The Nightmare before Christmas opens

By Scott Macaulay

Director Henry Selick made his feature directorial debut with The Nightmare Before Christmas, a stop-motion animated film about dual Christmas and Halloween worlds and the battle between them when the monsters and demons of the latter decide to place themselves in the world of the former. Based on a poem that Tim Burton, who produced the film, wrote during his days as a Disney animator, The Nightmare Before Christmas was released by parent studio Walt Disney under its Touchstone label due to worries that the film would be too dark for kids. "Kids love to get scared," Selick was quoted as saying in response. The film was a decent-sized hit upon its release on October 29, 1993, and it's continued to be a success in 3D re-releases. And, of course, Selick scored again with another animated scarefest, Coraline, in 2009.