The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Only Burton's demented imagination could have produced such a dark vision of the holiday season. The affectionate trashing of Christmas traditions is conceptually cunning and clever enough to please every generation.

The critic calls it a delightfully ghoulish holiday musical that displays more inventiveness than most studio films, crediting Burton's quirky sensibility realized through brilliant stop-motion animation and character designs. He singles out the morbid yet sweet fairy-tale tone and the painstaking technical achievement in bringing the demented world to life.

The critic praises the film's creation of an entirely new, strange and haunting world through stop-motion animation, noting it as one of cinema's rarest gifts. He highlights the visual richness, clever songs by Danny Elfman, and the subversive energy that appeals to older kids and adults alike.

The critic finds the stop-motion techniques create a striking, never-before-seen look in sustained form, making it a unique curio for kids and film enthusiasts. He praises the dimensional visual style, inventive characters and sets, Elfman's score, and the iconoclastic yet not subversive attitude.

The critic praises Henry Selick’s directorial debut as a gleefully macabre cinematic marvel and an unlikely but enduring festive favourite. They single out the film’s signature musical numbers and refreshingly original, dark perspective on Christmas for particular praise.

The film is an original fairy tale told in stop-motion animation with a lively score by Danny Elfman. It is a beautifully realised confection that will delight grown-ups of all ages.

The stop-motion film offers grotesque wonders and striking images in its Halloween and Christmas sequences, with strong craftsmanship in its details and Danny Elfman score. It lacks dramatic sweep and has some calculated or crass elements in the storytelling and references.

The film delivers visual delight through its goth-hued stop-motion imagination, loveable-morbid creations and ornate Elfman music, though the story loses momentum halfway. Energy and art abound in the dance scenes and designs but the tale-telling lacks drive.

The review calls the film a marvelously imaginative and visually striking stop-motion work with morbid whimsy and imagination that overcomes its flaws in unmemorable songs and occasional story thinness.

The review presents the film as Tim Burton's exploration of isolation and misperception in the form of a dark fairy tale brought to life through stop-motion animation. It notes the film's premiere at the New York Film Festival and its limited initial release.

The 3D re-release of the 1993 stop-motion film feels branded more as Tim Burton's than Henry Selick's, with Danny Elfman's songs dominating. The creepy Jack Skellington story has always seemed a bit rickety and inert.

The critic finds the film narratively slight with unmemorable songs and a thin plot but praises its distinctive stop-motion visuals, eccentric character designs, and haunted-house beauty as a major strength.

The critic calls the 4K HDR restoration one of the year's best home video releases and the most visually stunning 4K disc seen in 2023. The restoration excels at preserving film grain while enhancing the film's signature contrast between deep darkness and radiant light, along with fine stop-motion details.

The critic praises the film's imaginative stop-motion world and detailed production design, highlighting the catchy musical numbers and Selick's direction. They single out the visual creativity and the unique, freaky characters as standout elements.

The review celebrates the film's unique worlds and Burtonesque style, praising the emotional depth conveyed through animation and the timeless appeal of its story and soundtrack. The critic singles out the sense of wonder and the character of Jack Skellington.

The critic praises the film as a creepy, funny, rollicking good fun seasonal classic with memorable characters, amazing songs, and fantastical set designs. It went against the grain by making scary movies enjoyable for children.