The Nightmare Before Christmas

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

  • 96% of critics liked it
    (72 reviews)

  • 89% of users liked it
    (879,859 ratings)

Despite having recently presided over a very successful Halloween, Jack Skellington, aka the Pumpkin King, is bored with his job and feels that life in Halloweenland lacks meaning. Then he stumbles upon Christmastown and promptly decides to make the Yuletide his own.

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PG, 1 hr. 16 min.
Directed By
Henry Selick
Written By
Michael McDowell, Caroline Thompson, Tim Burton
Genres
Animation, Kids & Family, Science Fiction & Fantasy
In Theaters
Oct 24, 1993 Wide
On DVD
Dec 2, 1997
Touchstone Pictures

Critic Reviews

  • Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

    A fun house of funereal glamour.

  • Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

    The set designs are ingenious and the songs (music and lyrics by Danny Elfman) are fairly good.

  • Todd McCarthy, Variety

    The dazzling techniques employed here create a strikinglook that's never been seen in such sustained form, making this a unique curio that will appeal to kids and film enthusiasts alike.

  • Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

    The hippest of all holiday classics, the 1993 release rendered anew in 3-D format remains a postmodern three-ring circus of morbid humor, eye-popping puppet animation and show-stopping songs.

  • Scott Brown, Entertainment Weekly

    Flattened for years on cable and video, Nightmare has been resurrected in all its tactile glory.

Read all 18 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Sophie B


    The problem with this is that it's both a Christmas film and a Halloween film and that doesn't really work. At Halloween it's too early to be thinking about Christmas but at Christmas it's too late to be thinking about Halloween and you just want pure Christmas. It… More

  • Everett J


    I remember seeing this in the theater as a kid. The main thing I remember is it's the first movie I saw with my mom where she fell asleep. I didn't think it was all that great at the time. However, time has been good to this movie. It's pretty much a cult classic… More

  • Coxxie M


    I wish i knew why every girl i have dated (which i admit is not a big number) has been obsessed with this movie. i have the same kind of fascination watching my father with his hunting knife, waiting for the opportunity to use an Arby's coupon so he can viciously rip it away from… More

  • Brad W


    A Nightmare Before Chritmas is the one of the greatest films ever, the best mixture of two holidays ever, and one of the best animated films ever. The plot is a masterpiece, it takes two holidays and perfectly mixes them to be a creepy Christmas film. The voice acting was great, and… More

  • Phil H


    I LOVE Tim Burton's work, I'm his greatest fan, this movie is fantastic, so imaginative and dark, a truely gothic fairytale dream come to life. There is nothing much more to say here, its a near perfect film in every aspect and every field.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Trailers & Clips