Hollywood Tonight presents Walt Disney Pictures classic The Nightmare Before Christmas synopsis and stills

The Nightmare Before Christmas!

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

   TIM BURTON (Producer) conceived and produced the original THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, bringing his trademark mix of the moving and the macabre to create an enduring holiday classic.

  Burton displays more of those macabre sensibilities this coming holiday season with the highly anticipated release of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” a big-screen adaptation of the hit Stephen Sondheim Broadway musical starring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Other recent credits include the critically acclaimed hit fantasy-adventure “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” starring Johnny Depp and Freddie Highmore. He also produced and co-directed the animated love story “Corpse Bride” to further praise from critics around the world.

  Burton also garnered acclaim for his previous film, “Big Fish,” a heartwarming tale of a fabled relationship between a father and his son, hailed as Burton’s most personal and emotional tale to date. The inventive filmmaker also directed the box-office hit “Planet of the Apes,” a new version of the 1968 classic, starring Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, Helena Bonham Carter, Michael Clarke Duncan and Kris Kristofferson, which was a summer 2001 box-office hit.

  All of Burton’s films are well-known for the highly imaginative and detailed world he creates to surround and inform the story. They include “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” “Beetlejuice,” “Batman,” “Edward Scissorhands,” “Batman Returns,” Tim Burton’s THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, “Ed Wood,” “Mars Attacks!” and “Sleepy Hollow.”

   Burton began drawing at an early age, attended California Institute of the Arts on a Disney fellowship and, soon after, joined the studio as an animator. He made his directing debut with the animated short “Vincent,” narrated by Vincent Price. The film was a critical success and an award winner on the festival circuit. Burton’s next in-house project was a live-action short film called “Frankenweenie,” an inventive and youthful twist on the Frankenstein legend.

  In 1985, Burton’s first feature film, “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” was a box-office hit, and the director was praised for his original vision. “Beetlejuice” (l988), a supernatural comedy starring Michael Keaton, Geena Davis, Alec Baldwin and Winona Ryder, was another critical and financial success. In 1989, Burton directed the blockbuster “Batman,” starring Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton and Kim Basinger. Following the triumph of “Batman,” the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) awarded Burton the Director of the Year Award. The film also won an Academy Award® for Best Art Direction.

   “Edward Scissorhands,” starring Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder and Dianne Wiest, was one of the big hits of the 1990 Christmas season and acclaimed for its original vision and poignant fairy-tale sensibility.

   In 1992, Burton once again explored the dark underworld of Gotham City in “Batman Returns,” the highest-grossing film of that year, which featured Michelle Pfeiffer as the formidable Catwoman and Danny DeVito as the Penguin. In 1994, Burton produced and directed “Ed Wood,” starring Johnny Depp in the title role. The film garnered Academy Awards® for Best Supporting Actor (Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi) and Best Special Effects Makeup. He also produced 1993’s “Cabin Boy” and 1995’s summer blockbuster “Batman Forever,” as well as the 1996 release of “James and the Giant Peach,” based on Roald Dahl’s children’s novel.

   Burton then produced and directed “Mars Attacks!,” a sci-fi comedy based on the original Topps trading card series, starring an elite array of 20 leading players, including Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, Danny DeVito and Annette Bening. In 1999, Burton directed “Sleepy Hollow,” which was inspired by Washington Irving’s classic story and starred Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Miranda Richardson and Michael Gambon. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards®, including Best Costume Design and Best Cinematography and won the Oscar® for Best Art Direction. Honors from BAFTA included Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

   Burton authored and illustrated a children’s book for THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, released in conjunction with the film. His next book of drawings and rhyming verse, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy and Other Stories, was praised by The New York Times for “conveying the pain of an adolescent outsider.”

   HENRY SELICK (Director) made his feature-film directing debut in 1993 with the extraordinary and intensive production of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Already one of the leading innovators in the field of stop-motion and alternate forms of animation, Selick was handpicked by Tim Burton for the assignment and went on to establish himself as a major creative force in the field. His imaginative vision and attention to detail guided the film through its various development and production stages, and he was also largely responsible for assembling the talented team that made the film. Besides an Academy Award® nomination for Best Special Effects, the film earned Selick an Annie Award from A.S.I.F.A. Hollywood for best individual directing achievement, beating out “The Lion King.”

   Selick followed this three-year-plus production with a live-action and animation combo of Roald Dahl’s “James and the Giant Peach,” which won the top prize at the Annecy International Animation Festival in 1997. He then directed “Monkeybone,” a fantasy about a cartoonist trapped inside his own creation.

  Selick, who has continued to chart new territory in animation and fantasy filmmaking, recently created animated sequences for Wes Anderson’s “The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.” Now in charge of creative matters for Portland, Oregon-based Laika Entertainment, Selick is currently directing a digital, stopmotion animated film based on an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Hugo Award-winning, international bestselling children’s book, “Coraline.”

   After studying at Rutgers University, Syracuse University, and St. Martin’s School of Art in London, Selick eventually enrolled at Cal Arts as part of the first character-animation program along with John Lasseter, John Musker and Brad Bird. He simultaneously studied experimental animation with Jules Engel and made two award-winning student films: “Phases,” a runner-up in the Student Academy Awards and “Tube Tales,” also nominated for a Student Academy Award®. Selick later became a trainee at Disney and served as a full animator on “The Fox and the Hound,” under lead animator Glen Keane. Selick has also written, produced, designed and directed many memorable television spots and commercials.

   DANNY ELFMAN (Jack Skellington’s Singing Voice/Voice of Barrel/Composer/Lyricist) was a major player in the creation and production of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, contributing on many different levels to the project. As the singing voice of Jack Skellington, he brings his dynamic range to six diverse songs, while as Barrel, he slips into the persona of a childlike-but-not-so-innocent trick-or-treater. As the composer and lyricist for the film’s 10 songs, he adds to the story and overall entertainment value, while his evocative underscore strikes all the right chords throughout for fantasy, suspense and humor. Elfman’s score went on to become an enduring and influential hit, garnering a Grammy® nomination.

   Elfman was born in 1953 in Los Angeles, California, where he currently resides. Over the last 20 years, he has established himself as one of Hollywood’s leading film composers. Elfman has written close to 50 film scores featuring his unique sound, including “Batman,” “Spider-Man,” “Men in Black,” “Beetlejuice,” “Edward Scissorhands” and “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.” In addition to these signature soundtracks, he has scored such diverse films as “Big Fish,” “Good Will Hunting,” “Dolores Claiborne,” “Midnight Run,” “To Die For,” “Dead Presidents,” “Sommersby” and “Chicago.” For television, Elfman created the infectious themes to “The Simpsons” and “Desperate Housewives.” His honors include a Grammy® and three Academy Award® nominations.

   Elfman’s first experience in performance and composition was for a French theatrical troupe, “Le Grand Magic Circus” at the age of 18. The following year, he collaborated with his brother, Richard, performing musical theater on the streets of California.

   Elfman then worked with a “surrealistic musical cabaret” for six years, using this outlet to explore multifarious musical genres. For 17 years, he wrote and performed with his rock band Oingo Boingo, producing such hits as “Weird Science” and “Dead Man’s Party.” In 2005, Elfman worked with longtime collaborator Tim Burton on the films “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and the stop-motion animated musical “Corpse Bride.” Most recently, he has composed scores for Disney’s CGI animated feature “Meet the Robinsons” “Charlotte’s Web,” and “The Kingdom.” His music will also be heard in the upcoming feature “Hellboy 2: The Golden Army.”

   COLUM SLEVIN (Executive in Charge of Production) joined Industrial Light & Magic in 1999 as Project Manager for the Digital Technology Department. He was responsible for managing the software R&D teams and acting as a liaison between R&D and the visual-effects production departments. Prior to that, Slevin had accrued over ten years of experience in the fields of media production and feature animation. At Sullivan Bluth Animation Studios in Dublin, he worked for seven years in a number of production roles, including overseas coordinator in Hungary. In 1994 he participated in the setup of Twentieth Century Fox’s animation production facility in Phoenix, Arizona, where he worked as quality control manager and production manager. Slevin’s screen credits include “The Land Before Time,” “All Dogs Go to Heaven,” “Anastasia” and “Titan A.E.” At ILM, Slevin took on the role of Director of Scheduling & Utilization in January of 2002, which entailed oversight of the management and crewing for all production projects within the Computer Graphics Department.

   In September 2002, Slevin was promoted to Director of Computer Graphics. Two years later, he was named Senior Director of Computer Graphics. In this role, he heads the Computer Graphics Department, which is comprised of artists who create and develop the digital creatures, effects and environments featured in recent motion pictures such as “The Hulk,” “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World,” “Peter Pan,” “Hidalgo,” “Van Helsing,” “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,” “Mask 2,” “Lemony Snicket” and “Star Wars: Episode III.” His daily work revolves around managing the operational needs of the department as well as the staffing of all production projects. Slevin is from Dublin, Ireland. His wife, Marie, is also from Dublin, and they currently reside in San Rafael, California, with their two children.

   DON HAHN (Producer of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 3-D) is one of the most successful producers of all time, with films that have grossed more than $2 billion and have been nominated for 17 Academy Awards®. The films that he has produced, including “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” formed the very heart of Disney’s animation renaissance.

   Hahn also served as executive producer of the 2000 animated comedy “The Emperor’s New Groove” and the 2001 animated feature “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” and producer of “The Haunted Mansion” starring Eddie Murphy.

   Hahn began his professional career at Disney in 1976. As the producer of the 1991 animated phenomenon “Beauty and the Beast,” he was responsible for guiding a team of 600 artists and helping to create the first film of its genre ever to receive a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards®. His next producing credit was the 1994 animated blockbuster “The Lion King,” which broke box-office records all over the world to become the top-grossing film in Disney history. In his role as associate producer of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?,” he was creatively involved in the production of yet another landmark motion picture. He reteamed with the irrepressible ’toon rabbit as producer of his first short film, “Tummy Trouble.”

   In addition to his enormous accomplishments as a filmmaker, Hahn is the author of several books, including Disney’s Animation Magic: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at How an Animated Film Is Made, which provides the definitive illustrated account of how these films are created. Another book, Dancing Corndogs in the Night, a lighthearted look at the reawakening of the creative spirit, was published in 1999.
Information contained within as of October 2, 2007.