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 the line between holidays and genres. Directed by Henry Selick from Tim Burton's story and designs, it became a cult touchstone for animation fans, prized for its handcrafted puppetry and gothic musical sensibility long before such crossover films were common. Its enduring popularity across both Halloween and Christmas seasons has made it a perennial favorite in collectible markets.
This cell brings together Lock, Shock and Barrel, the trio of trick-or-treating troublemakers who serve Oogie Boogie throughout the story. Their appearance as a set is a draw for collectors, since the three are rarely separated in the film's mythology, always scheming together in their masks and wagon. A piece featuring all three suggests a moment tied to their mischief-making role in the plot, the kind of ensemble grouping that anchors character-driven sequences rather than isolated close-ups, making it a natural centerpiece for anyone building a collection around the film's most memorable secondary players.
Authentication Findings8 checks
Consistent with a 35mm theatrical release print of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
Gauge
35mm, four perforations per frame on both edges; the strip holds three frames.
Perforations
Four per frame on each edge, evenly spaced; punched edges appear clean with no visible tearing or distortion.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a two-track variable-area format; a blue stripe is also visible along the lower edge band, consistent with a Dolby encoded print.
Edge print
Not fully legible in this capture; partial markings are visible along the lower edge but cannot be quoted with certainty.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-neutral tint; dye image shows rich colour saturation with no obvious fading or red shift.
Projection history
Light longitudinal lines are visible across the frame area, consistent with a print that has passed through a projector gate.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot, and the animated stop-motion imagery is consistent with the film on record.
Era check
The variable-area optical track with apparent Dolby blue stripe, colour dye base, and stock appearance are all consistent with a theatrical release print from the early-to-mid 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 000064510
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
