The official title is Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, but if anyone should get top billing, it’s Danny Elfman. Not only does he create all the music for the movie but voices at least a half dozen characters as well. He got his biggest musical break by doing Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure and has scored some of the most well-known films in the last 35 years. I’ve always been a big fan of Danny Elfman and his genius is on display here, for sure. The animation is off-beat, which fits the movie perfectly and the crisp 75-minute runtime makes sure it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.

I had forgotten that it really is a musical, something that came back to me right away and I remember being surprised the first time I saw it, not expecting that at all. It’s not one of my favorite movies but the combination of Halloween and Christmas is genius as well as all of the technical aspects of the movie.