Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas counts itself as one of the greatest animated films ever made and developed a cult following over the years. Released in 1993, the stop-motion animated musical movie recently completed thirty years. However, a popular misconception about the movie’s directorial credit continues to persist even today, thanks to the movie’s title.
Director Henry Selick, who helmed the project, has now shared his dislike for fans mistakenly crediting Tim Burton with directing The Nightmare Before Christmas. However, Selick also stated that he has come to accept his fate and also teased plans for a potential return to the acclaimed animated film. Here is what Selick had to say about the confusion among fans regarding who directed The Nightmare Before Christmas.
The Nightmare Before Christmas’s Director Was Bothered by a Fan Error Regarding Tim Burton
Directed by Henry Selick, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a beloved holiday animated movie remembered for its visual style, music, and themes. The film recently completed thirty years, and Selick sat down for a conversation with People and discussed the film in depth. During the interview, Selick spoke about how fans usually miscredit Tim Burton for directing since the film was officially titled Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.
“I think it made sense to put his name on it to make sure people didn’t confuse it, maybe with Nightmare on Elm Street or some out-and-out horror film. So yeah, it bothered me more years ago. It doesn’t bother me at all now.”
Selick made the above statement, clarifying his stance on the misconception about the directing credit. While Selick was in the director’s chair, Tim Burton was responsible for crafting the original story for The Nightmare Before Christmas.
In a separate interview published in 2022, Selick stated that he felt it was a little unfair that Burton received the lion’s share of credit for the movie. Selick revealed that while Burton came up with the story and character designs, he was entrusted to direct the project. Moreover, Burton’s name wasn’t added to the title until three weeks before The Nightmare Before Christmas was released. Hence, it is easy to understand why director Henry Selick felt hard done by fans mistakenly crediting Tim Burton for directing the holiday classic.
Also Read: The Nightmare Before Christmas at 30: Revisiting The Stop-Motion Cult Classic
Henry Selick Has Made Peace With the Misconception, Teases The Nightmare Before Christmas Prequel
Despite being initially bothered by the common error made by fans, Henry Selick has made peace with it. The director stated that the fan error was not a problem for him anymore as everyone in the industry, especially his peers in animation, knew that he directed The Nightmare Before Christmas and not Burton. Furthermore, Selick also praised Burton’s contributions to the project and expressed a desire to work with him again.
Given Selick’s recent comments about the misconception, it is evident that the director has no hard feelings toward Tim Burton. Furthermore, when asked about the possibility of a sequel, Selick stated that Burton was uninterested in doing a follow-up. However, Selick teased that he would be interested in doing a prequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas, exploring how Jack Skellington became the King of Halloweentown.
