Tim Burton's perversely fascinating imagination seems to know no bounds: He has already explored the adventures of an oddball in search of his bike (Pee Wee's Big Adventure); reveled in the mischief of a demonic spirit and the confusion of two reluctant ghosts (Beetlejuice); examined the experiences of Frankenstein in suburbia (Edward Scissorhands); and dedicated two chapters of his work to the superheroics of a comic-book legend (Batman, Batman Returns).
And now comes the most daring, audacious project from Burton's idea factory: The animated fantasy-adventure Nightmare Before Christmas. Instead of traditional cel animation, the movie uses three-dimensional stop-motion animation techniques where puppets are filmed as if moving. And while stop-motion is cheaper than cel animation (Nightmare employed 110 people as opposed to Aladdin's 600), it's nonetheless a monumental team effort. The three major talents in charge of this extravaganza are Burton as producer (with Denise Di Novi); Henry Selick, who's making his feature film debut as director; and Danny Elfman, who reprises his role from previous Burton hits as composer and lyricist. Caroline Thompson, another frequent Burton collaborator, wrote the script.
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