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The Movie:
"Nightmare Before Christmas" is the remarkable production from the mind of Tim Burton and the skills of director Henry Selick. Working together to wrap the package up perfectly is the wonderful score from composer Danny Elfman. The film is so many things; it's a smart kids film, it's got wonderful animation and so much imagination in every detail of its presentation of this amazing world that's been created. The stop-motion animation is absolutely stunning - you look at every frame and ponder how long it took to prepare even that second of the picture.
The main character in the film is Jack Skellington, a character who is the head of a little town that is in charge of Halloween. One day, he stumbles into Christmastown and is amazed by what he sees. So, he decides to kidnap Santa Claus and prepare Christmas on his own, and his attempt is, to say the least, an awkward one.
The film is haunting and strange and yet, there's a beauty to the marvelously gloomy sets. The voice work gets the tone of the characters right, as well. All-in-all, "Nightmare" may give some of the youngest kids nightmares, but older children and adults will likely appreciate the level of talent that went into bringing this wild world to life.
The DVD
VIDEO: Although the non-anamorphic transfer that is included here is pretty good overall, it's dissapointing that Disney did not decide to go anamorphic with this Special Edition release. Sharpness is very good and detail is solid as well, even in the darker areas of the film.
There is no pixelation, but slight shimmering does appear briefly once or twice. The print used is especially clear and crisp, with only a few very tiny marks. Black level is strong and clarity is never lacking.
Colors are also perfect, looking nicely saturated and rich, without any problems apparent. This is a very, very nice looking presentation, but an anamorphic transfer would have been extremely appreciated.
SOUND: Where Disney dissapoints with their choices in the video presentation, they do suprise with the sound for the film. For the second time ever from the studio, we have the choice of either DTS 5.1 or Dolby Digital 5.1 audio for the film. The star on display here is the wonderful score from Danny Elfman, which fills the listening space wonderfully here. Surrounds come into play mainly to offer Elfman's score, but some effects as well.
The DTS soundtrack does sound fuller and warmer than the Dolby Digital version, but not hugely so. The Elfman score really deserves to be heard on this DVD; it sounds wonderfully rich and dynamic, with remarkable clarity (which makes me wish an isolated score was included). Dialogue is also clear and easily heard. I'm very pleased that Disney has given viewers the option of the DTS audio for this film, although I wish they had included it on many other recent releases. Hopefully this is a sign that they will include DTS more in the future.
MENUS:: Some of the main menus are very nicely animated with film-themed, spooky images. Even some of the sub-menus that aren't animated still are well done.
EXTRAS:.
Commentary: This is a commentary with director Henry Selick and cinematographer Pete Kozachik. It's a very informative commentary track that mainly talks about the art of stop-motion animation and how the kind of effects in the film were achieved by the talented members of the crew. The discussion has very few pauses, and it's fascinating to have these two peel away the magic behind this remarkable art form. Definitely worth a listen.
Making Of "Nightmare Before Christmas": This fascinating documentary takes the viewer behind-the-scenes of the history of the movie, which took place over a three year period. During a moment of the documentary, we find that a minute worth of film with this process takes about a week to finish. Where the commentary lead us through the film and pointed out tidbits about animation, this is a visual look at the elements that were talked about, and we also hear from many of those responsible in a series of interviews. The documentary lasts 25 minutes.
Deleted Material: First, the disc allows the ability to go through three storyboard versions of deleted sequences ("Behemoth Singing", "Oogie Boogie With Dancing Boys", "Alternate Identity Of Oogie Boogie".) These storyboard scenes do have audio, as well. There are also 4 deleted animated sequences; "Jack's Scientific Experiments", "Vampire Hockey Players", "Lock, Shock and Barrel" and "Oogie Boogie Shadow Dance". All of this material has little audio intros from director Selick.
Image Gallery: This area provides a wealth of different images dealing with the film, from character designs, to animation to concept art. This section is at first broken up into "Halloween Town", "Christmas Town", "The Real World". Once you choose your path, you are presented with additional choices.
Ads: A small poster gallery, teaser trailer and full trailer. The trailer for "James and the Giant Peach" is also included on the DVD.
Also: Tim Burton's early films, "Vincent and "Frankenweenie"; storyboard to film comparison of a scene.
Final Thoughts: Although it's unfortunate that this is not anamorphic, it's nice that Disney has included DTS on this release, and some great extras. The film is also wonderful, and recommended.
DVD Grades
Video 89/B+ = (356/400 possible points)
Audio: 91/A = (364/400 possible points)
Extras: 88/B = (264/300 possible points)
Menus: 88/B = (176/200 possible points)
Value: 87/B = (261/300 possible points)
TOTAL POINTS:1421/1600
DVD GRADE:B/88%
DVD GRADE: B
Film GRADE: A-
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