The Nightmare Before Christmas: Mise-en-Scene

Mise-en-Scene Analysis A musical held dear in the hearts of many throughout the world is The Nightmare Before Christmas. Released in 1993, this dark musical fantasy film was directed by Henry Selick and produced by none other than Tim Burton. This tells the tale of our main character, Jack Skellington, and how he planned to overtake Christmas because he was bored with his usual Halloween routine. Throughout the movie, we learn that Jack actually meant to take over this holiday so that he and his neighbors could experience happiness. Along with giving "Sandy Claws" a break, it ended up causing distress for both the citizens of Christmas-town and Halloween-town. Henry and Burton definitely made sure that the film they were creating would be unique, gothic, dark, and especially grotesque.

If there's something that Tim Burton is known for aside from his macabre style, it's the way in which he expresses himself in his use of Mise-en-Scene. Mise-en-Scene is French for the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play or event, and it includes settings, props, actors, and lighting. In The Nightmare Before Christmas, these elements are used to create a visually striking world. They designed the setting of Halloween Town to be dark and spooky, with twisted trees and rundown buildings with sharp edges all around to create a sense of unease and tension within the viewer. While the setting of Christmas Town does the direct opposite, with warm and cozy feelings in mind, they have soft trees and inviting bright lights throughout the town. Aside from that, the character/costume design plays a vital role in how the viewer takes in the movie. Each character is different and unique, and when you look at them, you get a sense of where it is they belong and how their character may act. Take Jack Skellington for example, he has a pin-striped suit and a black bowtie, which gives him an elegant and distinguished look that sets him aside from the rest of the characters, while the other monsters, such as Oogi Boogie just look like monsters belonging in that world. The use of mise-en-scene in Nightmare before Christmas was pivotal in its success, and it was a major reason why it now is such a timeless classic in the world of animation.