Talk of a sequel toTim Burton-producedThe Nightmare Before Christmashas been on the radar for some time now, and the advent of Disney+ has seemingly made it even more of a possibility. The stop-motion animation was thought to be too scary by Disney when it was first released, so was released via Touchstone Pictures rather than under the Disney banner. However, over the years that has changed, with the movie now being a full part of the Disney family and one of the most popular festive favorites of many. DirectorHenry Selickhas recently revealed that a Disney+ short could possibly be the way for a sequel to come about.
The Nightmare Before Christmastells the unconventional Christmas tale of how Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, decides that he has had enough of being on the dark side and wants to take over Christmas. This involves kidnapping Santa Claus and distributing some dubious gifts to children in place of the jolly red-suited chap. While the movie was a moderate success on release, it seemed destined to drop into obscurity, but a decade after its release and the movie took on a new life of its own, and despite many fan pleas, the closest it has come to a sequel was a tie in novel. Now Selick has given hope of a way that a sequel could work while speaking toCollider. He said:
“The idea of a short has never come up in the past… I think that Tim might be open to a short… It would have to be so refreshing…such a new take to justify making a sequel, but a short makes good sense… …a short that’s about Zero… his viewpoint of the world or a day in his life… I think that’s a fantastic idea. And doable. I predict Tim would back [it] then.”
Related:Why A Nightmare Before Christmas Sequel Could Work
Disney is Currently Revisiting Many Older Movies
Like many studios,Disney has been delving into their past successesto bolster its content on their streaming platform. This includes the upcomingHocus Pocussequel, aWillowseries, and more, so it would not be surprising to seeThe Nightmare Before Christmasjoining that list. The main stumbling block seems to be the time it takes to make such a movie, especially without resorting to CGI. As one of the masters of directing stop-motion animated movies, it is not really something anyone would want him to consider.
Selick has recently been busy on thenew stop-motion movieWendell & Wild, which is his first new movie in 13 years, and is looking to repeat the success of the likes ofThe Nightmare Before ChristmasandCoraline. The film stars Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key as the titular characters, with Lyric Ross playing the protagonist, Kat. The cast is rounded out by Angela Bassett, James Hong, Tamara Smart, Natalie Martinez, Tantoo Cardinal, Gabrielle Dennis, Igal Naor, David Harewood, Maxine Peake, Ramona Young, Sam Zelaya, Seema Virdi, Gary Gatewood, and Ving Rhames.
Wendell & Wildwill make its debut on Netflix on October 28, whileThe Nightmare Before Christmasis available on Disney+.
