1. Inspirations for the look of the film include the classic Rankin-Bass Christmas specials (such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), Dr. Seuss� How the Grinch Stole Christmas and German impressionism.
2. As opposed to a typical animated musical, Elfman approached the score like an operetta, along the lines of Gilbert and Sullivan.
3. Elfman says that Burton himself wrote quite a few lyrics, such as the opening lines of �Jack�s Lament�.
4. �What�s This?� was the first sequence animated.
5. Fred Astaire was an unlikely source in the development of Jack Skellington, specifically his gracefulness.
6. NBC was the first Disney film to have a main character with no visible eyeballs.
7. The effect of the Melting Man melting was created by using a hot air blower on the puppet in between takes.
8. The legendary Vincent Price was the original choice to voice Santa Claus.
9. Zero�s body was actually made of lead, while the cottony clouds were indeed made out of cotton.
10. The vampire teddy bear was actually inspired by none other than Mickey Mouse.

Next up is a visualized reading of Burton�s original NBC poem, narrated by Christopher Lee (of Return from Witch Mountain fame). Burton introduces it by relating how the whole idea of NBC came to him while watching a department store window being redecorated from Halloween to Christmas. The feature itself is a condensed version of the final story (the Sally, Dr. Finkelstein and Oogie Boogie characters aren�t even mentioned) accompanied by limited animation inspired by Burton�s original concept art.

(c) Disney

Fans of Disneyland�s �Haunted Mansion Holiday� (and those of us who haven�t been able to visit it yet) will want to skip right to �What�s This? Jack�s Haunted Mansion Holiday Tour�. Offering an in-depth look at the annual NBC-themed overlay to one of Disneyland�s most popular rides, this is easily one of the best attraction-based DVD bonuses Disney has ever produced. Even if you have ridden it dozens of time, you�re bound to see something new here, since the ride through footage is slower than your average Doom Buggy.

You�re also likely to learn something new as well, for in addition to the standard �On Track� ride through (with original narration), you can also view it with a pop-up trivia track or, even more informative, watch the �Off Track� option. In this version, key Imagineers pipe in with detailed behind-the-scenes info on every single scene, from the stretching room to the gingerbread house (which is changed every year) to the final graveyard scene; a must-see for every serious NBC/Disneyland fan.

The final disc 1 bonus is the six part, 24-minute �The Making of Tim Burton�s The Nightmare Before Christmas�, a carry-over from the Special Edition, which itself was an edited down version from the 40-minute laser disc feature. It�s puzzling that the longer version wasn�t included here, as there was certainly plenty of room for it. Regardless, this provides viewers a chance to see footage from when the film was being made, including up close looks at the over 200 sets and over 100 puppets used to create NBC. In addition to Burton, Selick and Elfman, the film�s animators and designers are also interviewed.

With the abundance of new material on disc 1, disc 2 is a bit of a let down, as almost all of the bonus features included were featured on the previous Special Edition. Burton�s two early, acclaimed shorts, the live action Frankenweenie and the animated Vincent, are the main draw here, and are always worth another viewing, especially for connoisseurs of the Burton oeuvre. The disc�s sole new feature is a brief Burton intro to Frankenweenie, in which he reveals that he is currently working on a full length stop motion animated feature of the same story.

Rounding out the disc are seven deleted scenes (three in storyboard form -- including an alternate ending that revealed a different origin for Oogie Boogie -- and four animated sequences, including a surprise Burton cameo), an extensive art gallery (divided between Halloweentown, Christmastown and the �real� world), a storyboard-to-film comparison of the �Town Meeting� scene and a rather paltry collection of posters and trailers (from the original release only).

With its superior technical aspects and overall excellent bonus features, this Collector�s Edition of Tim Burton�s The Nightmare Before Christmas is well worth the upgrade for fans both new and old to this animated masterpiece.

• A special Toon Talk look at the American Film Institute�s top ten animated movies of all time.
• Sleeping Beauty reawakens once more on DVD for a two-disc Platinum Edition and, for the first time in high def, on Disney Blu-Ray (October 7).
• The Wild Cats hit the big screen in High School Musical 3: Senior Year (Disney, October 24).

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Related Links

• LP Guide to The Nightmare Before Christmas: Special Edition

• List of all Toon Talk Reviews and Articles

-- Posted September 9, 2008