Disney is commemorating the deliciously bizarre film’s 30th anniversary with a theatrical rerelease. Here’s how a small film about a bunch of undead dreamers enchanted viewers — and became an essential offering among Disney’s holiday entertainment. The visual style of the PlayStation video game MediEvil is inspired by The Nightmare Before Christmas. Tim Burton’s holiday classic will hit theaters across the U.S. and in Canada on October 20. To commemorate the re-release, new artwork inspired by the film was created by Shepard Fairey’s Studio Number One. Additionally, the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood will show the film in 4D and host anniversary screenings featuring specialty concessions, souvenirs and more.

Nightmare has inspired video game spin-offs, including Oogie's Revenge and The Pumpkin King and is among the many Disney-owned franchises that contribute to the mythology of the Kingdom Hearts series. A trading card game is also available. Since 2001, Disneyland has held a Nightmare Before Christmas theme for its Haunted Mansion Holiday attraction. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it a restoration of "originality and daring to the Halloween genre. This dazzling mix of fun and fright also explodes the notion that animation is kid stuff. ... It's 74 minutes of timeless movie magic." James Berardinelli stated " The Nightmare Before Christmas has something to offer just about everyone. For the kids, it's a fantasy celebrating two holidays. For the adults, it's an opportunity to experience some light entertainment while marveling at how adept Hollywood has become at these techniques. There are songs, laughs, and a little romance. In short, The Nightmare Before Christmas does what it intends to: entertain." Desson Thomson of The Washington Post enjoyed stylistic features in common with Oscar Wilde, German Expressionism, the Brothers Grimm, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.Throughout the fall, Disney Cruise Line guests will be treated to themed experiences on Halloween on the High Seas sailings. Video games: • Kingdom Hearts • Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories • Kingdom Hearts II • Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days • The Pumpkin King • Oogie's Revenge • Disney Universe • Disney Infinity • Disney Heroes: Battle Mode • Disney Sorcerer's Arena Books: Zero's Journey • Long Live the Pumpkin Queen • The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Full Film Script Roger Ebert said as much in his glowing three-and-a-half star review of the film in 1993: “This is the kind of movie older kids will eat up; it has the kind of offbeat, subversive energy that tells them wonderful things are likely to happen.”

In this writer’s opinion, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. There are plenty of Tim Burton fans on the other side of the country if not more. The need for a Nightmare Before Christmas attraction is long overdue. Fortunately, we might be getting our wish. @disneyparks The original theatrical version used the 1987-2003 Touchstone Pictures logo, and later the reissued version with the 2006-2022 Walt Disney Pictures logo. In 2006, Disney reissued The Nightmare Before Christmas as a Walt Disney Pictures release instead of Touchstone Pictures. ABC will air the holiday classic on October 22 at 8 p.m. Eastern time and viewers can tune into Freeform’s “31 Nights of Halloween” with several opportunities to watch the film starting October 1. Disney Channel will also bring the Pumpkin King to fans on October 28 and December 11.The Disney Parks official TikTok just dropped this sneak peek at the Nightmare Before Christmas Sing-Along coming to Jollywood Nights at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and it looks like a huge helping of freaky fun. While it might not be as gargantuan as Haunted Mansion Holiday, it definitely has plenty to offer fans of the movie. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the film on DVD (again, this time with an anamorphic transfer) and on Blu-ray Disc (for the first time) in August 2008 as a two-disc digitally remastered "collector's edition", but still containing the same special features. Glenn Shadix as Mayor of Halloween Town: An enthusiastic leader who conducts town meetings. His wild mood swings from happy to distraught causes his head to spin between a "happy" and "sad" face. Burton had also previously worked with Shadix on Beetlejuice. The film made a modest box office dent upon release. But many viewers who found the film over the years, usually on home video, appreciated its impressive puppets, offbeat rhythm and many seasonal earworms. Audience support led to multiple rereleases, elevating the film from a cult classic to a must-watch movie during both Halloween and Christmas.