The Nightmare Before Christmas is a 1993 American 3D computer-animated fantasy comedy film written by Tim Burton and directed by Henry Sellick. The film features the voices of Danny Elman, Catherine O’Hara, and Ken Page as three Christmas tree ornaments who are thrown away in an old department store and have to find their way home before Christmas Day. In this article, we look at the Nightmare Before Christmas (NBT) and how it is a very deep meaning to many people. The film has been given its own meaning in different cultures around the world. We have seen its popularization as an internet meme on different platforms such as Facebook, Reddit, etc.
Contents
The Nightmare Before Christmas Meaning
The film The Nightmare Before Christmas has been portrayed to different audiences in a variety of ways and has many meanings. We shall look into them one by one:
1) Love is Found
The theme of love is related to a young man and his elder sister; hence it shows the development in their relationship as they mature. O’Hara’s character also represents this idea through her role as Sally which signifies her understanding of growing up into adulthood (Handheld)
2) Love Will Set You Free
The reason why Sally and Jack decide to leave Christmas with one another is because they love each other. This can also be represented by the fact that if you don’t find your true partner, it will break your heart and someone else could have saved that place for them (Handheld)
3) Words Can Move Mountains
The film has the words “If Only” in it. This is more like a geyser because this phrase should be used as an encouragement to get things done, but when Larry says that he had forgotten about Christmas last year, (though Tom and Terrance agreed with him initially) they started questioning themselves whether or not his plan worked or if their thinking was correct by saying them out loud. However, Santa’s elves here give you hope that the plans they had made would not fail because they rhymed with the steps that Santa was taking (Handheld)
4) Spring is Sprung
“One of these days, we’ll stop moving!” This could be seen as a realization by O’Hara about her dream falling short. She realizes she will never have time for real life adventures during Christmas Eve and knows she needs to let go so much sooner or later.
4) Lovers are Forever
She keeps her emotionally distant from Jack given the fact that she still harbors feelings for Larry. She has yet to realize this as she is yearning for love and commitment which can also be seen in Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence because it shows a wife feels incomplete without partners via being able to express herself fully (Handheld)
5) Keep Christ in Christmas Again speaking of how their plans did not work out, O’Hara’s
5) Opposites Attract Themselves Together
O’Hara has it easy with Jack and O’Connor. She does not want to hurt anyone (Jack) nor is she interested in sharing her life with him as he seems to be highly critical of himself, so she is fine on how things are going here too (“Well that’s adorable.”).
6) Dreams do Come True;
The Tunnel of Love Between Emma and Will is to be Paved Over with Glory by Marcus. This would maybe mean: How much a strong, extroverted person can accomplish with the help of one who possesses an inner strength Refers to this as ‘The tunnel’ could allude to trust or love thus, depending
on interpretation, it could symbolize the overcoming of obstacles in one’s love life or personal growth.
6) The Opposite is True as well Indeed; Emma develops a deep and meaningful connection with Will despite not initially wanting to because she realizes that he is just like her–not exactly popular but misunderstood (The Tunnel).
The Nightmare Before Christmas Story explanation
I believe this Nightmare is symbolically saying: two people are not over each other, they never wanted to be apart in the first place It also could show the idea that one can’t force themselves into a relationship with another person but if both of them love each other dearly and want it of their own free will then some sort like cycles in life should just happen.
It is an allegory for commitment and love. It symbolizes the two people being willing to overcome whatever adversity came their way but making it work out in the end, no matter what will happen or what might become of them after a new relationship begins. If a couple could make something of themselves on their own and not be thrown off track by the love that is brought about then it would show this facet in them as well.
The other theory I have for Nightmare Before Christmas—is actually my personal favorite quote from Cooper’s statement to Will when he tells him “You are like me.” The Theory: In the past, Will suffered an accident which traumatized his father-like persona (“My Nightmare Before Christmas”), causing him to retreat into his nightmare world of “Christmas Town”. There, he is tormented by a witch’s presence and she tells him:
“Forgiveness. It matters not why you or I have lost our way so long as it be through no fault of ours… We must learn once again to forgive.” This gave Will purpose back in the real world after thirteen years when his self-imposed.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Ending
Now that it has been established what the Nightmare Before Christmas Ending is I will touch on how this can actually be a happy ending. If you have done your research and watched every Nightmarish cliché, like fireworks going off outside of the house after everything having worked out perfectly then you are doing it wrong (you did finish watching all twenty-six movies right?).
What does happen at the end for Will in The Nightmare Before Christmas is he gets so upset he runs away from Sally and she asks if there’s a problem but then just waves him at. What happens to Jack is I’m not exactly sure, we only see his shadow flicker on the ground as well so it looks like he has gotten arrested or got out (maybe both).
The mayor says “Merry Christmas” in one of the last scenes which is nice especially since no one said those words after all that had happened. And in the final scene Will is back home with his parents and he goes to sleep and then opens his eyes as a present sit under the tree. Now why isn’t this ending poetic? Because Christmas, no matter how good it had been up until that point, doesn’t end happily ever after, everyone closes one eye because tomorrow will come soon enough right back around to where we started (the nightmare). What about Willow’s Quarries Ending? Willow could have been an okay character and ended in a good manner but she descends into madness as does Jack. Off to the quarts then.
What is Happy Ever After? According Bing to Urban Dictionary when originally coined it was synonymous with “happily ever after” however, some people started to take that definition away and made their own version which has recently gone viral; A happy ending can be found if you place
your attention on the details, sometimes they are small and often overlooked. This could be anything from a character having their personal demon defeated to a relationship lasting through thick and thin. Nowadays it is more commonly associated with family-friendly content or stories rather than dark cinema.
More to know about the movie
Kevin Williamson is the writer/director of this movie. He produced A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, 4 and 5 with Wes Craven which all ended up being successful horror movies that spawned a number of sequels. This was his directorial debut and first reboot as far as I know (not including Freddy vs Jason)
The score by my favorite composer Danny Elman is absolutely beautiful but quite short at only just over five minutes long so one can only imagine it gets better in the first half.
Jack’s age is either 25 or 31 which he says himself throughout. This movie begins with him remembering when he was a child and that encounter his father had with Freddy but yet to be killed by Jason so this doesn’t contradict itself at all and isn’t stretching events out intentionally as no scene would make sense if we saw them go back before they finished killing him off.
Final Thought
A long time ago, in a land far away, there lived a boy who had a dream. He dreamt of a world where everyone was free to live how they wanted to. In this world, people could dress however they pleased and say what they felt without having to worry about being discriminated against or made fun of. This fantasy inspired the young boy’s imagination and his desire for more freedom and equality.
For many years, The Nightmare Before Christmas has been a movie that has come to be known as a children’s favorite. This classic Halloween-themed story, which is based on the poem “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement Clarke Moore, has spawned several spin-offs including animated movies and a Broadway musical.
FAQs
What Is Wes Craven’s Directorial Debut?
Wes Craven is the directorial debut of Freddy Vs. Jason which was his first horror movie and first reboot of sorts as far as I know.
Is It Official?
He sets out to raise awareness on cults using horror conventions by returning Freddy and Jason to punish his nightmares. From the summary of my story and other reviews I’ve read, it’s fair to say this was a decent enough conclusion especially considering how much they leave out.
The only questionable part is why Freddy kills Jason when he clearly doesn’t want him back in his life but we won’t know unless Wes Craven gives us an answer where if you’re not going to make all those sequels for your remake that this could be considered as an unofficial sequel.
What Was The Overall Movie’s Intended Meaning, Did It Succeed Or Fail At What Is Made Out To Be A Different Kind Of Horror?
The story, while being based on Creator Stephen Belafonte’s poem never truly explains what exactly Freddy and Jason represent. It’s just more-or-less a celebration of his life as he starts with fantasies in taking back Canada from communists and then finally starring.
How Did You Like The Ending Of The Nightmare Before Christmas?
Although there is supposed to be more revenge for being in the dreamworld, this movie just isn’t about that. It tries it’s best but you’re going to have a hard time finding any valuable life lessons from it especially because Alice never makes her grand appearance and most of us already knew what happened with Jake.
What Is The Message Behind The Nightmare Before Christmas?
Basic use of language can revive a dead culture. The Nightmare Before Christmas Video Game, Movies & Web Series: What are some popular Halloween movies that continue to be relevant and rewatchable? Should The Nightmare Before Christmas be near the top or is it better as 6th-7th place alongside with Black Sheep’s Captain N “what I did was wrong” Sheepshead Duck also known in You Don’t Know Jack.
Leave a Reply