RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Nightmare Before Christmas

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
97 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:70

Fresh:68

Rotten:2

Average Rating:8.2/10

Consensus: A stunningly original and visually delightful work of stop-motion animation.

Rated: PG [See Full Rating] for some scary images.

Runtime: 76 mins

Genre: Childrens

Theatrical Release:Oct 20, 2006 Limited

Box Office: $356,022

Synopsis: Tim Burton's holiday classic, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, makes a return to the big screen this holiday season in stunning Disney Digital 3D™. The dazzling new make-over of the ... Tim Burton's holiday classic, THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, makes a return to the big screen this holiday season in stunning Disney Digital 3D™. The dazzling new make-over of the musical-fantasy was led by the film's original filmmaking team of Academy Award® nominated writer/producer Tim Burton ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," "Corpse Bride") and director Henry Selick ("James and the Giant Peach") as well as the talented technical wizards at Industrial Light + Magic. Audiences will get closer than ever to Halloweentown's beloved Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington (voiced by CHRIS SARANDON), as he attempts to take over the Christmas holiday. Against the advice of Sally (voiced by CATHERINE O'HARA), a lonely rag doll who has feelings for him, Jack enlists three mischievous trick-or-treaters – Lock, Shock, and Barrel – to help him kidnap Santa Claus. Jack eventually realizes his mistake but has to contend with the evil Oogie Boogie before he can make things right and restore the Christmas holiday. Fueled by an unforgettable Grammy® nominated soundtrack featuring ten ghoulishly delightful songs by Oscar® nominee Danny Elfman ("Corpse Bride," "Big Fish") who also provided the singing voice for Jack, Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 3D combines the Oscar® nominated artistry of stop-motion animation with brand new state-of-the-art digital technology to create a unique and entertaining movie-going experience that is sure to become a modern holiday tradition. [More]

Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey

Starring: Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hickey, Glenn Shadix, Paul Reubens, Ken Page

Director: Henry Selick

Director: Henry Selick
Producer: Tim Burton, Denise Di Novi, Kathleen Gavin
Screenwriter: Michael McDowell, Caroline Thompson, Tim Burton
Composer: Danny Elfman
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • The Characters
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Dec 2, 1997

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Nightmare Before Christmas

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

...endlessly delightful, even as it deals in icky bugs and severed limbs.

Full Review Source: LarsenOnFilm | comment Comment
10/21/09
Josh Larsen
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
05/13/09
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

O tom divertidamente sombrio da narrative, associado a uma direção de arte magnífica e à ótima trilha de Elfman, acaba resultando num conto de fadas que deve tanto aos Grimm quanto ao Expressionismo Alemão.

comment Comment
03/10/09
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

A fun house of funereal glamour.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
12/05/08
Richard Corliss
Richard Corliss
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

inspiring, wacky, and infused with Burton's unique romanticism suffused with, but not subsumed by, a gothic sensibility

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
09/08/08
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

A twisted revamp of Rankin-Bass by way of Edward Gorey. [Blu-ray]

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
09/07/08
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

a brilliant feat of movie making

Full Review Source: 7M Pictures | comment Comment
08/28/08
Kevin Carr
Kevin Carr
7M Pictures

This hugely entertaining horror fable for all the family might suffer from pacing problems, but it's also a true original that still stands out from today's CGI-heavy crowd.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
11/27/07
Saxon Bullock
Saxon Bullock
Channel 4 Film

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

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/27/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The result, though refreshingly different from mainstream animated fare, is ultimately more trick than treat.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
11/27/07
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment 1 Comment
11/27/07
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Still as fresh as the day it was released in 1993 and now in dazzling 3D, Tim Burton's stop-motion animated Nightmare Before Christmas is a compelling feast of twisted characters and imagery

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
11/10/06
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile

The characters are vivid and often hilariously revolting.... Visually, the film is absolutely gorgeous.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
11/02/06
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

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.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
10/30/06
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Is it cooler than ever in 3-D? Well, sure. But essentially, it's the same movie that drew Tim Burton fans into theaters in 1993.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
10/29/06
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

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

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
10/25/06
Scott Brown
Scott Brown
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Concise, elegant, a tad scary, this is a treat for Halloween.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
10/20/06
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

(Producer Tim) Burton's skewed vision is seamlessly realized by director Henry Selick and cleverly enhanced by Danny Elfman's songs.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
10/20/06
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As original a vision as anything Tim Burton ever came up with, The Nightmare Before Christmas holds up amazingly well 12 years after its initial release.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment 2 Comments
10/20/06
Jim Slotek
Jim Slotek
Jam! Movies

The director of the film, a veteran stop-action master named Henry Selick, is the person who has made it all work. And his achievement is enormous.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment 15 Comments
10/20/06
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
all

Latest News for The Nightmare Before Christmas

May 09, 2009: Exclusive: The Art of Coraline with Henry Selick
Henry Selick, the animation mastermind behind such Certified Fresh classics as The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach adds another gong to his cabinet with... More...

December 21, 2006: RT's Top Yuletide Kid Flicks -- Christmas Countdown, Day Four
It's Day Four of RT's Five Days of Christmas Countdown, where we serve up a different list each day of the best holiday flicks around. Today, we've got something for kids and... More...

October 22, 2006: Box Office Wrapup: Prestige Defeats Flags for #1 Spot
Three well-reviewed dramas fought over the weekend box office crown, but it was a pair of dueling magicians that North American moviegoers chose first as The Prestige opened at... More...

October 19, 2006: Critical Consensus: "Flags" Flies High; "The Prestige" Is Magic; "Flicka" Is A Pretty Good Ride; "Marie Antoinette" Spared Critical Guillotine
This week at the movies, we've got a complex tale of heroism (Clint Eastwood's "Flags of Our Fathers," starring Ryan Phillippe), a story of dueling magicians... More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
66% 66% Public Enemies
83% 83% Harry Potter and the H…
44% 44% Night at the Museum: B…
75% 75% Julie & Julia
32% 32% Terminator Salvation

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
88% 88% Inglourious Basterds
78% 78% The Hangover
49% 49% Taking Woodstock
26% 26% The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard
47% 47% The Girl From Monaco

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Sherlock Holmes

Sherlock Holmes

New clips from the detective reboot!

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Check out the brand new trailer now!

Awards Tour

Awards Tour

Keep up with latest nominations and awards!

Friday Harvest

Friday Harvest

This week's best pics, vids, and posters!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Bryan Singer Returning to X-Men for First Class Source: Superhero Hype
102
  • Mark Strong Talks Kick-Ass, John Carter, and Robin Hood Source: Collider.com
1
  • How Avatar Happened: The Path to Innovation Source: CinemaBlend.com
19
  • Rob Marshall Says Pirates 4 Is Still a Maybe Source: ComingSoon.net
32
  • ET Teases Iron Man 2 Teaser Source: Collider.com
28
  • Tobey Maguire Refutes Hobbit Rumors Source: Hollywood Reporter
9
  • Prince of Persia Featurette Posted Source: Yahoo! Movies
4
  • Trailer Bulletin: Robin Hood Source: ComingSoon.net
61
  • Mel Gibson Plans a Mexican Vacation Source: Variety
8
  • New Iron Man 2 Clue Posted Source: Screen Rant
26
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Critics Consensus: Avatar Is Certified Fresh
184
  • Awards Tour 2009: Golden Globe Noms Here!
145
  • Total Recall: James Cameron Movies
88
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Girlpower Rules Again with Princess at #1
70
  • Awards Tour 2009: Inglourious Basterds Lead Critics Choice Noms
44
  • Awards Tour 2009: SAG Nominations Are In!
39
  • Awards Tour 2009: Avatar Best Picture at NYFCO!
38
  • Awards Tour 2009: The Hurt Locker Dominates Boston Society of Film Critics
18
  • Weekly Ketchup: Bryan Singer Teaches X-Men: First Class
17
  • Awards Tour 2009: LAFCA: The Hurt Locker Tops List
12
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
21
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
2
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
12
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
23
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
24
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
9
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
29
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • The Nightmare Before Christmas at Rotten Tomatoes
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
MSN's Year in Review
MSN's Year in Review External Link

Take a look at MSN's choices for the Top 10 films of 2009.

Moviefone's Year End Movie Poll
Moviefone's Year End Movie Poll External Link

What were your favorites? Least favorites? The funniest and scariest? Moviefone wants to know!

Tarantino's Characters
Tarantino's Characters External Link

Hollywood.com explores why QT's characters resonate so well with audiences.

Top 10 Movies of 2009
Top 10 Movies of 2009 External Link

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Top 20 of the Decade
Top 20 of the Decade External Link

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.