Boys and Girls of Every Age....

Welcome to another Friday entry at The Magical Mystery Blog.

Today is a Friday of a very special month. It’s a month that people have waited for since the end of summer and the start of school. It is the month of October, which can only mean one thing: Halloween! Originally started as a day to ward off spirits and demons, it has transformed throughout the years into a day where you run around in costume, asking strangers for candy.

Throughout the month of October, various television stations showcase a ton of Halloween movies. Some are Hocus Pocus, Corpse Bride, and Nightmare on Elm Street. But there’s one movie that has trumped these and risen to the pinnacle of nostalgic, Halloween movies. This classic film is none other than Tim Burton’s the Nightmare Before Christmas. Originally inspired by a poem Burton wrote and directed by Henry Selick, it was unlike any other Disney movie. As opposed to being a hand drawn or CGI constructed feature, it was all done with stop motion animation. This is where they use clay figures, pose them for one shot, take a picture of  their position, and repeat the process.

The story of this time honored film is that Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween, grows bored of Halloween Town. He comes across Christmas Town and is immediately inspired to create his own Christmas. This movie embodies the spirit of Halloween and delves into the nature of Christmas. Below are some secrets you might not have known about Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.

      10) Oogie Boogie is Based off of Cab Calloway

If anyone remembers the famous 80s flick, The Blues Brothers, Cab Calloway plays the role of Jake and Elwood's father like persona. Cab Calloway was a famous blues artist known for his big hit "Minnie the Moocher" as performed in The Blues Brothers. He was also known for his specific movements and dance during a live performance.

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Cab Calloway’s dancing, songs, and even personality inspired clay makers, Danny Elfman, and Burton to base Oogie Boogie off of him. In fact there’s a deleted scene which was supposed to be included during the Oogie Boogie Song where Oogie dances much like how Cab would (2:40-2:54).

     9) Jack Has Eyes….Er…Eye Sockets…

When Jack lands in Christmas Town, he is in such disbelief of how different and beautiful the place is, he grows a pair of eyes; rather, eye sockets. It’s only for a brief moment that they are shown to the audience before and after "What’s This."

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      8) Two Heads Are Better Than One

During the reprise of  "This is Halloween/What’s This" the vampire clan is seen playing a game of ice hockey. They use a pumpkin for a puck. Instead of the gourd, it was supposed to be Burton’s head. However, they changed it because the movie was aimed towards children, and it was deemed too dark. Another head in this movie that wasn't censored was Danny Elfmans’.  The street band that appears throughout the movie consists of a cellist, saxophonist, and accordionist. There’s a miniature man in the cello whose head is based off of Danny Elfman’s, the movie’s composer.

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      7) Lock, Shock, and Barrel are a Gun

Burton got the names for Lock, Shock, and Barrel after the movie Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. This movie title features the main parts of a gun: the locking device, the stock to insert the bullets, and the barrel where the bullet is shot out of.

    6) Santa Was Supposed to be Someone Else

The voice actor of Santa Claus was supposed to go to Vincent Price. However, his wife had passed away, causing his health to spiral downwards. Price’s voice was frail and weak on the recordings, which were deemed unusable.

    5)  The Original

In the original poem, only Jack, Santa, Oogie, and Zero were the only characters. Sally, Devil, Harlequin Demon, Dr. Finkelstein, etc. were not given names in the piece and only referred to as Jack's peers. Lock, Shock, and Barrel were only noted as strange creatures in disguise who were ugly but rather petite. When the movie was in production, Burton created the other characters.

The verse where Jack asks Zero to guide is sleigh is specifically worded to fit the song "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" where Santa asks Rudolph to lead his sleigh. This along with How the Grinch Stole Christmas, other holiday specials, "Twas the Night Before Christmas," and Halloween decorations being replaced with Christmas creations inspired Burton to write this poem.

    4) Black and White

Apparently the NAACP was upset because they felt as though Oogie was created to use “blackspeak.” Heroes like Jack, Sally, the Mayor, and others were made to use “whitespeak.” This is complete and utter elephant dung. As stated before, Oogie Boogie was based off the style and tone quality of Cab Calloway who heavily influenced Danny Elfman in his Oingo Boingo days. There was nothing racially involved with the production of the movie. 

   3) The Gatekeeper

In This is Halloween, the citizens of Halloween Town march through the entry gate of their land. There is someone there that we only see briefly throughout the movie. The only other time we see this person is when Jack returns from Christmas Town, riding a festive scooter. This being is none other than the Gatekeeper. There have been many speculations as to who or what this Gatekeeper looks like, but if you pause the movie at the right time you’ll see him.

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Quote the Raven,"Gate's open! Come on in!"

The Gatekeeper is none other than a raven wearing a bowler hat. His wings are probably hidden within his trench coat but his black beak and face are enough to tell us it’s a raven. It also makes sense for it to be a raven because they are birds often associated with death.

    2) “Tender Lumplings”

Towards the end of  "This is Halloween", the verse “tender lumplings everywhere, life’s no fun without a good scare” is sung. “Tender lumplings” is a reference to a song written by Danny Elfman during his time with the band, Oingo Boingo.

  1) Same Song, Different Movie

Before Jack created a clash of the holidays, Burton was working on another masterpiece. Most of you may know this work of excellence as Edward Scissorhands. It was released in 1990, with a beautiful score written by Danny Elfman. This is a sample of what Elfman did and is the opening track to the movie;  listen especially to the melody from 1:44 - 1:55. Flash forward to 1993, with Burton’s release of The Nightmare Before Christmas  listen to the music around :58 - 1:15. Notice anything familiar between those two specific sections? It’s the same music but with a different movie.

Any Nightmare Before Christmas secrets you know of and want to share? Feel free to post them in the comments below and as always, feedback and followers are welcomed.