List of characters in The Nightmare Before Christmas

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For other uses, see The Nightmare Before Christmas (disambiguation).
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This article lists characters seen in the films and video games The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge. A number of these notable characters have also appeared in the Kingdom Hearts series of video games, as well as in the form of action figures and in published books.[1][2] The franchise's principal character, Jack Skellington, also cameos in James and the Giant Peach "as the pirate captain"[3] and in an episode of Robot Chicken played by Victor Yerrid.[4]

Contents

Design

The filmmakers constructed 230 puppets to represent the characters in the movie, with Jack Skellington having "around eight hundred heads", allowing the expression of every possible emotion.[5]

Main characters

Jack Skellington

Main article: Jack Skellington

"The movie's main character, Jack Skellington" is a dreaded nightmarish skeleton with the alias of "The Pumpkin King".[6][7] Under that alias he is the titular hero of the prequel video game The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Pumpkin King. He is popular among the inhabitants of Halloween Town, due to his charming personality and aim to please. Despite a lack of inhibition, he means well. He is in charge of Halloween. Having never left it, he felt his inspiration for his own holiday waning. Christmas Town gave him new ideas and inspiration. He is voiced by Chris Sarandon, and his singing voice is provided by Danny Elfman.[8][9] He also appears in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[10]

Sally

Main article: Sally (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

Jack Skellington's love-interest. She is a ragdoll originally patched together by Doctor Finkelstein. She is the only one to have doubts about Jack's Christmas plan, and is constantly imprisoned by her creator. Despite her makeshift appearance, Sally is a determined individual with a good feel for what is right. Sally's voice was played by Catherine O'Hara throughout the movie.[3][9] Fiona Apple provides the vocals for "Sally's Song" on the 2006 special edition of The Nightmare Before Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, while Amy Lee provides the vocals for "Sally's Song" on Nightmare Revisited. She also appears in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[11]

Doctor Finklestein

Main article: Doctor Finklestein

A resident of Halloween Town, the wheelchair-bound mad scientist and creator of Sally. Overprotective of his creation, he forbids her from leaving the house, and forces her to serve as his housekeeper. Frustrated at Sally's frequent absconding, Finkelstein eventually gives in and creates a new woman to replace her. Finklestein was voiced by the late William Hickey in the film[3] and by Jess Harnell in the video game spin-offs. He also appears in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[12]

Mayor

Main article: Mayor (The Nightmare Before Christmas)

The Mayor appears to have two faces: a happy face on one side, and a white sad one on the other, switching between them depending on his mood. He is only an elected official and cannot make decisions without Jack. He is portrayed as clumsy and highly anxious. He is voiced by Glenn Shadix.[3][9] He also appears in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[13]

Oogie Boogie

Main article: Oogie Boogie

Oogie Boogie (also known as the Boogie Man) is a large insect-containing sack. Oogie enjoys making the lives of the townsfolk miserable and doesn't seem to like Jack. He is voiced by Ken Page[3][9] in the movie and in Kingdom Hearts appearances. He is the titular villain in The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[14]

Lock, Shock, and Barrel

Main article: Lock, Shock, and Barrel

Lock, Shock, and Barrel are a group of young, mischievous trick-or-treaters. They usually work as Oogie Boogie's 'henchmen' but don't often listen directly to his orders. They wear masks, despite them being almost exactly the same as their real faces. In the movie, Lock was voiced by Paul Reubens, Shock was voiced by Catherine O'Hara, and Barrel was voiced by Danny Elfman.[3][9] In video game spin-offs, Lock was voiced by Jess Harnell, Shock by Kath Soucie and Cathy Cavadini, and Barrel by Dee Bradley Baker and Jeff Bennett. They also appear in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[15]

Zero

An intelligent ghost-dog who floats about freely and follows Jack wherever he goes. His nose also doubles as a bright light.[16] He also appears in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[17]

Minor characters

Band

Accordian, bass, and saxophone players. The Sax Player is voiced by Gregory Proops.[3]

Behemoth

A tall man with an axe stuck in his head. He is voiced by Randy Crenshaw.[3] He also appears in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[18]

Clown With The Tear Away Face

A fat clown that can tear off his face. He rides a unicycle. He is voiced by Danny Elfman.[3][9] He also appears in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[19]

Corpses

Corpse Guy, Corpse Lady, and Corpse Kid. Corpse Kid and Corpse Lady are voiced by Debi Durst.[3] Corpse Kid also appears in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[20]

Creature Under the Bed

A monster with sharp teeth and glowing, red eyes. It is voiced by Carmen Twilie.[3]

Harlequin Demon

A cool monster who loves to make hats. He is voiced by Gregory Proops.[3]


Man Under the Stairs

A blue monster with fingers resembling snakes and spiders in his hair. He is voiced by Kerry Katz.[3]

Mummy

A mummy with one eyeball. Mummy is voiced by Sherwood Ball.[3]

The Hanging Tree and Hanging Men

A spirited tree with skeletons hanging from his branches. They also appear in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[21]

Three Mr. Hydes

A man with little versions of himself in his hat, similar to The Cat in the Hat. He is voiced by Randy Crenshaw.[3] They also appear in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[22]

Vampire Brothers

Four vampires that have umbrellas. Thay like to play hockey. They are voiced by Randy Crenshaw and Sherwood Ball.[3] They also appear in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[23]

Witches

Two witches: one is tall and one is short. The Big Witch is voiced by Susan McBride, and the Small Witch is voiced by Debi Durst.[3] They also appear in Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge.[24]

Withered Wing Demon

A gargoyle that uses his wings to walk. Withered Wing Demon is voiced by Susan McBride.[3]

Wolfman

A werewolf voiced by Glenn Walters.[3]

Marketing

The owners of the franchise have undertaken an extensive marketing campaign of these characters across many media. In addition to the "Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland" featuring "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas characters,"[25] Jack Skellington, Sally, Pajama Jack, and the mayor have been made into Bendies figures,[26] while Jack and Sally even appear in fine art.[27] Moreover, Sally has been made into an action figure and a Halloween costume.[28] Jack is also the titular character in the short story "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Jack's story."[29]

Oddly enough, Jim Edwards actually contends that "Tim Burton's animated movie The Nightmare Before Christmas is really a movie about the marketing business. The movie's lead character, Jack Skellington, the chief marketing officer (CMO) for a successful company decides that his success is boring and he wants the company to have a different business plan. Some have wondered which real-life company failure the movie is based on: Sergio Zyman's New Coke or Merck's launch and subsequent withdrawal of Vioxx."[30]

Reception

While Yvonne Tasker notes "the complex characterization seen in The Nightmare Before Christmas,"[31] Michael A. Morrison discusses the influence of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas on the film, writing that Jack parallels the Grinch and Zero parallels the Grinch's dog.[32] Philip Nel writes that the film "challenges the wisdom of adults through its trickster characters" contrasting Jack as a "good trickster" with Oogie Boogie, whom he also compares with Dr. Seuss's Dr. Terwilliker, as a bad trickster.[33] Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic see the characters as presented in a more negative light and criticise the film's characters as having racial constructs, with the protagonists using "whitespeak" and the antagonist, Oogie Boogie, using "blackspeak."[34]

This perception was not entirely unanticipated by the filmmakers. Danny Elfman was worried the characterization of Oogie Boogie would be considered racist by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).[35] As Delgado and Stefancic's book reveals, Elfman's predictions became true. Nevertheless, director Henry Selick stated the character was inspired from the Betty Boop cartoon The Old Man of the Mountain. "Cab Calloway would dance his inimitable jazz dance and sing "Minnie the Moocher" or "Old Man of the Mountain", and they would rotoscope him, trace him, turn him into a cartoon character, often transforming him into an animal, like a walrus," Selick continued. "I think those are some of the most inventive moments in cartoon history, in no way racist, even though he was sometimes a villain. We went with Ken Page, who is a black singer and he had no problem with it".[36]

Regardless of the above controversy, Entertainment Weekly reports that fan reception of these characters borders on obsession, profiling "Laurie and Myk Rudnick a couple who are extremely interested in the motion picture The Nightmare Before Christmas. Their degree of obsession with that film is so great that...they named their son after the real-life person that a character in the film is based on."[37] This enthusiasm for the characters has spread beyond North America to Japan. As Stephen Jones writes, "The Japanese also seemed to go crazy for Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas with a fourteen-inch Jack Skellington doll, a gold 'Millennium' edition and a twelve-inch version dressed in pyjamas; a ten-inch Sandy Claws doll; a reversible pillow featuring Jack; a hand-painted set with Lock, Shock and Barrel, or a similar set of four vampires; a set of pull-back racers featuring Jack's faithful dog Zero...a Zero necklace, and various die-cast Jack key-chains, amongst numerous other items."[38]

Bryan Theiss explains this enthusiasm in The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide: "The last time I went to Disneyland, I saw more Jack Skellington hats than Mickey ears...because Jack and Sally are...those rare fantasy characters we can relate to on a certain level as much as we can to real-world characters on a more literal level."[39]

References

  1. ^ For example, see this review for the first game in the series: Fennec Fox, "Kingdom Hearts: They said it couldn't (or shouldn't) be done...but with Kingdom Hearts beginning to shape up, a Square RPG using Disney characters is beginning to look like a very exciting idea after all," GamePro (September 30, 2002).
  2. ^ Michael Crawford, "Nightmare Before Christmas: Jack Skellington vs Oogie Boogie action figures," Captain Toy (2003).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Jerry Beck, The Animated Movie Guide: The Ultimate Illustrated Reference to Cartoon, Stop-motion, And Computer-generated Feature Films (Chicago Review Press, 2005), 127.
  4. ^ "Jack Skellington (Character) from The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)," The Internet Movie Database.
  5. ^ Richard Rickitt, Special Effects: The History and Technique (Watson-Guptill, 2000), 159-160.
  6. ^ Jeff Belanger and Kirsten Dalley, The Nightmare Encyclopedia: Your Darkest Dreams Interpreted (Career Press, 2005), 235.
  7. ^ Jacob Steingroot, "A Grown-up's Guide to Halloween Movies: Too embarassed to put on a costume and go door to door? Take advantage of having no bedtime by staying up late watching our favorite Halloween movies," Premiere (2008).
  8. ^ Vladimir Bogdanov, Chris Woodstra, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide: The Experts Guide to the Best Recordings (Backbeat Books, 2001), 997.
  9. ^ a b c d e f John Clute and John Grant, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (Macmillan, 1999), 686.
  10. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Jack Skellington," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 2.
  11. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Sally," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 6.
  12. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Dr. Finkelstein," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 5.
  13. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Mayor," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 7.
  14. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Oogie Boogie," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 5.
  15. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Lock, Shock, and Barrel," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 9.
  16. ^ Michael A. Morrison, Trajectories of the Fantastic: Selected Essays from the Fourteenth International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997), 154.
  17. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Zero," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 6.
  18. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Behemoth," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 8.
  19. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Clown," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 5.
  20. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Corpse Kid," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 9.
  21. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Hanging Men" and "Hanging Tree," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 6.
  22. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Three Mr. Heydes," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 8.
  23. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Vampire Brothers," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 7.
  24. ^ Ed. H. Leigh Davis, "Tall Witch" and "Short Witch," Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge Official Strategy Guide (Indianapolis: Pearson Education, 2006), 8.
  25. ^ Ramin Setoodeh, "HAUNTED PARKS," Newsweek 144.16 (10/18/2004): 73.
  26. ^ Frederick J. Augustyn, Dictionary of Toys and Games in American Popular Culture (Haworth Press, 2004), 18.
  27. ^ "New Disney Fine Art: Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas Limited Edition by Artist Jim Salvati," TechWhack (November 3rd, 2008).
  28. ^ For an image of a Sally costume, see Bobwilson, "Halloween gives teens a chance to scare, be silly," AVALANCHE-JOURNAL (10/31/2008).
  29. ^ tk, "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Jack's story," Disney Scary Storybook Collection (New York: Disney Press, 2003.), 5.
  30. ^ Jim Edwards, "Jack Skellington, Brand Manager," Brandweek 47.40 (10/30/2006): 21.
  31. ^ Yvonne Tasker, Fifty Contemporary Filmmakers (Routledge, 2002), 76.
  32. ^ Michael A. Morrison, Trajectories of the Fantastic: Selected Essays from the Fourteenth International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts (Greenwood Publishing Group, 1997), 154.
  33. ^ Philip Nel, Dr. Seuss: American Icon (Continuum International Publishing Group, 2004), 95.
  34. ^ Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic, Critical White Studies: Looking Behind the Mirror (Temple University Press, 1997), 281.
  35. ^ Ken Hanke (1999). "Burtonland", Tim Burton: An Unauthorized Biography of the Filmmaker. Renaissance Books, 137—148. ISBN 1-58063-162-2. 
  36. ^ David Helpern (December 1994). "Animated Dreams", Sight & Sound, pp. 33—37. Retrieved on 2008-09-26.
  37. ^ "OBSESSIVE FANS OF THE WEEK!" in Entertainment Weekly 909 (12/1/2006): 6.
  38. ^ Stephen Jones, The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror (Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2002), 75.
  39. ^ Bryan Theiss, The Scarecrow Video Movie Guide (Sasquatch Books, 2004), 35.

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_characters_in_The_Nightmare_Before_Christmas"

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