Director Henry Selick explains that Tim Burton had very little to do with The Nightmare Before Christmas. Very often, some of the best feature films are the result of collaborative efforts between filmmakers with similar minds. In the case of The Nightmare Before Christmas, there were former Disney animators Tim Burton and Henry Selick. Both filmmakers are surrealists who worked on the classic films The Fox and the Hound and The Black Cauldron. After Burton's success in live-action features, he collaborated with Selick to get Nightmare Before Christmas completed.

The Nightmare Before Christmas would go on to be one of the most memorable animated features from Walt Disney Pictures, though it was initially issued under the Touchstone Pictures banner due to Disney's fear over the content. Despite the contrast in fame, Selick is not bitter about Burton's success and the two of them have remained good friends. Despite this, many...