“The story that you are about to be told, began with the holiday worlds of old. You probably wondered where holidays come from. If you haven’t, I’d say it’s time you begun…”
Jack Skellington, Pumpkin King of Halloween, Lord of all that’s red ‘n’ black and slimy green, is bored. A lifetime of haunting has left him with nothing more than a craving for something that’s not dead or eerily screaming, something new and unknown that might fill the emptiness inside his bones. By pure chance Jack stumbles upon this “something” in the form of a strange world named Christmas Town, a place of songs and presents so unlike his own kingdom. Ensnared by its magic, Jack devises a plan: he will take Christmas for himself!
I don’t think this legendary stop-motion flick needs a grand introduction (aside from maybe stressing that the film’s director is, in fact, not Tim Burton, but Henry Selick. You know, the guy who made Coraline?). This musical is a timeless classic of Christmas Storytelling, with an art design that’s just as iconic as its beautiful soundtrack by Danny Elfman. If you got around an hour to spare, use it to get into the holiday mood with a healthy dose of gothic-tinged festivity. (SaL)