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 Reel Life with Jane!Get the latest scoop on family-friendly movies at the theatre and on DVD! THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN 3-D
Reel Rating: 3.5 out of 4 Reels PLOT SYNOPSIS: Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween Town, stumbles into Christmas Town one day. He’d like to bring the concept back to HIS town, but he doesn’t quite understand the concept. SEX / NUDITY: None, but there’s a mild attraction between two characters. VIOLENCE / GORE: Skeletons and ghoulish toys populate Halloween Town, a Christmas tree burns up, and characters take of their own heads and limbs. And one, Sally, sews hers back on again! PROFANITY: None. Which Kids Will Like It? Ages 6 and older. Some scary images, but they’re done in a lighthearted way. The singing helps. Will Parents Like It? Yes. It’s a gentle musical that takes it’s time delivering the message. And 3-D glasses are always fun. REVIEW: Ok, so the title of this movie is a little, well, ghoulish. But no worries. This classic from Tim Burton is more dreamy than nightmarish. Made in 1993 and released on DVD in 2000, fans love it so much that a 3-D version is released in theaters every year. It tells the story of Jack Skellington (Danny Elfman/Chris Sarandon), the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town. Bored and depressed about having the same old Halloween every year, Jack wanders off into the woods and stumbles through a magical door leading to Christmas Town, a joyful, happy place. Jack loves it so much that he convinces the assorted bats, witches and vampires of Halloween Town to put on Christmas instead of Halloween. But let’s face it. They’re attuned to scary stuff, and they don’t get the whole concept of Christmas. But Jack is so desperate to experience the joy of Christmas, he'll do just about anything to make it happen – even if it means kidnapping Santa and hijacking his gift-giving route. Although you'd think this would be a dark movie, it's really not. Some of the creatures might be a bit scary for little kids, but the story is light and sweet -- even the scene where a python puppet swallows a Christmas tree whole. Yes, you read that right. This movie won a slew of awards, and it's easy to see why. It's a masterpiece of art direction, set design, music (composer Danny Elfman's best), and good old-fashioned storytelling. And when you consider that it was a benchmark in stop-motion animation – one second of film required 24 individually posed frames -- that's pretty awesome. JANE’S REEL RATING SYSTEM : One Reel: Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it. Two Reels: Tolerable. Coulda been a contender. Three Reels: Pleasant. Something to talk about. Four Reels: Wow! The stuff dreams are made of. Jane Louise Boursaw is a freelance journalist specializing in the movie and television industries. Visit her online at www.ReelLifeWithJane.com or email jboursaw@charter.net
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by Jane Louise Boursaw