Most critics warmly recommend The Nightmare Before Christmas, with praise centred on its stop-motion craftsmanship, intricate sets and eccentric characters. The reviews credit Henry Selick’s direction and Tim Burton’s sensibility with creating a strange holiday world whose morbid humour and sweetness appeal to adults as well as children. Danny Elfman’s music also draws considerable approval, though the strongest agreement concerns the inventiveness of the images and the film’s departure from conventional animation.
Reservations cluster around the thin story and whether the songs match the visual invention. Empire admires the designs and music but finds that the narrative loses momentum halfway through and lacks warmth; Slant Magazine praises the craftsmanship while judging the plot underdeveloped and the songs largely forgettable. The spread runs from enthusiastic praise to qualified appreciation, with no outright rejection: even the less persuaded critics find plenty to admire in the animation.