--- title: "The Nightmare Before Christmas: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-nightmare-before-christmas/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-nightmare-before-christmas" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 16 reviews: 12 positive, 2 mixed, 2 negative. Most critics like it, and the praise clusters almost entirely in one place: the stop-motion itself. Reviewers describe Henry Selick’s animation and the character and set designs as a world nobody had seen on screen before, richly detailed and grotesque in a way that stays affectionate rather than nasty. Danny Elfman’s score and songs draw frequent, though not universal, approval, and several critics note that the Halloween-meets-Christmas premise works for adults at least as well as for children. The reservations cluster around the story. Empire and The AV Club find the tale thin and losing momentum halfway, and the songs divide the reviews, catchy to some, forgettable to others. The spread is wide for a film this well regarded: The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw calls the plot rickety and inert, and Slant Magazine judges it narratively slight beneath the design. The dissenters, notably, still admire the look. ## Radio Times — Alan Jones Rating 5/5. Only Burton's demented imagination could have produced such a dark vision of the holiday season. The affectionate trashing of Christmas traditions is conceptually cunning and clever enough to please every generation. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-o1uhe0/the-nightmare-before-christmas/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 1993. The critic calls it a delightfully ghoulish holiday musical that displays more inventiveness than most studio films, crediting Burton's quirky sensibility realized through brilliant stop-motion animation and character designs. He singles out the morbid yet sweet fairy-tale tone and the painstaking technical achievement in bringing the demented world to life. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-10-15-ca-45836-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 October 1993. The critic praises the film's creation of an entirely new, strange and haunting world through stop-motion animation, noting it as one of cinema's rarest gifts. He highlights the visual richness, clever songs by Danny Elfman, and the subversive energy that appeals to older kids and adults alike. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/tim-burtons-the-nightmare-before-christmas-1993) ## Variety — Todd McCarthy Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 8 October 1993. Festival review. The critic finds the stop-motion techniques create a striking, never-before-seen look in sustained form, making it a unique curio for kids and film enthusiasts. He praises the dimensional visual style, inventive characters and sets, Elfman's score, and the iconoclastic yet not subversive attitude. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/the-nightmare-before-christmas-1200433742/) ## Little White Lies — Victoria Luxford Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 7 December 2016. The critic praises Henry Selick’s directorial debut as a gleefully macabre cinematic marvel and an unlikely but enduring festive favourite. They single out the film’s signature musical numbers and refreshingly original, dark perspective on Christmas for particular praise. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/the-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burton-henry-selick) ## Time Out — TCh Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2014. The film is an original fairy tale told in stop-motion animation with a lively score by Danny Elfman. It is a beautifully realised confection that will delight grown-ups of all ages. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-nightmare-before-christmas) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 27 November 1994. The stop-motion film offers grotesque wonders and striking images in its Halloween and Christmas sequences, with strong craftsmanship in its details and Danny Elfman score. It lacks dramatic sweep and has some calculated or crass elements in the storytelling and references. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/cinema-amazing-what-you-can-do-in-a-fortnight-1440000.html) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 28 July 2006. The film delivers visual delight through its goth-hued stop-motion imagination, loveable-morbid creations and ornate Elfman music, though the story loses momentum halfway. Energy and art abound in the dance scenes and designs but the tale-telling lacks drive. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/nightmare-christmas-review/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. The review calls the film a marvelously imaginative and visually striking stop-motion work with morbid whimsy and imagination that overcomes its flaws in unmemorable songs and occasional story thinness. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-nightmare-before-christmas-1798195605) ## The New York Times — Betsy Sharkey Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 10 October 1993. The review presents the film as Tim Burton's exploration of isolation and misperception in the form of a dark fairy tale brought to life through stop-motion animation. It notes the film's premiere at the New York Film Festival and its limited initial release. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/10/archives/film-tim-burtons-nightmare-comes-true.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 17 November 2006. The 3D re-release of the 1993 stop-motion film feels branded more as Tim Burton's than Henry Selick's, with Danny Elfman's songs dominating. The creepy Jack Skellington story has always seemed a bit rickety and inert. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2006/nov/17/musical.timburton) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 17 October 2006. The critic finds the film narratively slight with unmemorable songs and a thin plot but praises its distinctive stop-motion visuals, eccentric character designs, and haunted-house beauty as a major strength. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/the-nightmare-before-christmas/) ## Polygon — Chris Plante Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2023. The critic calls the 4K HDR restoration one of the year's best home video releases and the most visually stunning 4K disc seen in 2023. The restoration excels at preserving film grain while enhancing the film's signature contrast between deep darkness and radiant light, along with fine stop-motion details. [Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/23849120/nightmare-before-christmas-4k-bluray-review/) ## Eye for Film — Scott Macdonald Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 18 November 2006. Festival review. The critic praises the film's imaginative stop-motion world and detailed production design, highlighting the catchy musical numbers and Selick's direction. They single out the visual creativity and the unique, freaky characters as standout elements. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-nightmare-before-christmas-film-review-by-scott-macdonald) ## HeyUGuys — Tracy Ladd Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2011. The review celebrates the film's unique worlds and Burtonesque style, praising the emotional depth conveyed through animation and the timeless appeal of its story and soundtrack. The critic singles out the sense of wonder and the character of Jack Skellington. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/christmas-video-vault-the-nightmare-before-christmas/) ## Den of Geek — Mark Oakley Rating 3/5. 6 November 2008. The critic praises the film as a creepy, funny, rollicking good fun seasonal classic with memorable characters, amazing songs, and fantastical set designs. It went against the grain by making scary movies enjoyable for children. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-nightmare-before-christmas-collectors-edition-review/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-nightmare-before-christmas.md