Danny Elfman Weighs In On If The Nightmare Before Christmas Will Ever See A Full-Length Sequel
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Rarely do you see a film that is perfect for two holidays, but "The Nightmare Before Christmas," directed by Henry Selick, fits the bill. The classic stop-motion animated movie tells the story of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King (voiced by Chris Sarandon and sung by score composer Danny Elfman). He rules Halloween Town, a magical land full of frightening creatures whose job it is to run the spooky holiday. One day, Jack finds the door to Christmas Town, has Santa Claus (who he calls Sandy Claws) kidnapped, and tries to take over Christmas.
"The Nightmare Before Christmas" grossed $91 million worldwide and received an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects. According to a 2006 article from MTV, the story came to producer Tim Burton when he was ill. "Well, I was hallucinating," he explained. "I had a 108-temperature fever that night. I think that's where you get your best ideas, the ones that kind of come out of your subconscious. They always have more power that way."
It would certainly explain some of the weirder parts of the film, which is still beloved all these years later. Personally, I watch it on both Halloween and while decorating my Christmas tree every year. When a film is revered the way this one is, a sequel is almost a given, yet nearly three decades after its release, we still haven't seen a follow-up. Disney originally wanted to make a CGI sequel, but it was scrapped. Where does that leave us now? In May 2022, Danny Elfman weighed in about a possible sequel — and it doesn't sound good.
'I am the Pumpkin King'
As the man who scored the film and gave us Jack Skellington's classic singing voice, Elfman would have to be on board for a sequel, and he's not at the moment, for a good reason. When asked by ComicBook.com about a sequel happening either in movie form or in a series on Disney+, Elfman said, "I don't think so. I think Tim [Burton] has always felt that no, this is what it was." That doesn't mean he wouldn't be willing to participate at some point if the creator was inspired to create something new in the universe. He explains:
"But you know, it wouldn't totally shock me if he came back with ... If he had a fresh take on it, I would certainly go for the ride with him. But he's never expressed any interest in that. I think he felt like this was a pure thing, and it was what it was and that to try to do sequels on it would, I think it's just not inspired him. But I won't ever speak for Tim. It's his universe."
Burton discussed this in the 2006 MTV interview and said, "I was always very protective of ["Nightmare"], not to do sequels or things of that kind. You know, 'Jack visits Thanksgiving world' or other kinds of things, just because I felt the movie had a purity to it and the people that like that. Because it's not a mass-market kind of thing, it was important to kind of keep that purity of it."
That doesn't sound like he'd left open the possibility of a sequel at all, though, to be fair, that interview did happen many years ago. You never know what the future will bring.
'Making Christmas'
The thing about sequels is that, particularly after such a long time, they invite comparison and critique. If they don't go well, they can sully the memory of the original. Sometimes they work out well, like "Top Gun: Maverick," which was a box office juggernaut 36 years after the first film. Sometimes, like "Tron: Legacy," they take away the magic. "The Nightmare Before Christmas" might be better left where it is: a wonderful Halloween and Christmas movie with beautiful songs and a story that still brings us joy all these years later. I mean, unless Burton does come back with a "fresh take," as Elfman mentioned. It would be very hard for the franchise-addicted Disney to turn its nose up at that.
If you're itching to find out what happened to Jack Skellington and his love Sally after their smooch on Spiral Hill, there is a book called "Long Live the Pumpkin Queen" by Shea Earnshaw that came out in August 2022 from Sally's perspective. While we wait and wonder, at least Elfman is still performing the score live along with a showing of the film in venues like the Hollywood Bowl and London's OVO Arena Wembley.
"The Nightmare Before Christmas" is currently streaming on Disney+, as is the sing-a-long version of the film.