National Film RegistryLibrary of Congress · Inducted 2023
“The king of dark whimsy, Tim Burton won over an even larger (and decidedly younger) crowd with this delightful stop-motion animated offering. Jack Skellington, whose giant pumpkin head rests precariously on top of his rail-thin body, is the king of Halloween Town; one year he dreams of bringing a little Christmas magic to his humble hamlet.”
Selected for preservation as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.
Directed by
Henry Selick
Studio
Walt Disney Pictures · Touchstone Pictures · Skellington Productions · 73 min
Box office
$91.2M worldwide on a $24M budget
Honors
Academy Awards — 1 nominationAnnie Awards — 1 nomination
Scholarship
Named in the title of 13 peer-reviewed works
Examples
Sources: Wikidata · Library of Congress · OpenAlex. The record of the motion picture, not an assessment of this cell.
FILM NOTES
Released by Touchstone Pictures under the Disney banner in 1993, The Nightmare Before Christmas arrived as a stop-motion oddity that blurred holidays and genres in a way few studio films had attempted. Directed by Henry Selick from Tim Burton's designs, it became a cult touchstone for its craftsmanship, its songs, and its willingness to let Halloween and Christmas coexist without resolving neatly into either. Decades later it remains a fixture of animation history, cited often for its influence on the genre of dark, handcrafted family filmmaking.
This cell centers on Oogie Boogie, the film's gambling, bug-stuffed antagonist and one of its most requested figures among collectors precisely because he supplies the story's menace and comic villainy in equal measure. A frame carrying his name alone speaks to his presence as a standalone attraction within the film's world, the kind of isolated figure that trailers and character-focused ephemera were built to showcase. For collectors, holding Oogie Boogie apart from the rest of the cast reflects his singular pull as the film's chaotic, memorable threat.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
Gauge
35mm, confirmed by four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on both edges, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the picture area, appearing as a two-track variable-area format; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are not clearly distinguishable, DTS timecode line and SDDS outer tracks are not visible in this capture.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image shows strong, saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light horizontal abrasion lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; the three frames run consecutively as a single continuous shot and the character and set design are consistent with The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack format and fully saturated dye-transfer-style colour on a clear safety base are consistent with a 1990s theatrical release print of a 1993 feature.
Read from the original intake capture shown below. Observations only — film is authenticated, not graded.
This original motion picture film element has been examined and authenticated by Crown Grading in partnership with National Film Vault, and encapsulated for archival preservation.
Why so little survivesRelease prints were leased to theaters, not sold. When the run ended they went back to the distributor to be destroyed, and most were. What collectors hold today came from the prints that escaped that order, and no new 35mm prints of these films are being struck.
CROWN SERIAL 000064482
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
