← Back to episodes
The Nightmare Before Christmas poster
Letterboxd →TMDB →
MOVIE

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Directed by Henry Selick•1h 16m•Published Nov 9, 2021•Episode length 2h 02m
Episode 95 - The Nightmare Before Christmas
FantasyAnimationFamily

Top cast

scroll →
Danny Elfman
Danny Elfman
Jack Skellington (singing) / Barrel / Clown with the Tear away Face (voice)
Chris Sarandon
Chris Sarandon
Jack Skellington (voice)
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine O'Hara
Sally / Shock (voice)
William Hickey
William Hickey
Dr. Finkelstein (voice)
Glenn Shadix
Glenn Shadix
Mayor (voice)
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens
Lock (voice)
Ken Page
Ken Page
Oogie Boogie (voice)
E
Edward Ivory
Santa Claus (voice)
S
Susan McBride
Big Witch / WWD. (voice)
Debi Durst
Debi Durst
Corpse Kid / Corpse Mom / Small Witch (voice)

Director

TMDB profile →
Henry Selick
Henry Selick
Director
LISTEN

Play the episode

Overview

Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.

Show notes

jump ↓

What's This? What's This? There's powder everywhere. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan and Georgia - as we review the most popular film that intersects the Venn Diagram of Christmas and Halloween in The Nightmare Before Christmas. We're taking 12 photographs a second in this episode a…

Read full show notes

What's This? What's This? There's powder everywhere. Join your favourite TransAtlantic podcasting crew – Ian, Liam, Ethan and Georgia - as we review the most popular film that intersects the Venn Diagram of Christmas and Halloween in The Nightmare Before Christmas.  We're taking 12 photographs a second in this episode as we discuss:

  • The sheer amount of work this film was to make
  • Why the first screenwriter had to be replaced
  • Why Disney switched this to the Touchstone brand
  • Why this film is remembered so fondly
  • Exactly how long the love story is in this film
  • Ian suggests an alternate title for this movie
  • Georgia talks more about Jim Cavaziel and his ordeal in The Passion of the Christ
  • Who should take the credit for this film? The producer (Burton) or the director (Henry Selick)
  • We try and discuss the difference between fate and free will
  • Which actor steals a key scene by not saying a word
  • We reveal Tier 2 of the BFE Patreon
  • Whether or not The Nightmare Before Christmas is the Best Film Ever.

Support the BFE with a donation at https://linktr.ee/bestfilmeverpod

Buy some BFE merch at https://my-store-b4e4d4.creator-spring.com/

Massive thanks to Lex Van Den Berghe for the use of 'Mistake' by Luckydog.  Catch more from Lex's new band, The Maids of Honor at https://soundcloud.com/themaidsofhonor

Also massive thanks to Moonlight Social for our age game theme song.  You can catch more from them at https://www.moonlightsocialmusic.com/

Timestamps for this episode:

  • 0:00 - Opening Banter
    13:55 - Shoutouts
    25:20 - Deep Dive
    1:24:25 - Endgame