#why yes. i have seen frankenweenie. its one of my favorite movies in fact.

[acircusfullofdemons]

⚙: it took me almost two years to figure out how to reanimate the dead, how on earth did you do it in a single night?!

🐺: I really wanted my dog back.

[twentiethcenturymoviesandtv]

A Creepy Christmas Cultural Conundrum: The Lasting Legacy of The Nightmare Before Christmas

A request by @lcvcdbyhim.

If you traveled back in time to the year 1993 and told someone that Tim Burton’s new stop-motion animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, was going to be the biggest holiday movie in for the next twenty years, they wouldn’t believe me.  They just wouldn’t.

Of all of the holiday films of the 90s, Christmas or Halloween, nothing comes close to the cultural giant that is The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Even family favorites like The Santa Clause or Home Alone don’t get nearly the attention and praise that this film has.  Every year, from Halloween through Christmas, stores are packed with shirts, wallets, keychains, sneakers, backpacks, banks, toys, clocks, jewelry, decorations and more, all covered with images of Jack Skellington, Sally, Oogie Boogie, Zero, and other characters and images from the film.  Even outside of the holiday months, the more merchandise-driven stores still dedicate an entire section to The Nightmare Before Christmas, putting it on the same level as franchises like Star Wars or the various superhero films.

The question is, why?

Why has The Nightmare Before Christmas’s imagery become nearly as recognizable as images of classic monsters like Dracula and the Frankenstein monster?  How is this oddball little movie fast approaching How The Grinch Stole Christmas and other classic Christmas specials in terms of popularity?

There has to be a larger reason that simply being available to be marketed for two holidays instead of one.  

Today, we’re going to be taking a look at The Nightmare Before Christmas in an attempt to figure out where all the hype came from, and more specifically, why it’s still so popular.

But first, we need a little background.

When The Nightmare Before Christmas was first released in 1993, it received modest critical acclaim and a decent opening.  Right in the middle of Disney’s Renaissance period, a throwback to stop-motion wasn’t really thought of as being quite on the same level as animated films like Aladdin and The Lion King.  As a result, the movie did okay, but just….okay.

So what happened?

Very simply, The Nightmare Before Christmas gained a cult following.  Very quickly.

In the years that followed, The Nightmare Before Christmas started being praised as one of the greats in the animated film category.  People started watching it for part of their holiday tradition, around both Halloween and Christmas, and the further we are away from that mediocre opening, it seems the more people laud it as a work of art.  Stores like Hot Topic started selling so much Nightmare merchandise that now the imagery from The Nightmare Before Christmas seems to be the face of a new goth/emo trend.  In fact, since the film’s release, the movie has been put on a rather bizarre pedestal, with some fans lavishing enormous amounts of praise on this movie.  In a way, it seems like disliking it is unheard of.

To return to our earlier question, why?  It doesn’t seem like anything special.  There have been other ‘weird’ stop-motion films, such as Corpse Bride or Coraline.  The characters and story are simplistic, almost childish at times.  The music is good, sure, but with all the hype around it, the movie can very much seem….overrated.

Once again: Why?

It all boils down to uniqueness.

In 1993, Tim Burton was still relatively new to audiences.  Directing since 1985, his biggest hits had been the likes of horror-comedy Beetlejuice, superhero blockbuster Batman, and drama flick Edward Scissorhands.  In other words, the world was still being introduced to the styles that we are currently familiar with: use of Johnny Depp, score by Danny Elfman, stripes, German Expressionism, and pale-skinned, dark haired, sunken-eyed outcast protagonists.  Thanks to the sheer number of Signature Style Burton-esque films, The Nightmare Before Christmas no longer seems like anything all that special in terms of style of film, but at the time, it was something very new, distinct, and different.

The same goes for the stop-motion aspect.

The stop-motion ‘weird’ films that we are the most familiar with: (Corpse Bride, James and the Giant Peach, Frankenweenie, ParaNorman) have all come after The Nightmare Before Christmas.  Before Nightmare, stop-motion’s biggest claim to fame were the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials.  The Nightmare Before Christmas revolutionized and reawakened the style of filmmaking and started a new form of animation that is being used since.  Once again, it all comes down to that uniqueness of the time, especially when it applies to the story.

The story of The Nightmare Before Christmas, despite its aforementioned simplicity, is a rather unique one.  The idea came to Burton while watching Halloween decorations come down at the same time Christmas decorations were being put up, and the movie is really all about the juxtaposition between the holidays.  Jack Skellington, the king of Halloweentown, is dissatisfied with the ‘same old thing’ and decides to try something new.  The ‘new thing’ that captivates his interest turns out to be another huge holiday: Christmas.  Full of excitement at this strange new holiday, Jack decides to get the person in charge of Christmas out of the way (Santa Claus) and take Christmas for himself, assigning the denizens of Halloweentown the tasks necessary to bring about the festive holiday.

Being from Halloweentown, of course, Jack doesn’t fully understand Christmas, despite his frantic attempts to do so, and in the end, Christmas is a disaster, thanks to his botched interpretation of what makes the holiday.  In the end, Jack learns not to meddle with things he doesn’t understand, and the movie ends at around 75 minutes.

As basic as it is, the idea of one holiday trying to do another is pretty creative, as is the way it is done.  The concept of holiday worlds, based on the special day is extremely interesting, and it’s executed well.  In fact, when looking at the film for what and when it was, The Nightmare Before Christmas was actually very creative in everything, characters, the visual look, the way it was done, story, even the music by Danny Elfman is very fitting to the story and characters, and it’s all very catchy.

When contextualized into the time period it was made in, The Nightmare Before Christmas, for all it may seem stale and overdone now, was fresh and unique, noteworthy for being something audiences haven’t seen before.  

There’s more to the intense popularity of this film than quirkiness, though.

What I said earlier about the film being basic?  That is actually a point in its favor.

One of the remarkable things about The Nightmare Before Christmas is that, for having a reasonably complex concept, it’s execution is very simple.  The story never makes itself more complicated than it has to be.  It’s very straightforward, with no plot twists or surprises for the audience.  The direction the story takes is predictable, but that’s by no means bad.  Not only is the story uncomplicated, but the meaning is as well.

It isn’t hard for people to understand Jack’s predicament, nor is it difficult for even the youngest kid to know that his endeavors to make Christmas are doomed to failure, because they pick up that Jack does not understand what he is trying to do.  He has the feeling right, but he has no constructive direction to take it, and with a lack of understanding, ends up creating a mess.

Jack’s enthusiasm is for the holiday spirit, and it’s contagious, no matter which holiday you consider.  By never trying to ‘explain’ the good feelings of the holidays and just letting them be, The Nightmare Before Christmas actually continues a trend that one wouldn’t think it has much to do with at all.

In my opinion, the hype behind The Nightmare Before Christmas, especially in the up-and-coming generations, is much the same reason that Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is still talked about by the older generations.  The holiday feeling.

Jack experiences the joy of Christmas without knowing why.  Despite his best efforts, he cannot decipher the whys and wherefores of it, he just accepts that ‘just because I cannot see it doesn’t mean I can’t believe it!’.  This tone, this viewpoint towards the holiday of simply enjoying it, is reminiscent of Christmas specials like How the Grinch Stole Christmas or the Rankin/Bass stop-motion productions.  It evokes nostalgic feelings for the holiday.  The Nightmare Before Christmas is to the post 90s generation what the other animated Christmas specials were to the ones before it: the traditional, good-feelings, familiar celebration of the holiday.

Most importantly though, it’s a film that people enjoy watching.

With a unique concept, design, and execution, nostalgic feelings and holiday warmth, and it just being a generally fun, charming movie, it’s not really a true wonder why The Nightmare Before Christmas got as popular as it did.

Is it overhyped?  Yes.  

Does that make the movie itself any worse?  No.  It just means that audience expectations are affected by the culture around it, some for the better, some for the worse.

Of course, it’s not a movie for everybody.  Some will like it more than others.  Some might love it, some might hate it, and some might just be okay with it.  But that goes for any film.

The Nightmare Before Christmas is a cultural juggernaut, that’s for certain, and I doubt we’ll be seeing any fewer Oogie Boogie coin banks in the near future, but that’s more a reflection on the commercialism of film since 1977 (Thanks, George Lucas!) and how much people are willing to buy to reflect their tastes in film.  My point is, the movie is still popular enough that people buy stuff connected to it because they like it.

And that’s not a bad thing.  It’s a good movie, remarkably simple, but smart enough to hold up years later and continue to emotionally resonate with audiences.  It was something that no one had ever seen before at the time, and is packed full of enough distinctive style and imagery that it is still instantly recognizable as being from The Nightmare Before Christmas.  It’s an immensely popular film for a reason, and it’s not going away anytime soon.

Thank you all so much for reading!  If you have any thoughts, questions, comments, suggestions, or just want to say hi, feel free to leave them in the ask box, I’d love to hear from you.  I hope you guys enjoyed this article, and I hope to see you in the next one.

[thelegendarymousie]

25 Random Facts About Me

In honor of surpassing 100 followers, here’s 25 random facts about me!! (I decided on 25 because I didn’t want to bore people too much with all 100 like someone suggested)

1) I am EXTREMELY ticklish. Especially around my neck. If you even just poke me there, I will flip shit.😬

2) I’m from a family of witches! Seriously, it’s a part of my family’s culture. We’ve got old spell books and special candles and stuff. It’s pretty cool🌝⚡️

3) I’m a natural ginger😘 (I’m very Irish so…) I’ve got the copper top hair, pasty white skin, and freckles all over!

4) I’m pansexual💗💛💙 (means that I am sexually and romantically attracted to people of any and all genders)

5) I am a huge theatre nerd. I’ve been singing all my life and I plan on being an actress one day. Plus I wanna make movies too.💃🏻

6) My eyes change color almost every day. Some days they’re green, some days they’re hazel, some days they’re even blue! I don’t know why, but I’m convinced it’s because of the witchy thing😏

7) I am a certified makeup artist💋💄 I love makeup so much! It’s such a lovely way of expression. I like to think of it as painting, but the canvas is your face and the paints are the makeup.

8) I have the biggest crush on James Deen (yes, the pornstar). He’s so attractive and such a passionate lover. 😍

9) I can’t even look at bull terriers. Don’t get me wrong, they’re adorable dogs, but they make me automatically burst into tears. (They’re the breed Frankenweenie is, and that movie make me cry from a young age)😭

10) I have always been very short and tiny. I’m only 4'9" and I’ve stopped growing, so there’s no hope for me☹️ But I love being petite! Us short gals are adorable!

11) I’ve suffered from anxiety and severe depression for most of my life. However, I’ve been going to therapy and taking antidepressants and anti anxiety pills, so I hope to go down a better path!💙

12) I have Trypophobia (fear of holes and hole-y things). 🤢DO NOT LOOK IT UP ITS TERRIFYING. I physically cringe and freak out when I see or touch something with holes. (Ex: sponges, honey combs, vesicular rocks, etc.)

13) I’ve always wanted to have kids. However, due to a medical condition it will be impossible for me to produce a living, health baby. So I will happily adopt when the time comes😊

14) I pronounce the word bagel (bag-el, not bay-gul), pillow (pellow), and sandwich (sammich).😬

15) I’ve never tried any drugs or alcohol, and I never plan to. Not because of religion, but because it’s been a problem in my family and I’ve seen how it can completely destroy someone. 🚫So stay safe and stay away from drugs kids!!

16) I’ve never been on an airplane.✈️ Whenever we go on vacation (which tbh isn’t a lot, but still always so fun) we always drive no matter how far.

17) I have a serious problem with collecting mugs. ☕️Everywhere I go, I need to buy at least three. My mom has limited me to how many I can buy when we go out though! Hehehe

18) I’m extremely shy when you first meet me, but once I start talking with you a while I am very friendly. I’m still probably the most introverted quiet person you’ll ever meet, but I really love people. (Can you feel my struggle?😂)

19) Despite having a fear of food and eating (due to medical issues), I really love to cook and bake.🍳 I just struggle actually eating it once I make it…

20) My favorite video game will always be The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. It’s just so amazing and the story is fantastic😍 Lucien Lachance and Martin Septim tho too👌🏻👌🏻

21) As a kid, I used to collect snails and slugs from my family’s garden and sneak them inside. I would keep them in a plastic box in my room and feed them and everything. It actually lasted a year before my mom would it and threw all of them out. I still miss them😭

22) I once accidentally hung out with a Sugar Daddy at a Soup Festival. He didn’t seem that old so it didn’t even occur to me what happened until my mom explained. So I was just talking to him and he wanted to buy me a bowl of soup and I was like heck yeah free soup. But then he asked for a picture with me and I was like heck why not everyone’s taking Instagram pics. And then before ya know it he slipped me two hundred dollar bills and I was like WAIT WHAT DUDE NO WHY and then he left and my mom just laughed. I can be quite clueless sometimes😬

23) I once met the actors of SNL and they all commented on how tiny I was. It was pretty funny😂

24) Although I’ve played Legend of Zelda games all my life, I’m ashamed to say I’ve never actually completed one😥

25) And lastly, I used to run around my local library naked when I was a young child. I would go in wearing a full set of clothes, strip down, then put my sneakers back on without socks. I was a very strange child.😝

Well I hope you all enjoyed the 25 Random Facts about me! Some were very weird, some very personal. But I want us to get to know each other better!

So, if you want to tell me something about yourself or you want to know more about me, I’m always open to chat! Just send me an ask!😚 Love you guys! Have a nice day!