Skeletons, Santa and Christmas Spirit

Why “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a Christmas Movie

Photo by Loren Javier on Flickr / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

One of Tim Burton’s most popular films, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a classic movie enjoyed by all audiences. The 1993 stop motion movie follows Jack Skellington, the king of Halloween Town, who stumbles upon Christmas Town and schemes to take over the holiday. For years, people have argued over whether the film is Chrstimas movie or a Halloween one. It is clear, though, that the movie belongs to the latter because its narrative conflict centers around Christmas, its emotional tone reflects those of Christmas movies and its persistent Christmas motifs are a constant throughout the film.

Firstly, the entire narrative conflict is built around Jack’s determination to take over Christmas Eve. The movie literally takes place during the Christmas season, where Jack discovers Christmas Town while the holiday is in full swing. This subsequently causes him to focus on the goal of recreating Christmas in his own image and wanting to replace Santa Claus –a prominent Christmas character – as the figurehead of the holiday. Additionally, the structure of the movie follows the countdown to Christmas; without this timeline, the story wouldn’t make any sense. 

“‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ is a Christmas movie,” junior Elsa Bykova said. “The main plot is definitely centered around Christmas and it has a Christmas style to it. Even though it mixes Halloween and Christmas, the way Jack Skeleton tries to become Santa kind of insinuates in how the movie is set in Christmas time. It shows that Halloween has already passed, making it more like a Christmas movie.”

Another important point is that the emotional tone of the movie also lines up primarily with that of Christmas ones, especially considering the climax and resolution of the film. The entire climax centers around fixing Christmas after Jack realizes that he misunderstood its meaning. He saves Santa and stops the chaos he caused, returning the holiday to what it is supposed to be. The movie ends with quiet snowfall and a feeling of love when Jack and Sally express their feelings for each other. This ending theme of reconnecting with loved ones is a prominent Christmas one; the same idea appears in other popular movies such as Home Alone and Elf. 

“I think [The Nightmare Before Christmas] is a Christmas movie,” junior Lily Smith said. “It’s a good blend of Halloween and Christmas, but I think a lot of Christmas movies have that overall message of the joy and beauty of Christmas.  [The movie] has that overarching theme of what Christmas should be,  so I think that that’s what makes it a Christmas movie.”

In addition, Christmas motifs constantly appear over and over again, reminding the audience that the story is centered around Christmas. Indeed, Santa (or Sandy Claws as Jack calls him) is a constant character that the audiences see appearing in Jack’s thoughts and plans. In fact, Jack studies Claws in books and sketches him in his notes, making him one of the most important recurring characters. Furthermore, beyond Santa, other Christmas symbols appear everywhere: the Christmas Town door, ornaments and gift boxes and bright, Christmas colors of red and green. Even when the movie cuts back to Halloween Town, the characters talk about Christmas and recreate Christmas decorations. All in all, these repeated holiday elements appearing throughout the whole film make it clear that Christmas is the movie’s central element.

Some may argue that the film is a Halloween movie because of its gothic elements and its animation style. However, the animation of a movie should not be the main factor in determining the movie’s premise when the plot revolves entirely around the Christmas holiday.

“I do think ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ is a Christmas movie,” junior Karina Ledesma said. “It has elements of Christmas in it, but it definitely is different from [other Christmas movies] because it also incorporates Halloween, making it a blend of both things. But, it is more of a Christmas movie.”

Moreover, another strong argument presents itself in the form of Disney+’s official Christmas advertising. The company’s 2024 holiday advertisement, “Tis the Season | Holidays on Disney+” includes multiple scenes from “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” If the company that owns the film promotes it specifically as part of its holiday movie collection, then there is no doubt that the movie is indeed a Christmas one. 

Ultimately, at its heart, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is all about discovering, appreciating and protecting the spirit of Christmas. Its narrative conflict, emotional arc and constant Christmas motifs all underscore how the film does belong to the Christmas genre. Regardless of the debate, though, the movie is a timeless film that should be appreciated by all for its wonderful storytelling and its unique animation.