Computers make everything easier. When you can execute something faster and with greater simplicity on a computer, especially when it comes to a product which could in turn generate a large influx of cash, it is sure to raise eyebrows. While this explains away the fact that computer generated family pictures are slowly replacing more primitive forms of animated filmmaking, there still remains a great nostalgia and appreciation for the classic hand drawn and stop motion effects which have been a staple of cinema since its inception.
When it comes deciding the pinnacle of stop motion animation it is almost unanimous that Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas is at the upper echelon of its genre. The time consuming method of animation is one of the most visually stunning and Burton’s macabre holiday classic has garnered a legendary cult following. That’s when Walt Disney Studio’s stepped in and bought up the licenses, which earned the eccentric director a nice chunk of change as well as a powerful arm to distribute his animated masterpiece.
Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, and the rest of his Halloween Town residents fit perfectly with the spirit of All Hallow’s Eve and with the film being re-released just in time for the holiday, revitalized using Disney’s Digital 3D technology, the classic has never looked better.
Over a decade later Burton’s animated masterpiece still remains one of the most entertaining, smart and not to mention weird family films ever put to celluloid. Featuring composer Danny Elfman’s most memorable score to date The Nightmare Before Christmas is truly a delight for the eyes and ears. Though I have seen the film every fall since its original 1993 release date I still find myself humming the enchanting melodies for days after watching the picture.
Where Disney Digital 3D can make a bland movie like Chicken Little a little more palatable, this is truly the first test of this new technology on a bona fide classic. Even the opening sequence when the film invites you to put on your large, 3D glasses (Which always look super cool!) the audience oohed and ahhed at the delights Nightmare Before Christmas provided in the third dimension.
Perhaps the only downside from this classic’s move into 3D is the fact that it truly doesn’t utilize the technology to its fullest potential. While the textures and environments are given a whole new depth, Nightmare Before Christmas just wasn’t designed for incredible, jaw dropping 3D moments. Aside from this minor complaint, there really has never been a better way to see this ghoulish holiday classic than in this new digital format, especially if you were two young to experience Burton’s nightmare on the big screen.
With the talk of using this new digital 3D technology to reinvent old classics the timely release of Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas proves just how awesome an experience these legendary titles can be in a new dimension. Maybe this proves that there is still some life left in that old Cineplex yet.
-Joe Russo, MoviePulse
