There is an ongoing debate over whether “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie, and the film’s composer has chosen a side, according to USA Today.
Danny Elfman, who not only composed the music for the film but also provided the singing voice for Jack Skellington, spoke recently to USA Today about the holiday classic.
“It’s obviously about Christmas, but for me, it’s a Halloween movie,” Elfman told USA Today.
Elfman is not the only one involved with “The Nightmare Before Christmas” to have spoken out on the contentious issue.
When the film’s director, Henry Selick, was asked in 2015 whether the film was meant to fit into the “Halloween” or “Christmas” category, he responded, “It’s a Halloween movie,” according to Entertainment Weekly.
Elfman had a lot of other things to say about the film, including his favorite song (“The Town Meeting”) and the song that was most challenging to write (“Poor Jack”), USA Today reported.
“Within two-and-a-half minutes, (Jack) has to sing the song and completely turn the story around,” Elfman said about “Poor Jack” to USA Today. “He starts out totally depressed that he’s messed up everything, but then has to convince himself that everything’s great and he can fix it all.”
Elfman also said he relates to the character of Jack Skellington.
“I knew what it was like to be the king of my own little world, and to want out of that world and want something else,” Elfman said, according to USA Today. “So I felt very close to the holiday of Halloween, but also very close to Jack and what he was going through.”