Published on Oct 11, 2005
I’m a big fan of the classic Disney films of the ’90s. There
were some tremendous songs recorded for films such as
The Lion King and
The Little Mermaid. However, the darker side of my nature
sometimes balks at the sentimentality and sappiness of the normal
Disney musical.
Thank God for Tim Burton and Danny Elfman. Burton’s films have
always displayed a twisted view of reality and Elfman has set the
music to the images. Enter the cult favorite,
The Nightmare Before Christmas. Out of all the Burton/Elfman
collaborations, this is probably the lest well-known, which is a
shame. Not only is the film excellent but the music matches it
every step of the way.
A basic understanding of the plot is needed. Jack Skellington,
the Pumpkin King and most honored citizen of Halloween Town, is
bored with the same old same old. Quite upon accident, he stumbles
into Christmas Town and decides to claim the holiday for his own
this year. I highly recommend the film, and with Halloween
approaching, what better time to rent it? Now, to the music.
Grand, sweeping movements define the Elfman sound. He loves to
fill the room with sound as well as define the mood through those
sounds. For the tracks involving Halloween Town, one can pick out
distorted violins or chimes of bells that don’t sound quite right.
Organs bellow left and right off-key — in short, Elfman presents a
warped view of what the norm is for this kind of film.
He certainly does not hold back in terms of imagery for
Nightmare. Reading the lyrics is a treat, with lines such as “I am
the one hiding under your bed / Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing
red,” or “Kidnap the Santy Claws, beat him with a stick / Lock him
for ninety years, see what makes him tick.” For a kids film, this
is dark stuff. It also demonstrated the lack of pretension that
dominates Burton and Elfman’s work. They don’t care if it’s
slightly disturbing; it gets the job done.
Elfman did the vocals for Jack and performs admirably. His voice
isn’t as smooth as a professional, but it comes with a certain
character. A good comparison might be to a Trans Siberian Orchestra
with their different cast of vocalists. What Elfman does best is
emote; one can’t help but smile at the utter glee Jack experiences
in “What’s This” or the sense of dejection featured in “Poor
Jack.”
There are other highlights to be found; “Oogie Boogie,” is one
of my all time favorite songs in a film. The honky tonk and jazzy
feel is somewhat out of place when compared to the rest of the
numbers, but regardless it is one of the best tracks. The “End
Title/Untitled” finale features all of the major themes Elfman
used, running through them in rapid order. The lush, full
“Christmas Eve Montage” is strictly an instrumental; however, the
subtle touches Elfman uses to combine his Christmas and Halloween
themes meld together brilliantly.
If there are weak spots to be found, it would be in the
Catherine O’ Hara tracks. While her voice certainly is not
terrible, it lacks power, and at times her vocals come across as
wimpy. Her situation is helped during “Finale/ Reprise” when she
duets with Elfman. Despite the macabre nature of the music and
film, it’s a touching moment.
For years the songs have been implanted in my mind, the sign of
a great piece of music, as far as I’m concerned. Soundtracks these
days on the whole are generic and lacking inspiration.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is quite the opposite.