History YMMV / TheNightmareBeforeChristmas

* CreepyAwesome: Oogie Boogie. Sure, he's the BigBad of the film. But dang it, does he stand out! His VillainSong is probably the most well-known of the songs in the film, and it's really hard to not find him at least ''somewhat'' amusing. Add to that he's actually [[spoiler: a ColonyOrganism made of bugs wrapped in burlap]], and you have yourselves ''the'' Boogie Man!

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: The limited screentime [[BigBad Oogie Boogie]] gets is a common criticism towards the film. Not counting a brief EarlyBirdCameo during the opening song that had to be confirmed via WordOfGod, he doesn't get properly introduced until halfway through the running time, and he serves as a PlotIrrelevantVillain whose only overall purpose in the plot is so that Jack can defeat him and redeem himself. Interestingly, he ''would'' have had far more screentime originally if [[spoiler: he turned out to be an alias of Finklestein]], but that probably would've been even ''more'' of a waste.

* HarsherInHindsight: [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep The Mayor]] ends up falling down the stairs of Jack's house trying to get Jack. This is hilarious until you realize that the Mayor's voice actor Glenn Shadix died because of blunt trauma to the head following a fall at his Birmingham condo.

** Even [[spoiler:[[AlasPoorVillain Oogie Boogie's death]]]] makes you feel sorry for the guy!

* DesignatedVillain: Jack Skellington. His only real wrongdoing was getting carried away at being the ''only'' giver of Christmas. He could have still made the holiday enjoyable if he didn't abduct Santa, and instead given out the gifts on his own.

* InformedWrongness: Abuducting Santa was the only real bad Jack did, but the film paints him giving out Halloween-themed gifts on Christmas as being the ''worst'' thing he did.

* LoveToHate: Oogie Boogie is a malicious sadist and also a very popular villain.

* ValuesResonance: Quite a few modern-day critics have [[https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/the-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burtons-lesson-of-cultural-appropriation-gone-awry/Content?oid=2274073 appraised the film]] as an allegory of [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy cultural appropriation]], over twenty years before it became a hot-button issue. Jack, bored with his own holiday after leading since before anyone can remember, fetishizes and hijacks another holiday for his own sake, without any understanding of the tradition behind it, to the detriment of the holiday as a whole and the people who practice it. Despite having good intentions, his actions still do palpable harm.

* {{Applicability}}: Jack being fascinated with the customs of Christmas but not understanding the context behind them, then poorly recreating those customs by treating them like frightening Halloween traditions, is often used as a metaphor to explain cultural appropriation.

* ItsPopularNowItSucks: Some fans feel this way because of the film's [[CashCowFranchise popularly.]] Luckily, this is a very VocalMinority. HypeBacklash is another reason. As for Tim Burton not wanting to do sequels, it's a little late for that.

* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: The entire score is terrific, but Jack and Sally singing together stands out as a beautifully cathartic.

* BrokenBase: [[https://www.ign.com/articles/2018/10/29/the-nightmare-before-christmas-at-25-is-it-a-christmas-movie-or-a-halloween-movie 25 years since its release]], fans and critics are still divided over whether the film should be considered a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie. [[TakingAThirdOption Some consider it to be both.]]

* CreepyAwesome: Oogie Boogie. Sure, he's the BigBad of the series. But dang it, does he stand out! His VillainSong is probably the most well-known of the songs in the film, and it's really hard to not find him at least ''somewhat'' amusing. Add to that he's actually [[spoiler: a ColonyOrganism made of bugs wrapped in burlap]], and you have yourselves ''the'' Boogie Man!

--> I don't believe what's happening to me. My hopes, my dreams, my ''fantasies!'' *[[TheImmodestOrgasm giddy, high-pitched laughter]]*

** The Clown with the tearaway face is a MonsterClown who loves to scare people [[Film{{Terrifier}} by honking his horn behind their back.]] Though Art is definetly more unpleasant.

* DirectorDisplacement: The film is mostly known as Creator/TimBurton's work, and he was a creative force on it in many ways, but it was directed by Creator/HenrySelick (Burton was too busy with ''Film/BatmanReturns'' to direct himself).

* FriendlyFandoms: With WesternAnimation/HotelTransylvania.

*** Given Jack is placed opposite figures such as Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny - who are the chief representatives and figureheads of their holidays - it could be easy to assume Jack has been doing that job since the concept of Halloween ''existed'' in a modern context.

* SacredCow: Zig-zagged. Some circles hate it just because Creator/TimBurton was involved, while others consider it the only good movie (apart from his ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'' [[Film/BatmanReturns films]] and ''Film/EdWood'') he was involved in. The fact that a lot of people grew up with it certainly helped.

* EvilIsCool: Oogie Boogie, yet again.

** "There's only three hundred and sixty five days 'til next Halloween!" "Three sixty four!"
** "Jack, please, I'm only an elected official here! I can't make decisions by myself!"

** "That's right, [[VoiceoftheLegion I am the Pumpkin King!!]]"
* MinionShipping[=/=]ToyShip: Lock and Shock.

* SignatureScene: Both of the major scenes taking place on the spiral hill -- "Jack's Lament", specifically the part where he walks up said hill against the full moon, and the final scene where Jack and Sally have their FinalLoveDuet.
* SignatureSong: "This Is Halloween", obviously, though "What's This?" is also a contender.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: The limited screentime [[BigBad Oogie]] [[EvilIsCool Boogie]] gets is a common criticism towards the film. Not counting a brief EarlyBirdCameo during the opening song that had to be confirmed via WordOfGod, he doesn't get properly introduced until halfway through the running time, and he serves as a PlotIrrelevantVillain whose only overall purpose in the plot is so that Jack can defeat him and redeem himself. Interestingly, he ''would'' have had far more screentime originally if [[spoiler: he turned out to be an alias of Finklestein]], but that probably would've been even ''more'' of a waste.

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
** Dr. Finklestein, '''big time'''. Did he create Sally to be [[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter his daughter]]? His SexSlave? An emotional companion? A servant? All of the above? Who knows! And what of [[spoiler: the mother-like figure he's with at the end?]]
** Tim Burton has said that he doesn't consider Oogie Boogie evil.
** Lock, Shock, and Barrel: mischievous friends who work together and happen to have similar names, or siblings?
** Are any of the characters actually "good" or "evil" in the sense that we understand it? Their homes are the origins of our Holidays, so it's not hard to imagine that they're all mythological archetypes. This would pretty much make them all amoral, since free will wouldn't be a thing for them.
** Creator/LindsayEllis once described Jack rather unsympathetically (albeit jokingly) as a "well-meaning idiot who uses his position of authority to impose his midlife crisis, willing or no, both onto his polity and of a sovereign foreign nation". Basically, Jack is a ''cultural imperialist!''

* SacredCow: Zig-zagged. Some circles hate it just because Creator/TimBurton was involved, while others consider it the only good movie (apart from ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'' [[Film/BatmanReturns films]] and ''Film/EdWood'') he was involved in. The fact that a lot of people grew up with it certainly helped.

* SacredCow: Zig-zagged. Some circles hate it just because Creator/TimBurton was involved, while others consider it the only good movie (apart from ''Film/{{Batman|1989}}'' and ''Film/BatmanReturns'') he was involved in. The fact that a lot of people grew up with it certainly helped.

* VindicatedByHistory: It was a modest hit in 1993, and well-received by critics, but it wasn't near as big as Disney's in-house fare at the time (''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' arrived the previous year, ''WesternAnimation/{{The Lion King|1994}}'' the next). This was partially because Disney was nervous about the potential NightmareFuel; they initially released it under their Creator/TouchstonePictures banner (which was reserved for mature films and the edgier ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''). But now it's arguably a much more popular film than any of Disney's post-''Lion King'' animated efforts, and they've since allowed it to be released under the Disney banner itself.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: For a long time, there was some fan confusion about why Oogie Boogie seems to be alright with torturing and murdering innocent people when the denizens of Halloween Town are explicitly supposed to be an example of DarkIsNotEvil, only existing to ''scare'' people (while drawing the line at actually hurting them). The licensed video game prequel ''VideoGame/TheNightmareBeforeChristmasThePumpkinKing'' explains that Oogie ''isn't'' actually from Halloween Town, but is in fact the exiled representative of a forgotten holiday called "Bug Day"; humankind doesn't remember that "Bug Day" ever existed because it was banned by the other Holidays after they realized Oogie's monstrousness.

** "Making Christmas" sounds like an extension of [[https://youtu.be/gB7bBm-LvqU?t=169 this bit]] from the ''Film/BatmanReturns'' score.

* UglyCute: Pretty much everyone in HalloweenTown. The [[CreepyChild younger generation of the town's residents]], for example. Jack himself, with his spider-like movements and huge, black eye sockets leans more towards "terrifying cute."
** To elaborate on Jack, his design truly strikes the perfect balance that makes this trope work, giving him an appearance that’s just scary enough that you understand why he’s seen as the terrifying Pumpkin King, but he’s also just cute enough that even though the audiences buys him as being scary, we find him to be likable and cute.

** Parts of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rivTGBzBMM "Sally's Song"]] sound very much like parts of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdmS4ndSAT8 Castle music]] from ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''.

* ValuesResonance: Quite a few modern-day critics have [[https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/the-nightmare-before-christmas-tim-burtons-lesson-of-cultural-appropriation-gone-awry/Content?oid=2274073 appraised the film]] as metaphor for [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy cultural appropriation]], over twenty years before it became a hot-button issue. Jack, bored with his own holiday after leading since before anyone can remember, fetishizes and hijacks another holiday for his own sake, without any understanding of the tradition behind it, to the detriment of the holiday as a whole and the people who practice it. Despite having good intentions, his actions still do palpable harm.

* SugarWiki/DevelopmentHeaven: The film required an entire production studio to be built up from scratch in four months and took over three years to film, utilizing over a dozen ''sound stages'', a phenomenal amount of space. It was also a technical innovation: a special motion-control camera was created to allow for more sweeping cinematography, the likes of which had never been done in stop-motion before.