National Film Vault

FILM NOTES

The Nightmare Before Christmas was released by Touchstone Pictures in October 1993, produced through Tim Burton's vision and directed by Henry Selick. Shot entirely in stop-motion animation, the film represented a landmark achievement in the format, requiring years of painstaking production and becoming one of the most enduring titles in Disney's catalog. Its gothic aesthetic and musical storytelling earned it a devoted following that has only grown across the decades.

This cell, titled Captured Santa Claus, documents the pivotal confrontation between Jack Skellington and Santa Claus. Santa appears in visible distress, his red suit and white fur trim caught under dramatic lighting, his expression wide-eyed and agitated. Jack Skellington shares the frame, marking the moment the film's central conflict reaches its most direct and consequential point.