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
FILM NOTES
Released by Touchstone Pictures in 1993 and produced by Tim Burton with direction by Henry Selick, The Nightmare Before Christmas remains a landmark of stop-motion animation, a genre-blending musical that fused holiday sensibilities with gothic imagination. Its handcrafted puppetry and Danny Elfman's score set a benchmark for dark family entertainment, influencing decades of animated features that followed. The film's reputation has only grown since its release, sustained by a devoted following that treats it as both a Halloween and Christmas touchstone, a rare dual-holiday classic that continues to draw new audiences through re-releases and stage adaptations.
This cell brings together the Halloween Town Band and the Mayor, figures central to the town's civic and musical life. The Mayor, voiced by Glenn Shadix, serves as the anxious, two-faced administrator of Halloween Town, a character beloved for his comic energy and his role in driving the plot's civic urgency. The band, featuring saxophone, bass, and accordion players voiced by Greg Proops, Randy Crenshaw, Glenn Walters, and L. Peter Callender, represents the musical heartbeat of the town's festivities. Collectors prize this grouping for its ensemble presence, capturing the communal spirit that defines Halloween Town's identity.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm colour release print of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame visible on the top edge; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on the top edge, evenly spaced and cleanly punched; bottom edge perforations are partially obscured by the blue band but appear present.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the bottom edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single or dual wavy line; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are not clearly distinguishable at this capture resolution.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image shows rich amber and dark tones consistent with a colour print stock.
Projection history
A horizontal blue band and white lines cross the lower portion of the strip, consistent with a splice or chemical streak on a projected print.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be consecutive frames from a single shot, and the stylised character design is consistent with the stop-motion animated film on record.
Era check
The variable-area optical soundtrack, colour positive print stock, and four-perforation 35mm format are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the early 1990s.
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 000064508
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
