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The demand for more of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), the Henry Selick-directed, Tim Burton-produced classic of holiday-themed creepiness, will never end. Fortunately for Jack Skellington fans, a fan-made idea for the franchise has been officially approved and will be available soon.
Credit: Disney
The Nightmare Before Christmas was originally dreamed up by Tim Burton years before his breakthrough success with Beetlejuice (1988) and the mammoth blockbuster Batman (1989). After conceiving the basic storyline (Pumpkin King has ennui, tries to hijack Christmas from Santa Claus, one of the basic narratives) and coming up with character designs, Burton handed over script duties to Caroline Thompson and the directorial chair to stop-motion animation master Henry Selick, who made it his feature debut.
The film was a moderate success for The Walt Disney Company at the time; it was produced under the Touchstone imprint and distributed by Buena Vista, as the pseudo-gothic visuals of the movie were considered not part of the Disney brand at the time. In the decades since it was released, The Nightmare Before Christmas has become a beloved classic and a Hot Topic staple; Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon and Danny Elfman in the film) can be seen on millions of t-shirts, lunchboxes, and posters around the world.
Credit: Disney
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Despite that, Disney has never produced a proper follow-up, reportedly because Tim Burton has no interest in revisiting the property. Henry Selick told People that “Tim in particular feels like, why mess with that? He certainly doesn’t need to make more money from a sequel. He has had so many other successes, and so far nobody’s come up with a great idea for a sequel. And I still think that Tim gets to decide. I don’t think there’s any idea that would convince him.”
Instead, fans of Halloween Town have had to make do with official manga continuations, video games, Kingdom Hearts and Fortnite collaborations, and regular Nightmare Before Christmas live concerts featuring stars like Billie Eilish and Phoebe Bridgers. Now, there’s a new extension of the franchise, this time thought up by a fan: the LEGO Ideas Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas set.
Now because you can see it, means that you can believe it!
Introducing the LEGO® Ideas 21351 Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas https://t.co/lN2FevE6T4 pic.twitter.com/1JAL76WEBW
— LEGO® IDEAS (@LEGOIdeas) August 13, 2024
The Nightmare Before Christmas set was designed by UK-based LEGO fan Simon Scott as part of the LEGO Ideas program, a LEGO Group program that invites enthusiasts to submit ideas for sets. Over 10,000 people voted to make Scott’s idea a reality, and here we are now with LEGO Halloween Town and 2,193 pieces to put together. Scott said:
“I’m a massive fan of LEGO builds and Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas film so I’m honoured to see my creation come to life in physical brick form. The film is such a family hit with young & old fans from around the world. The ideas team have done a fantastic job creating a wonderfully playable set that is just as appealing as a display piece.”
Related: Two Arrested After Nearly 3,000 Boxes of LEGO Sets Are Reported Stolen
Credit: LEGO
According to the press release for the set, ” The intricately designed set brings the eerie charm and playful details of the movie to life in brick form…This collector’s set includes eight beloved Disney characters: Jack Skellington, Sally, Santa Claus, Lock, Shock, Barrel, Zero the dog, and a two-faced brick-built figure of The Mayor.”
It further warns fans to:
“Prepare to be immersed in a ghoulishly delightful world and give the holidays a macabre makeover with three iconic locations from the beloved animated classic: Disney’s Spiral Hill, Jack Skellington’s house and Halloween Town Hall. Build nostalgia and revel in authentic details which include a lift-off roof revealing Disney Jack Skellington’s Christmas formula, a detailed graveyard, a walking bathtub and the Town Hall lectern where Jack delivered his famous speech.”
The LEGO Ideas Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas set will be available beginning September 6 and will retail for $199.99. We might not ever get a proper film sequel to the film, but Disney will never stop producing more and more elaborate worlds for Nightmare fans to get lost in.
What’s your favorite Nightmare Before Christmas merch?
