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Pixar Worked on The Nightmare Before Christmas?

Pixar Worked on The Nightmare Before Christmas?

Pixar Worked on The Nightmare Before Christmas?! What!? How did I never know this?

There are always facts flying around to do with Nightmare Before Christmas, things that I already knew like Tim Burton didn’t direct it. The whole Tim Burton involvement is that he came up with the story and gave the film its overall style from the sketches he had made (If you haven’t seen any of his sketchbooks, you should check them out. The Melancholy Life of Oyster Boy is great).

Tim Burton was the producer. The producer can have a great deal of artistic input but leaves most of the day-to-day to the director, who, in this case, was Henry Selick.

Tim Burton wrote a poem on which the film was eventually based while he was working at Disney, either on the Fox and the Hound, or the Black Cauldron.

But to my surprise, if you watch the credits of The Nightmare Before Christmas, you can plainly see PIXAR in big letters. Yes, Pixar worked on The Nightmare Before Christmas. But in what capacity? I really want to know.

They probably did the smallest bit of CGI. I think they had some part in the fireworks scene, as points-based lights and particles are probably the easiest things to do on the computer and hardest to do via stop-motion. I will have to watch the film again to work it out. The annoying thing is, there really isn’t much information on the internet either.

So, What did Pixar Do?

In all likelihood, they probably did the smallest bit of CGI. I think they had some part in the fireworks scene, as points-based lights and particles are probably the easiest things to do on the computer and hardest to do via stop-motion. I will have to watch the film again to work it out. The annoying thing is, there really isn’t much information on the internet either.

Pixar’s own history of the company jumps from the short animation Knick Knack in 1989 to “Disney and Pixar announce an agreement to make and distribute at least one computer-generated animated movie” to Toy Story in 1995. Completely glossing over the 1992-1993 timeframe that any NBC work would have taken place. It’s such a shame. I know they had worked on a few feature films as a special effects company under George Lucus’s ownership as part of Lucasfilm.

They have also released a Nightmare Before Christmas book, illustrated by Burton himself.

Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Pixar movie?

No, not a Pixar movie. It was marketed as Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, as good-ol Tim had been getting a reputation as a quirky, interesting filmmaker. Did you know that Tim Burton was a Disney animator working in Walt Disney Animation before making a name for himself as a Director?

Check out the infamous Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture The Black Cauldron and look for his name in the credits.

Check it:

The Story of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Directed by Henry Selick and produced by Tim Burton, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a stop-motion animated musical fantasy film. The story revolves around Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, a place where various monsters and ghouls live and celebrate Halloween every year.

One day, Jack stumbles upon Christmas Town and is captivated by its joy and festivity, things he has never experienced in Halloween Town. He decides to bring the idea of Christmas back to his own town. With a limited understanding of the holiday, Jack tries to recreate Christmas in Halloween Town, but things don’t go as planned…

About The Author

Luke B

Luke B started life on his day of birth, strangely. He enjoys artistic and creative pursuits such as painting, drawing, sculpture, music, 3D graphics, video games and everything else. He builds websites as his day-job and builds personal ones in his spare time. He also likes Lego.

3 Comments

  1. Luke B

    Best movie at Christmas time! 🙂

    Reply
  2. Troy S

    Best movie anytime really. One of my faves!

    Reply
    • Luke B

      It is a good film! Thanks for the info about Danny Elfman by the way! And thanks for stopping by 🙂

      Reply

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