Pumpkin King Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon) is a big guy in his home land of Halloween Town. One day, during his travels, he comes upon a series of trees with doors that transport the individual to various holiday worlds. Jack enters Christmas Town and loves what he sees; he's enchanted. Therefore, when he returns to Halloween Town, he implores his fellow citizens to come up with their own version of Christmas. As one is likely to imagine, he doesn't quite "get it", at least when it comes to his idea of good gifts. To add to the situation, Santa Claus (who Jack and others think is named Sandy Claws) is abducted, and when Jack fills his place, chaos erupts.
Producer Tim Burtons' imagination is in full bloom here, and is vividly realized by director Henry Selick. The animation is slick and gorgeous. There are a wealth of stylish visuals, both in Halloween Town and Christmas Town. The characters and their designs are delightful, from Jack to Sally (voice of Catherine O'Hara) to the evil scientist (voice of William Hickey) to the fiendish Oogie Boogie (voice of Ken Page). Caroline Thompson ("Edward Scissorhands", "Corpse Bride"), wrote the screenplay, with Michael McDowell ("Beetlejuice", "Tales from the Darkside: The Movie)" credited with the adaptation. Another frequent Burton collaborator, Danny Elfman, supplies the many catchy songs (this viewers' favourites are "What's This" and "Oogie Boogie's Song") and also performs the lovely singing voice of Jack. The eclectic cast also includes Glenn Shadix (who voices the mayor) and Paul "Pee-wee Herman" Reubens (who voices Lock).
Some younger children may not take to a lot of the more freakish designs and characters, but otherwise this is fine family viewing, with a fairly trim story and running time (77 minutes all told).
One point of interest for people may be deciding whether to watch this during the Halloween season, the Christmas season, or both, for that matter.
Eight out of 10.
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