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Disney nearly cancelled Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas because it was afraid of giving kids nightmares
Film executives were worried that The Nightmare Before Christmas would give children…well…nightmares. And we get it.
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More than 30 years after it was released, The Nightmare Before Christmas is a holiday classic. However, in 1993 Disney had their doubts. The movie is weird and different and, most importantly, very scary for a children's film. The company was concerned that Henry Selick and Tim Burton’s animated musical was too dark and almost shelved the project.
Speaking to a crowd at GalaxyCon San Jose, The Nightmare Before Christmas actors Chris Sarandon (Jack Skellington) and Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) recalled the behind-the-scenes drama.
“It’s interesting because Danny Elfman tells the story of showing the executives,” Sarandon said. “I believe Disney, and I don’t know if Touchstone was involved. At any rate, showing the film executives the first screening of it before it was out in the world, and they were ready to ditch it because they thought it was too dark.”
“They thought it would frighten children,” Sarandon continued. “They thought it was going to be a complete disaster. Danny describes a scene where he got on an elevator with the executives, and they were all going, ‘Oh god, what are we going to do with this.’ I think it’s a testament to beware of underestimating an audience, particularly children, who have a very strong sense of themselves often, and a strong sense of a fantasy world, and how there is a division, that it’s not going to cross into their lives.”
In the end, Disney compromised by releasing the film through their Touchstone Pictures label, believing it was too scary for Walt Disney Studios. However, Ken Page thought Nightmare was light fare compared to other Christmas classics. “I remember a couple of times mentioning A Christmas Carol, and saying, ‘Well, if this is dark, then what about that? I mean, you’ve got ghosts, graveyards, and crippled children.’ There are dark themes in A Christmas Carol. I think The Nightmare Before Christmas is fairly light compared to A Christmas Carol.”
While Disney was hesitant in 1993, they are certainly embracing the movie now. The Nightmare Before Christmas merchandise appears throughout their theme parks, especially around Halloween and Christmas. Maybe they thought it was too dark, but it certainly wasn’t too dark for the happiest place on Earth.
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