Burton’s “˜Nightmare’ returns to haunt El Capitan Theatre
By Daily Bruin Staff
Oct. 24, 2002 9:00 p.m.
Nine years after the release of Tim Burton’s “The
Nightmare Before Christmas,” people and clay figures alike
can line up together to see this Halloween musical again.
Along with Burton’s short films
“Frankenweenie” and his first film
“Vincent,” the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood will be
screening this Burton classic starting tonight until Halloween
night.
As Hollywood exploits the Halloween season with movies such as
“The Ring” and “Ghost Ship,”
“Nightmare” reminds us of the days when Tim
Burton’s creativity and Danny Elfman’s music captured
the public’s imagination.
“The movie is creepy and funny at the same time,”
said Henry Selick, director of “Nightmare.”
Selick took on the task of bringing “Nightmare” to
life for three-and-a-half years. He filmed in stop-motion animation
that requires a painfully long shooting process (according to
Selick, at the height of production, they only produced about 70
seconds of finished film per week) as well as hand building the
sets, props and characters.
Over the last nine years, however, that hard work has paid off
as the movie has grown into a cult classic, inspiring the El
Capitan to continue its Halloween tradition of screening it for a
continually-growing fan base.
“One of the main reasons it has enduring appeal is because
it is nearly 100 percent handmade,” Selick said. “The
characters, the sets actually existed. It’s like a wonderful
toy that comes to life.”
But the film didn’t originally start off as a success.
Selick teamed up with Burton while working together at Disney.
“The movie was a gift to Tim from Disney after Batman came
out,” Selick said. “It was Disney’s way of saying,
“˜Come back home and make some movies with
us.'”
However, not knowing how to market the movie, Disney never
really got behind it, releasing it as a Touchstone picture instead,
according to Selick.
Having “Nightmare” screened at the El Capitan during
the week before Halloween reflects the way the movie has amassed a
cult following. The movie is a “sideways success,”
according to Selick, as Danny Elfman’s original musical
score, Burton’s creative script, and visually compelling
animation has endured next to Burton’s other chilling
classics, such as “Edward Scissorhands,”
“Beetlejuice” and “Batman.”
Glenn Shadix, who worked with Burton on previous projects such
as “Beetlejuice” when he played the psychic interior
decorator, also did the voice for the mayor in
“Nightmare.”
“Tim and Henry were a great combination,” Shadix
said. “Tim is not the kind who had the patience for
stop-motion “¦ Tim created the world and Henry brought it to
life.”
“A lot of kids really picked up on it. It has a dark
edginess, but a great heart,” Shadix added.
Tim Burton has exemplified what dark and mystical Halloween
movies can achieve. Along with the Burton’s rarely-screened
short films, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” promises
to provide equal doses of fright and entertainment for anyone who
wants another chance to see his magic on the big screen.
A special Friday engagement featuring two panel discussions at 7
and 9:30 p.m. with director Henry Selick and actors Glenn Shadix
and Shelly Duvall will be moderated by E! Entertainment’s
Todd Newton. Behind-the-scenes info and set displays will be in the
lobby.
