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
Produced by Touch Picture Pictures and distributed under the Walt Disney banner, The Nightmare Before Christmas arrived in 1993 as a stop-motion landmark directed by Henry Selick from Tim Burton's story and characters. Its blend of gothic imagery with holiday warmth made it a crossover favorite spanning Halloween and Christmas audiences alike, and it remains one of the defining achievements of practical animation, prized for its craftsmanship and enduring cult devotion across generations of fans.
This cell centers on Jack Skellington in his self-appointed role as Santa Jack, the Pumpkin King's misguided attempt to bring holiday cheer through his own macabre lens. Collectors seek Jack pieces for his status as the film's central icon, and this particular pairing with the Giant Snake situates him within one of the story's more perilous stretches, where his Christmas ambitions collide with Halloween Town's darker instincts, a moment prized for capturing the tension between his good intentions and their chaotic consequences.
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; spacing appears even and the punched edges look clean with no torn or missing perforations visible.
Soundtrack
A variable-area optical track is visible running along the lower edge beside the picture, appearing as a dual bilateral (variable-area) stripe; Dolby Digital pixel blocks are visible in the inter-perforation gaps on the lower edge, indicating a hybrid optical/Dolby Digital soundtrack.
Edge print
Not visible in this capture at sufficient resolution to read manufacturer codes or key numbers.
Base & colour
Base appears neutral to very slightly warm; dye image shows rich, saturated colour with no visible fading or red shift.
Projection history
No splices, cue marks, or prominent scratches are visible in this capture.
Picture
Positive colour image; all three frames appear to be from the same continuous shot, and the subject matter is consistent with the stop-motion animated feature on record.
Era check
The hybrid variable-area optical plus Dolby Digital inter-perforation data block soundtrack configuration is consistent with a theatrical release print from 1993 onward, matching the release period of the film 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 000064583
Original Film CaptureAs received
Photographed on the light panel at intake, before encapsulation — tap to open full size
Tap to enlarge
