What is it about?
The article breaks down the use of classical narrative conventions in Henry Selick's film The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). It covers the topics of masquerade, the fate of the antagonist (Oogie Boogie) and the use of supernaturalism within the story. Each topic, and the film more broadly, is considered in relation to the history of Christmas fiction on film.
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Why is it important?
There are very few academic publications on Christmas films more broadly, and this film specifically, so it addresses a shortfall in the available literature on both fronts. I'm really pleased that the work takes in the history of Christmas filmmaking, as this gives the writing a chance to consider a more expansive lineage of storytelling than just the single film that provides the focus of the analysis.
Perspectives
I'd wanted to write something about Christmas films for a long time, so to have this published has been a very happy circumstance. It's oddly rare to find myself writing about one of my favourite films, so there's been a great deal of satisfaction in that too. The whole process has made me wonder if there might not be something more expansive I could write on the subject.
Dr John David Ayres
University of Manchester
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: "I want to tell you about Christmastown …": The Navigation of Festive Narrative Tropes in The Nightmare Before Christmas, StoryWorlds A Journal of Narrative Studies, December 2021, Project Muse,
DOI: 10.1353/stw.2021.a925848.
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