 |
Nightmare Before Christmas
Director: Henry Selick
Screenwriters: Tim Burton
Michael McDowell
Caroline Thompson
Director of Photography: Pete Kozachik
The Gist: Jack Skellington, King of Halloweentown, is tired of what he does best (scaring everyone during Halloween) and in an effort to escape stumbles upon Christmastown–which he eventually leads him to taking over Christmas.
Story Review: On the surface it’s a scary kid movie about Halloween taking over Christmas. Dig a little deeper and it’s the story about a man unhappy with how his life has become ho-hum, even though he is doing something he is good at and at one point he must have loved.
I love the mayor, who is literally a two faced politician, and who at one point says “I’m only an elected official here, I can’t make decisions by myself,” trying to get Jack to come out of hiding. I also love how Jack spent so much time studying Christmas with science experiments, but continually misses the point which eventually leads to disaster.
Immersion Activity Ideas:
Visit a haunted house
Take a ghost tour
Celebrate Halloween