Summary
Ever since it was released in 1993,The Nightmare Before Christmashas been a fan favorite thanks to its unique setting, eerie yet charming characters, and fun take on the winter holidays. When the movie celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023, the long-standing debate aboutwhether there will be a live actionNightmare Before Christmasbecame news once again. Considering the popularity of the original, it’s no wonder that this has been such a frequent topic of discussion. The story is so beloved there’s even aNightmare Before Christmasgraphic novel.
Tim Burton has made many haunting, whimsical, and compelling movies, fromCoralinetoCorpse Bride, and fans are always interested in seeing what he will do next. The director explained why he isn’t interested in a live actionNightmare Before Christmasmovie, and many fans agree with his thoughts on returning to Halloween Town.
Tim Burton Never Wanted A Nightmare Before Christmas Sequel
Alive actionNightmare Before Christmasisn’t happening,andTim Burton said he wasn’t interested in making aNightmare Before Christmassequelin an October 2023 interview withEmpire Magazine. Burton said:
“To me the movie is very important. I’ve done sequels, I’ve done other things, I’ve done reboots, I’ve done all that sh*t, right? I don’t want that to happen to this. It’s nice that people are maybe interested [in another one], but I’m not. I feel like that old guy who owns a little piece of property and won’t sell to the big power-plant that wants to take my land.”
Burton added:
“Get off of my land! You pesky little… You ain’t getting this property! I don’t care what you want to build on it. You come on my property… Where’s my shotgun?”
Since Tim Burton doesn’t want a live actionNightmare Before Christmasor any new movie at all, fans can be confident that anything they read to the contrary isn’t true. The film is one ofthe best Tim Burton movies, and since he came up with the story and characters, it makes sense that he wouldn’t want to tell another story in the same setting.
Screenplay by Caroline Thompson Story and Characters by Tim Burton
Cast Members
Catherine O’Hara, Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, William Hickey, Ken Page, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix
October 29th, 1993
76 minutes
Rotten Tomatoes Score
95%
Some others involved in the movie agree with the director’s opinion. In 2020, Caroline Thompson, the screenwriter who wroteThe Nightmare Before Christmas, toldBusiness Insiderthat shedoesn’t think that a live actionNightmare Before Christmasis a good idea. She said it was “greedy and stupid” and explained:
“Do you really think they would do that? That would be so awful.”
The Nightmare Before Christmastells a unique story because it’s afamily-friendly Halloween moviewhile also being anunexpectedly dark Christmas movie. As is often the case with sequels, some think that it’s a great idea and others want the original film to remain the only one.Henry Sellick, who directed the movie, commented on aNightmare Before Christmasprequelin a 2023 interview withPeople. While he didn’t mention a live actionNightmare Before Christmas, he said that a prequel about Jack Skellington’s journey to the Mayor of Halloweentown could make for a compelling story.
Sellick agrees with Burton, though, and said that the original is “a perfect movie [that] came out of the perfect time, only to grow into something far bigger over the years.” Sellick said:
“I think Tim in particular feels like, why mess with that? He certainly doesn’t need to make more money from a sequel. He has had so many other successes, and so far nobody’s come up with a great idea for a sequel. And I still think that Tim gets to decide. I don’t think there’s any idea that would convince him.”
Do Fans Want A Live Action Nightmare Before Christmas?
Between thefun holiday doors in The Nightmare Before Christmasand the overall beautifully eerie setting, it’s no wonder that fans have wondered about a live actionNightmare Before Christmasfor so long. But how do people really feel about this idea?
When a fan asked about a live actionNightmare Before Christmasmovie in aReddit threadseveral years ago, the overwhelming response was that this should never happen. Redditor @sec713 wrote, “That film is perfect, just the way it is.” Redditor @Zeppo wrote, “Why? The stop-motion animation is one of the coolest parts of the movie.” In anotherReddit thread, fans debated the concept, with many agreeing that the visual appearance of the characters is what makes it so special.
While there are manyunderappreciated Tim Burton movies, this one has thankfully gotten the praise and credit that it deserves, which is why there is so much discussion around a live actionNightmare Before Christmas. It looks like fans can enjoy the well-crafted characters and the flawless setting of Halloween Town in the original 1993 movie and not worry about a sequel or live action remake being a disappointment.
