For Christmas Eve, I decided I was going to review a more unorthodox animated Christmas movie for you! This animated film was the film which got me interested in renowned director/producer Tim Burton. After watching lots of his movies, I've found him to be a fantastic director with his unique Gothic and whimsical style and the quirky characters predominantly played by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter striking me. And if you must know, my favourite Tim Burton movie would have to be Edward Scissorhands before you go crazy asking me! Now, this was released in 1993 under Touchstone Pictures since Disney thought it was too dark to be under it's name and because they thought children would be frightened by it. So now this movie is 20 years old and Christmas is near, the time has finally come for me to review it. Don't get me wrong, I love watching this on Halloween, but I consider it more of a Christmas film because of the plot which I'll go into when talking about the story. So does this movie still hold up after 20 years, or do Christmas and Halloween simply not mix at all? Let's find out!
Story: I know, at the start the plot may sound ridiculous as it's about the Pumpkin King Jack Skellington trying to take over Christmas after discovering a door leading into Christmas Town and immediately falling in love with it. But the way they tell it is funny, original and heartwarming. It shows Jack has good intentions even though the rest of the town see it from a macabre perspective and that his obsession which it ends up backfiring horribly on Christmas Eve. There's also a subplot involving Sally, a Frankenstein monster-style rag doll having a crush on Jack and trying to stop him from taking over Christmas because of a vision she saw about Christmas being destroyed. Despite the short running time of just under 70 minutes, it never feels rushed because everything in the plot is tied up by the end without tons of exposition. It surprises me with how original it is, because not once does it ever feel cliched or forced, and the twists and turns are what you'd expect from Tim Burton. It's also quite psychological with Jack's obsession with Christmas and it can lead to some really comedic moments, as well as surprisingly some heartwarming moments! I love the story, it's so unique and original and is a classic Tim Burton movie. I don't really have any problems with the plot at all, I love it so much!
Animation: The stop motion may look a bit dated after 20 years, but it somehow still looks very good. The character designs are unique and the classic Tim Burton style, in a sense that they're gruesome, creative and likeable. The worlds look very creative and I love the contrast between Christmas Town and Halloween Town with the different colour schemes like Christmas Town is more bright and whimsical, while Halloween Town is more dark and macabre with their view on Christmas. The character animation is really well done and it still amazes me after 20 years with the stop motion. The use of CGI is also creative on the ghosts and it's only used a little bit, but enough so it doesn't distract us from the amazing the stop motion. I also love the flying scenes when Jack goes to deliver presents and it's nice to see how different Jack looks in the human world. If I had one problem, it would be it can be obvious when something's stop motion and when something's moving in real life, like the bugs falling into the lava and the smoke surrounding Halloween Town. Still, besides that, the animation still looks amazing and holds up after 20 years!
Characters: Even if there's an array of characters in this, I love all of them! Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, wants to take over Christmas because of his obsession with it, and he actually has good intentions even if the town has a macabre perspective of the holiday! Sally is also likeable as she knows something terrible is going to happen with Christmas and wants to help Jack realize that taking over isn't the answer and wants to be free of Dr Finklestein, but she also has feelings for Jack. Oogie Boogie is a great villain in a sense that he's intimidating and is a gambling addict that never plays fair, but my problem with him is we don't know his motives for kidnapping Santa and wanting Jack dead. Santa or 'Sandy Claws' himself is more of a grouch after everything he goes through and is the first to know Sally was the only one to make any sense. Lock, Shock and Barrel are really funny and are probably my favourite characters, most likely because of their funny personalities. The rest of them are also likeably weird, like the mayor, the werewolf, the witches, everyone! I love every single character, they're whimsical and fun as well as distinguishable which Tim Burton is known for.
Songs: I love every single song in this movie! They were all composed by Danny Elfman and they all have the whimsically enjoyable feeling which I love them for. This Is Halloween is a fun number introducing us to the world the characters live in. Jack's Lament is a more quiet and thoughtful song about Jack wanting more and is missing something after hundreds of years of doing the same thing every year, which I also enjoy. What's This is really fun and enjoyable and is probably one of my favourite scenes in the movie. The song at the town hall isn't really my favourite song in the movie, but it's still fun. Kidnap The Sandy Claws is my favourite song in the movie with the catchy yet grotesque lyrics and fun tune. Making Christmas is also fun and whimsical, and I like seeing the contrast between Halloween Town's version of Christmas and Christmas Town's version of Christmas. Oogie Boogie's song has a fun jazz feel to it which I also love! Sally's Song is one of my personal favourites with Sally lamenting about her feelings for Jack, and thinking he won't love her in return. The ending song which is a reprise of almost all the songs is very enjoyable and the way they all mix together is creative. I love all the songs in this, there was a phase where I could listen to it everyday!
Overall, I love this movie with an original and fun story, amazing animation, likeable characters and memorable songs. This is not only one of my favourite Christmas or Halloween movies, this is one of my favourite movies period! I'd recommend this to any animation or Tim Burton fan, because this is one of them movies you can watch either on Christmas or Halloween and it is timeless!
Story: 10/10
Animation: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Songs: 9/10
Overall: 9.5/10
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