Posted in: Disney, Movies, Netflix | Tagged: movies, the nightmare before christmas, tim burton, Wendell & Wild

Henry Selick On Getting No Credit For The Nightmare Before Christmas

Published Fri, 04 Nov 2022 15:18:15 -0500

When it comes to The Nightmare Before Christmas, the name everyone immediately associates with the film is Tim Burton. It's to the point that if you ask someone who directed the movie, they will probably tell you it was Burton, and they would be wrong. The film was actually directed by Henry Selick, who also directed James and the Giant Peach, Coraline, and Wendell & Wild, which was just released on Netflix last month. Selick's erasure from The Nightmare Before Christmas's legacy is unfortunate, and the AV Club got the chance to ask him how he felt about it. Selick did not downplay Burton's role in the picture regarding the story and designing the characters but clarified who brought those characters and the story to life.

"No, that was a little unfair because it wasn't called Tim Burton's Nightmare until three weeks before the film came out. And I would have been fine with that, if that's what I signed up for. But Tim was in L.A. making two features while I directed that film, and I mean, Tim is a genius—or he certainly was in his most creative years. I always thought his story was perfect, and he designed the main characters. But it was really me and my team of people who brought that to life," he explained.

Henry Selick On Getting No Credit For The Nightmare Before Christmas — NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 08: Henry Selick speaks onstage during a panel for Netflix's Wendell & Wild at New York Comic Con on October 08, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)

Selick went on to say that if you asked composer Danny Elfman who The Nightmare Before Christmas belonged to, he would say it was him, which Selick always found amusing. Selick explained that he truly likes to collaborate with Wendell & Wild; he is working with Jordan Peele, but again emphasized that he is the one who is making the movie happen.

"Now, of course, if you ask Danny Elfman, well, that's his movie [Laughs]," Selick continued. "When we finished the film, it was so funny because he came up to me and shook my hand. "Henry, you've done a wonderful job illustrating my songs!" And he was serious, and I loved it! Fine. But my thing was I'm going to hang in there long enough to where people actually say, "Oh, that guy Henry, he does stuff." And so in the long run, especially with Coraline and this film, I mean, Coraline is based on a really good book by Neil Gaiman. That didn't hurt. On this, my collaborator is Jordan Peele—and that is the reason we were able to set this up. So I really, truly like to collaborate. But I'm the one leading the team to make the movie."

Wendell & Wild: Summary, Cast, Release Date

From the delightfully wicked minds of Henry Selick and producer Jordan Peele, comes Wendell & Wild, an animated tale about scheming demon brothers Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Peele) – who enlist the aid of Kat Elliot – a tough teen with a load of guilt – to summon them to the Land of the Living. But what Kat demands in return leads to a brilliantly bizarre and comedic adventure like no other, an animated fantasy that defies the law of life and death, all told through the handmade artistry of stop motion. It will stream to Netflix on October 28th.

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