The Nightmare Before Christmas

 

On screen, Jack Skellington leaps with joy, singing with wonder at his discovery of Christmas Town. He seems so real, so alive, that we believe both and his fantastical world must somehow exist.

 

But in reality it is not Jack who is the star of the show; it is the over 140 artists and technicians who spent more than two years bringing Jack and all his cohorts to life on the screen.  Every gesture Jack makes was created by a human hand, by an animator who moved the puppet in tiny increments from frame to frame. Every character, every set, every prop—even the candy canes—had to be designed and then actually fabricated by someone. This book tells the true story of the film, highlighting the art and the vision that make the movie so memorable. Also included are the complete lyrics to the film.