A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Educational Value
very little
Kids might learn about different holidays: Halloween and Christmas are explored the most, but Easter and Thanksgiving themes also briefly appear.
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Positive Messages
some
The grass isn't always greener on the other side -- it's better to be grateful for what you already have. Think before you act, otherwise people could get hurt.
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Positive Role Models
some
Jack Skellington is a kindhearted and innocent character. He makes mistakes that hurt people and scare kids, but he corrects them and learns to be grateful for what he already has. Sally, Jack's love interest, is the only character to speak out against his plan to take over Christmas. She also helps Jack correct his mistakes, at great risk to herself. But others, such as Dr. Finkelstein and the Oogie Boogie monster, stay two-dimensionally cruel.
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Diverse Representations
very little
Created and directed by male filmmakers, The Nightmare Before Christmas does have a female screenwriter (Caroline Thompson). But the only female character of note, Sally, falls into gender clichés: She's defined by her crush on Jack, sacrifices herself so that he can succeed, and becomes a damsel in distress who needs to be saved. Wheelchair user Dr. Finkelstein falls into the disabled villain stereotype, holding a woman captive in his lab. While it's positive that the movie has plenty of different body shapes and sizes, Sally -- the female love interest -- is the only character whose body conforms to Hollywood's narrow standards of beauty. The few humanoid characters, such as Santa and his elves, are mostly light-skinned, though a couple Black minor characters appear. Voice actors are almost entirely White, making it unfortunate that the film's cruelest and scariest villain, Oogie Boogie, is voiced by a Black actor (Ken Page).
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Violence & Scariness
some
The animation style is dark and grotesque, but the movie's whimsy and catchy musical numbers lower the scariness factor. Skeletons hang from trees, a minor character has an ax cleaved through his skull, a doctor keeps a woman captive in his lab (she poisons him with nightshade in return). Expect to see ghosts, demons, graveyards, zombies, worms, etc. The main villain, Oogie Boogie, is especially menacing and made up of bugs. A character jumps from a tall tower, and her body breaks apart, but because she's already undead, she stitches herself back together. Children sing about kidnapping Santa and "chopping him to bits." A child unwraps a present and pulls out a decapitated head as his parents scream. As Jack flies through the sky on his makeshift sleigh, cannons shoot him down.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
very little
Characters have crushes and kiss.
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Products & Purchases
very little
Many tie-in products available.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
very little
A main character repeatedly poisons her captor with nightshade. (The captor appears briefly pained, but he's never seriously injured.)
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Nightmare Before Christmas is an offbeat stop-motion-animated movie that's one of the greatest family films for all ages. That said, it does have scares: Characters take off their own heads and limbs, and there are skeletons, demons, zombies, worms, etc., as well as a very creepy villain named Oogie Boogie (voiced by Ken Page). Younger kids who aren't old enough to distinguish fantasy from real life (or those prone to nightmares) might steer clear. Characters kiss, and a main character, Sally (Catherine O'Hara), pines after the charming Jack (Chris Sarandon). She's kind and helpful but falls into gender stereotypes, sacrificing herself to support the male lead and becoming a damsel in distress. The film also uses the "disabled villain" cliché, and the voice cast is almost entirely White. But stereotypes and creepiness aside, the film has positive messages about gratitude and valuing what you already have -- as well as catchy songs and extremely memorable visuals. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
Stop-motion holiday fantasy THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, directed by Henry Selick and based on Tim Burton's poem, centers around Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King (voiced by Chris Sarandon) -- a creature who is to Halloween what Santa is to Christmas. When Jack becomes bored with staging yet another fright night for the sketchy members of Halloweentown, he wanders away, stumbles across Christmastown, and becomes immediately entranced. Jack decides he needs to bring Christmas to Halloweentown, and he's willing to do just about anything to make it happen -- even if that means kidnapping Santa (Edward Ivory) himself.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the holidays are represented in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Why do we celebrate the holidays we do? What does your favorite holiday mean to you? Has anyone ever tried to ruin one of your holiday experiences, and how did you overcome that?
When you get tired of something, what are some creative ways to bring excitement back into it? How do you remind yourself to be grateful for what you already have? Why is gratitude a useful character strength?
Why did Jack's attempt to take over Christmas fail? Is it fair to expect people who've done something the same way for a long time to change quickly? Could Jack have tried his ideas a different way?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 29, 1993
- On DVD or streaming: October 3, 2000
- Cast: Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Reubens, Danny Elfman
- Director: Henry Selick
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Touchstone Pictures
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Holidays, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Character Strengths: Gratitude
- Run time: 76 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: some scariness
- Last updated: January 27, 2024
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