Tim Burton’s The Nightmare before
Christmas has some of the most interesting characters in animation. Tim
Burton is known for making the grotesque likable, even to point of down-right
adorable. But how does he do this?
The concept in general of the grotesque
being made cute and appealing is seen in many different characters in the
movie. From Oogie Boogie, being made of a pillow to Jack Skellington who is an
extremely tall skeleton, they are made appealing. He has “creepy” characters,
like a lake monster and a fat child, but they are not frightening in this film.
Even Sally, who can sew herself back together, is one of the major protagonists
in the film.
Why do these grotesque figures seem so
appealing in this film? Tim Burton made them all very human like, which
contributes. They have hopes and dreams presented in the film, the fat child
even cries when he thinks that they cannot celebrate Christmas. Their “normal”
feelings are only part of the equation though. The other reason why these
characters are so appealing is that they are so innocent. The way they think
Christmas works, to how they think Santa is “Sandy Claws”, their innocence is
like that of a child. Because of that, they are more endearing.
In conclusion, this film does a great job
of making preconceived notions about what skeletons and other Halloween monsters
are like disappear. These grotesque creatures are made appealing by the fact
that they have human-like qualities and portray a childlike ignorance.
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