MEAGAN MAXWELL
Staff Writer
With the season’s slew of holidays and Halloween just a few days behind us, “The Nightmare Before Christmas 3D,” is one of the most fun movies to see this fall.
Until now, viewers could merely watch the story unfold in Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” as Jack Skellington stole Christmas.
In the new Disney three-dimensional presentation, the audience is enveloped into the world that belongs to these twisted characters. Soaring through odd shapes, spooky objects and demented characters as they sing praise to Jack the Pumpkin King, the audience gets a whole new and invigorating view of this timeless, classic film.
Entering Disney’s own outstanding El Capitan Theatre, right in the heart of Hollywood, anticipation and excitement is worked up for each showing of the movie by the theatrical atmosphere Disney knows so well how to create. The majestic gilded moldings covering the ceiling and the elaborate designs created throughout the carpets bring back the excitement of Hollywood in the early days, as the deep red seats and curtains scream drama.
Along the walls in the theater are impressive decorations to celebrate this season as well as this movie. Giant replicas of Jack Skellington in costume for Halloween and Jack in his usual attire cover the whole length of one wall while the opposite wall displays an enormous orange jack-o’-lantern. On center stage prior to showtime a man plays Disney tunes on an impressive pipe organ, bringing the audience into a celebrative mood. Then the organ player and the organ sink into the stage and the lights dim as “The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D” begins.
As usual, Disney certainly knows how to “capture the magic” and the film does just that. The catchy tunes of Danny Elfman with the characters concocted from Burton’s imagination together create a movie that enlivens audiences’ and conjures fantastic impressions of the holidays. This mystic movie seems the perfect choice of film to turn into a 3-D phenomenon. To create the mind-bending 3-D experiencgan
e, viewers receive their own packaged Disney Digital 3-D glasses. After the show, these black-framed beauties act as quite a fun little souvenir.
The story begins with the successful end of Halloween, but Jack Skellington, unlike the rest of his town, is unsatisfied with continuous repetitive task of preparing Halloween year after year. He quietly parts from his joyous, ghostly friends to end up on a walk of discovery with his little ghost dog Zero. Sally, the soft, restless creation of the mad scientist, watches him go with warm heartfelt interest.
Jack soon stumbles upon Christmas town and, infatuated with the purity and happiness it offers, decides to take Christmas back to Halloween Town. This is when the fun really begins as the Halloween Town citizens put their own demented twist on the merry holiday.
This musical has some of the best and most imaginative elements of any film. Elfman was genius in his melodious writing, as in “Sally’s Song,” which beautifully captures the mood of this dark fantasy film. And the upbeat tempo of “What’s This” excitingly engages the ears.
The characters are interesting to watch, as they are freely and intricately designed. There is the creepy character with an ax stuck in his head, the villain, Oogie Boogie, with his seams bursting with bugs and the mayor with a rotating face.
The film is playing at the El Capitan until Jan. 4, 2007. General admission costs $13 plus a $2 fee. The VIP section, which includes a reserved seat, popcorn and a drink, costs $22 plus an additional $2 fee. Seeing it in Hollywood at Disney’s El Capitan is worth the extra few dollars.
Be sure to get tickets in advance as the screenings are expected to sell out.
Tickets can be purchased online at
disney.go.com/disneypictures/el_capitan.
09-02-2006