And~ almost a decade later, Qualapec finally watches The Nightmare Before Christmas
There are a couple reasons I'd skipped it until now, the primary one being that claymation tends to disturb me a little more than I enjoy it (a friend actually hit the hammer on the nailhead with the idea that it's movement, but without the sense of muscle or sinew underneath it or being alive, which must strike me as sort of intrinsically wrong). And because it was a Christmas/Halloween movie, and out-of-season I suppose it's never the first thing that leaps to mind when I have idle time. I'm rewatching a lot of old movies that I liked when I was a kid lately, but somehow I missed this one even in my formative years. That's probably fortunate, since I probably enjoy it more now than I would have when I was younger.
I think the first thing that really strikes me about it is that it didn't disturb me at all, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the protagonist isn't a character that's discovering the world for the first time, but is rather a part of the world. Therefore, no matter how strange it is, you know it has rules and rules that must be abided by. There's something pretty comforting about having a confident, powerful protagonist navigating that terrain so the audience doesn't have to, and I realize that adult protagonists are something largely lacking in children's movies these days.
Plus, it helps that Jack Skellington is just the kind of male character I adore - chaotic neutral to a T, powerful, knowledgeable about some things but clueless about others, and I found his childlike curiosity when faced with something as new as Christmas really adorable. I got this happy little trill in my chest when he pulled out the book on the Scientific Method.
I really enjoyed Sally. She was clever, and I loved the way she used her own limbs for trickery when it was convenient. Her entire character seems based around the design question, "What would you do if you could detach and reattach your limbs at will?" With the exception of the role she played in the final scene, I really love the way their romance played out.There was something very sweet and mutual about it that I just loved. Like, it wasn't the "girl pursuing a man that's not interested in her" shpick, it was just that she was really shy and he's a bone head. There was an awkwardness to it that made it really sweet.
The world itself was fascinating. It had rules while still allowing for something broader to exist, and a lot about it kind of screamed to me "This is Sandman for kiddies".
The fact that Jack was the Pumpkin King was interesting enough on its own - the fact that the people/creatures/whatsits of Halloween Town adore him added a great layer to it. He's very respected, and the movie implies that it's not a respect born entirely out of fear, but also love. If you cross him or those he cares about, he will END you, but he doesn't go out looking for enemies either, and I love those sorts of characters.
I also now really want long, plotty fanfic for this movie expanding on Jack or the established universe. The general layout of the fandom, however, seems pretty dismal. Might be working on a Dresden Files crossover as we speak.
I even looked to see if I could find some decent fic on the Disney Kinkmeme. While I did not find any Nightmare fic, I did manage to find some things that will lead to nightmares of their own.
I think the first thing that really strikes me about it is that it didn't disturb me at all, and I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that the protagonist isn't a character that's discovering the world for the first time, but is rather a part of the world. Therefore, no matter how strange it is, you know it has rules and rules that must be abided by. There's something pretty comforting about having a confident, powerful protagonist navigating that terrain so the audience doesn't have to, and I realize that adult protagonists are something largely lacking in children's movies these days.
Plus, it helps that Jack Skellington is just the kind of male character I adore - chaotic neutral to a T, powerful, knowledgeable about some things but clueless about others, and I found his childlike curiosity when faced with something as new as Christmas really adorable. I got this happy little trill in my chest when he pulled out the book on the Scientific Method.
I really enjoyed Sally. She was clever, and I loved the way she used her own limbs for trickery when it was convenient. Her entire character seems based around the design question, "What would you do if you could detach and reattach your limbs at will?" With the exception of the role she played in the final scene, I really love the way their romance played out.There was something very sweet and mutual about it that I just loved. Like, it wasn't the "girl pursuing a man that's not interested in her" shpick, it was just that she was really shy and he's a bone head. There was an awkwardness to it that made it really sweet.
The world itself was fascinating. It had rules while still allowing for something broader to exist, and a lot about it kind of screamed to me "This is Sandman for kiddies".
The fact that Jack was the Pumpkin King was interesting enough on its own - the fact that the people/creatures/whatsits of Halloween Town adore him added a great layer to it. He's very respected, and the movie implies that it's not a respect born entirely out of fear, but also love. If you cross him or those he cares about, he will END you, but he doesn't go out looking for enemies either, and I love those sorts of characters.
I also now really want long, plotty fanfic for this movie expanding on Jack or the established universe. The general layout of the fandom, however, seems pretty dismal. Might be working on a Dresden Files crossover as we speak.
I even looked to see if I could find some decent fic on the Disney Kinkmeme. While I did not find any Nightmare fic, I did manage to find some things that will lead to nightmares of their own.