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 in 1993 by Touchstone Pictures under the Disney banner, and directed by Henry Selick from a story and characters conceived by Tim Burton, The Nightmare Before Christmas arrived as a stop motion oddity that has since become a genre landmark. Its blend of gothic imagery and holiday whimsy, paired with Danny Elfman's songs, gave it a lasting cult following that crosses into both Halloween and Christmas collecting circles, a rare feat for any animated feature of its period.
This 35mm cell centers on Lock, Shock and Barrel, the trio of trick or treating troublemakers who serve Oogie Boogie throughout the story. As secondary but beloved figures, they draw strong collector interest for their mischievous energy and their role in driving much of the film's plot mischief. A film cell such as this preserves a physical frame of the actual theatrical print, offering owners a tangible piece of the production's history tied directly to these three characters and their place in the film's tone.
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 deformation.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along one edge beside the picture area, appearing as a single-track analog optical stripe.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears with a slight warm-purple cast consistent with the image dye layer; no obvious fading or strong colour shift is evident.
Projection history
Light vertical scratching is 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 consecutive frames from a single shot and the puppet-animation imagery is consistent with The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993).
Era check
The single variable-area optical track and the colour positive stock are consistent with a standard theatrical release print from the early 1990s, matching the 1993 release date on record.
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 000064563
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
