The Nightmare Before Christmas is a stop-motion animated film that was directed by Henry Selick and based on the story and characters created by Tim Burton. It follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, as he decides to take a break from Halloween to take charge of Christmas instead. For years, fans have debated whether the film is more of a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie.

In the movie, Jack is celebrated by all of Halloween Town for how successful he makes the holiday of Halloween. After one Halloween, he stumbles across doors to other holiday-themed worlds including Easter, Thanksgiving, and more. It’s the Christmas door, however, that peaks his interest. He explores Christmas Town and falls in love with the snow, bright colors, and Christmas cheer. This inspires him to bring the idea of Christmas back to Halloween Town and get all the scary monsters and other Halloween figures to help him celebrate their first Christmas. However, taking over for a new holiday proves to be more of a challenge than Jack initially realized. 

The Nightmare Before Christmas has not only become a staple of Halloween viewing, but Jack and Sally have somewhat become faces for the holiday. Fans dress as the characters, where clothes with their faces on them, and any merchandise for the film becomes particularly popular as the spookiest season of the year approaches. It’s clear as to why. The main characters are spooky monsters from Halloween Town. The majority of the story takes place in Halloween Town. The overall aesthetic of the film is rather creepy. There are a lot more Halloween related elements for audiences to feast their eyes on throughout the movie.

With all that being said, there are some valid reasons as to why so many people see it as more of a Christmas movie. The whole plot of the movie is literally about Christmas. The central conflict is about how the characters plan on celebrating Christmas. Santa Claus is a vital character to the story, and the third act revolves around rescuing him and saving Christmas. Let’s not forget that the songs “Making Christmas” and “What’s This?” are played a lot during the Christmas season.

If it really needs to be one or the other, it would technically be a Christmas movie since it’s about celebrating Christmas and all of its wonders. That being said, deep down, we all know the true answer is that it comfortably fits both roles. It serves as a perfect movie for both holidays, Christmas and Halloween. That’s one of the reasons why it’s so unique and beloved by so many.

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