print on the Mad Hatters’ bow tie in Alice in Wonderland, and inside of a egg in Coraline.
Fact #3210
The stop-motion musical had 24 frames to a second, meaning they had to pose characters 24 times for each second of the completed film.
Fact #3211
The movie therefore took more than three years to complete.
Fact #3212
To make Jack blink, replacement series were wedged into his eyes, which took up three frames per blink.
Fact #3213
If there was ever a problem with a frame, they would have to go back and re-photograph the entire thing.
Fact #3214
The entire production required 13 animators.
Fact #3215
There was a total of eight camera crews.
Fact #3216
Zero's nose is actually a tiny glowing jack-o'-lantern.
Fact #3217
According to Henry Selick, Vincent Price was originally cast as Santa Claus. However, after the death of Price's wife, his own health began to fail and his voice performance was very frail and weak. The tracks were deemed unusable which led to, much to Selick's regret, the role being recast.
Fact #3218
It is stated in "The Making of..." book that the most difficult shot to film in the entire movie is the shot in which Jack is reaching for the doorknob to Christmasland. Viewers can see the perfect surround reflection of the forest around Jack in the background.
Fact #3219
The character of Dr. Finklestein is listed only as "Evil Scientist" in the cast credits.
Fact #3220
The teaser trailer tells us that the film was originally intended to by released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner, playing the movie heavily as the next generation of filmmaking following in the proud tradition of Walt Disney. By the time the theatrical trailer was released, the release label had changed to Touchstone Pictures, an alternate designation of the Walt Disney Studios. Michael Eisner, the then CEO and Chairman of The Walt Disney Company, found the film to be 'too dark for kids' and had it moved to their Touchstone Picture banner. In October 2006, the film was re-released in 3-D under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.
******
I hope you all enjoyed these spooky facts as much as I did!
For your next Disney challenge, I'll ask you a question: Do any of the characters in this film scare you? If so, who?
YOU ARE READING
Disney Facts!
RandomVOLUME 2 HAS BEEN PUBLISHED! Welcome to the magical fact book of all things Disney! In this book you'll read interesting facts about the parks, movies, characters, and if you're lucky, the cartoons as well. Some are interesting, some are funny, and...
