Rating: ****
Producer: Tim Burton
Director: Henry Selick
Music: Danny Elfman
Cast: Chris Sarandon, Danny Elfman, Catherine O'Hara, Paul Reubens, Patrick Stewart
Absolutely brilliant! Like "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1964) on acid. Tim Burton delivers a twisted tale of Jack Skellington, Halloween Town's most popular spook. He's bored with the same old scary Halloween routine every year and wants to do something different. He stumbles upon a magic door that takes him to Christmas Town and is amazed by what he sees. He takes it upon himself to have Halloween Town celebrate Christmas that year and even dresses up as Santa Claus. Unfortunately, none of the residents of Halloween Town quite understand the whole Christmas thing and it ends up in disaster. But Jack's rag-doll friend and sweetheart, Sally, comes to the rescue and saves the day. Meticulously animated with the latest in stop-motion technology, the look and feel of the film is dark, twisted, and fascinating. Add to that a cast of creepy quirky characters and a catchy off-beat soundtrack, and you've got yourself a timeless winner of a film.