It was a long time ago, longer now than it seems, when this weird little film first graced our screens. With its strings visuals and all of its quirks, at one point a sequel was once in the works. Rhyme schemes aside, Tim Burton's twisted tale was once in line for a second installation, but never made it off the ground.
So what kept our friend Jack Skellington from visiting the other holiday realms? And why has it been so hard to see him come back to the screen? Sit back, relax, and crack open some Halloween candy as we look at why we never saw a return to Halloweentown.
Selick Wants to Make a Sequel
Everyone in their mother associates The Nightmare Before Christmas with Visionary director Tim Burton, as well they should. The story and characters did in fact come from Burton's brilliant brain, but director Henry Selick is truly an unsung hero of stop-motion animation, and reportedly he wants the story to continue.
Henry Selick has had quite an interesting career in and out of Disney animation. Along with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Selleck has been featured on films such as The Fox and the Hound, James and the Giant Peach, and Return to Oz. he is also expressed interest in a Nightmare Before Christmas sequel, presumably putting him in the director's chair.
Discussions With Disney Have Taken Place
Rumors, speculation, and hearsay about A Nightmare Before Christmas sequel have been tossed around as early as 1998, but the idea for a sequel has in fact been floating around the Disney studios. Supposedly, a Thanksgiving TV special was in the works until Tim Burton shut it down. Though no definite plot exists, it is reassuring to know Disney is still on board.
Like so many films under their wing, sequels to their movies only happen with their complete and total say so. This is why we never saw the pipe dream that was Roger Rabbit 2. but if Disney was interested, why didn't they move forward?
They Didn’t Want Stop-Motion
With the rise in new filmmaking techniques, Disney wanted to show off its bigger budget and newer equipment by having the potential sequel be done completely in CGI. Seeing as the original film is considered a stop-motion animated classic, a CGI version of Jack Skellington and his Halloweentown friends might be more than a little off-putting to some.
Supposedly, the studio considered the art form dead and old-fashioned. That being said, when you take a look at films like James and the Giant Peach, Coraline, and Kubo and the Two Strings, you can plainly see that the medium still has its audience even today.
Burton Doesn’t Want a Sequel, CGI or Not
One of the biggest elements preventing a tried-and-true sequel to come to pass is the film's creator himself, Tim Burton. Burton has been very vocal about not wanting a sequel to one of his most beloved films for some time now, claiming it would violate the "purity" of it. And honestly, we can kind of see where he's coming from.
The Nightmare Before Christmas was based upon Tim Burton's poem by the same name, and there's an untarnished children's book quality to the original text. A movie adaptation is one thing, but a sequel is another. If we were in his shoes, we think we'd feel the same way.
Both Need to Collaborate For It to Happen
Tim Burton is the creator and producer of the original film, but Henry Selick is the director and filmmaker that helped bring The Nightmare Before Christmas to life. Needless to say, both need to be involved if a sequel is to happen at all. It's not that we don't see it happening, it just feels unlikely.
As seen in both this film and James and the Giant Peach, Burton and Selick can and have worked together more than once. A collaboration between the two filmmakers would definitely be well-received provided they could agree to work with Disney's terms as well.
A Fight with Danny Elfman Suspended Jack’s Singing Voice
Though this is somewhat a piece of Disney history, we can't say it helped the sequel's situation much. Although actor Chris Sarandon is responsible for Jack Skellington's singing voice, his dulcet tones for the musical numbers and most other performances are provided by the film's composer, Danny Elfman.
Burton and Elfman have created and collaborated more times than we can count, but that doesn't mean they were always the best of friends. In fact, a falling out between the two of them caused Elfman to cease voicing the character for a period of time. Although that's all in the past and Elfman has reprised his role once or twice, no progress on the sequel has been made.
It Might Get a Remake Before it gets a Sequel
This is more on Disney's part than anyone else's but if we look at their current lineup of films, we can kind of make an accurate prediction of the film's fate. With the studio remaking many of their favorite animated features such as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, The Nightmare Before Christmas will possibly get a remake before it gets a sequel.
The Disney live-action remakes already have a somewhat lukewarm stigma around them, but we can hardly wrap our brains around the idea of a live-action Nightmare Before Christmas. More than likely, it would have to be a CGI Frankenstein to even scratch the surface of what the original was. We might never know.
A Sequel (Technically) Exists
Though we have yet to see a proper film sequel to the macabre masterpiece, a follow-up to the original Nightmare Before Christmas has existed since 2004. It came to us, not as a motion picture or TV special, but as a very entertaining video game for the PS2 and Xbox called The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.
This game was actually a collaboration between Capcom, a frequent Disney game creator, and the film's producer Tim Burton. Although the game has similar hack-and-slash elements akin to Devil May Cry the strange seal of Burton absolutely saturates the project. Fans who experienced this title definitely consider it a proper sequel to the iconic film.
So Does a Manga
In honor to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the film, manga publisher Tokyopop released a comic book series entitled Zero's Journey, featuring Jack's ghostly canine in the starring role. Consider it a follow-up, a sequel, or a spinoff, but it's still a continuation of the story, featuring friends old and new along the way.
the 14-issue series not only takes place in the exact same universe but has a very distinct Burton-inspired art style that feels like it was pulled straight from the guy's storyboard collection. The comic sees Zero on a journey through Christmas Town trying to return home. A simple concept but one with enough twists and turns that will satisfy any fan of the original film.
A New Film is Supposedly in the Works
Though this might be the same speculation and hearsay that's been floating around since the '90s, Disney is supposedly working on a new Nightmare Before Christmas film. As to what exactly it is, however, is anyone's guess as the sources say. It might be a remake, a sequel, or just a simple animated special, but whatever it is, Disney hasn't forgotten.
We can theorize, we can discuss, and we can guess till we're blue in the face, but until we hear anything from either Disney, Burton, or Selick, a sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas is in Project limbo. But no matter what we get in the end, we can always return to the original twisted classic anytime we want.