Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: Collector’s Edition Blu-ray
By Samantha Clark -- Video Business, 8/26/2008
DISNEYStreet: Aug. 26
Prebook: now
> High-def brings out every clay-animated detail of this seasonal classic.
Jack Skellington, Sally and Oogie Boogie come even more alive in Disney’s Blu-ray version of The Nightmare Before Christmas. The hollows of Jack’s eyes are blacker and Christmas Town sparkles more in high-definition, while the screams of innocent children attacked by their presents sound crisp. Disney has loaded the collector’s edition with bonuses any fan will love, including a tour of Disneyland’s Haunted House ride with a Nightmare Before Christmas makeover. The fun feature is offered two ways: just the ride with pop-up facts and as a making-of short. In another extra, Christopher Lee reads the Tim Burton-penned poem that inspired the movie. The disc also includes a look at Burton’s next movie, a feature-length version of his earlier short Frankenweenie (also on this disc). Plus, Burton, director Henry Selick and music composer Danny Elfman recorded a new commentary track for this release. It would have been nice if it was a video commentary with picture-in-picture, but this release won’t disappoint.
Shelf Talk: Nightmare is a holiday staple, with limited theatrical runs and seasonal theme park rides every year. Hardcore fans will not want to miss this collector’s edition, if for no other reason than the new Haunted Mansion tour and poem extras. The only exclusive on the Blu-ray disc is an intro by Burton, but with the high-def version priced only $7 more than the DVD, consumers might take the plunge.
Animated fantasy, color, PG (some intense scenes), 76 min., BD $39.99, reviewed on a PlayStation 3 with 118-inch Carada screen, Sony VW60 projector and HDMI connectionExtras: commentary, featurettes, short films, deleted scenes, storyboard-to-film comparison, director’s introduction
Director: Tim Burton
First Run: W, Oct. 2003, $50 mil.