Nominated for 'Best Visual Effects' at Academy Awards and 'Best Original Score'
for Golden Globe Awards, ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ is a popular kids’
movie. This 1993 Tim Burton animation is a visual and musical treat. The macabre
humor stems from the whim of the bored Pumpkin King Jack Skellington from
Halloween Town, who is inspired by Christmas Land. He wants to take over
Christmas and change the repetitive attitudes, tricks, treats and dark spirit
decorations of Halloween with jolly and cheery Christmas spirit. However,
everything goes wrong when all his goblins, bats and ghouls misunderstand him
and use raw meat dripping with blood as decorations. He also tries to replace
Santa Claus by kidnapping him and sending some of his own gifts to children.
Plot
Jack Skellington, the leader of Halloween Town, is much respected by the
inhabitants of the town, but feels as if he is missing something in life. While
wandering in the woods with his ghost dog Zero, he finds a door to the
wonderful, cheerful and colorful world of Christmas Town and is mesmerized by
what he sees. He decides that he would take on Christmas for the year. However,
his people do not understand what he wants, as things he is trying to describe
are unknown to them. Now, he appoints Lock, Shock, and Barrel to kidnap 'Sandy
Claws' or Santa Claus and made a makeshift sleigh with skeleton reindeer and his
ghost dog, on which he will go to the Christmas town as ‘Santa’.
As Santa, Jack gives presents to kids. But, these presents are scary and parents
call the Police to complain against him. Finally, Jack realizes his mistake and
decides that he has to save Christmas and stick to what he knows best. He and
his girlfriend Sally try to rescue Santa Claus, who is with evil Oogie Boogie, a
gambling addict. Later, Jack fights and kills Oogie Boogie, freeing Santa, who
in turn makes snow fall in Halloween town and flies around in his sleigh for a
while, before he goes out to try and save Christmas for the world and undo what
has gone wrong already. Thus, the people of Halloween town also have a glimpse
of Christmas and are amazed by the new sights.
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