As Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas celebrates its 30th anniversary, there's been much talk about the possibility of a sequel or a reboot. We've heard from director Henry Selick as well as Jack Skellington voice actor Chris Sarandon, both of whom are open to the idea of revisiting the property but ultimately concede it's up to one person: Tim Burton.
Well, finally, Tim Burton, the mastermind behind the legendary stop-motion animated film has weighed in on the prospect of a sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas. Speaking to Empire, Burton quickly shut down the idea.
“To me the movie is very important. I’ve done sequels, I’ve done other things, I’ve done reboots, I’ve done all that shit, right? I don’t want that to happen to this. It’s nice that people are maybe interested [in another one], but I’m not. I feel like that old guy who owns a little piece of property and won’t sell to the big power-plant that wants to take my land.”
Empire noted that Burton then imitated a "grumpy old prospector voice" while saying: “Get off of my land!” he barks. “You pesky little… You ain’t getting this property! I don’t care what you want to build on it. You come on my property… Where’s my shotgun?”
While some might be disappointed that Tim Burton has no interest in revisiting The Nightmare Before Christmas, there's something to be said about how he views the movie in such high esteem. In a day and age when studios are attempting to capitalize on "Memberberries," it's nice to see that some properties are still felt as sacred and should be left untouched.
The Nightmare Before Christmas is based on a poem written by Burton back in 1982, while he was working as an animator at Walt Disney Productions. Burton eventually reached a deal with Disney to develop the movie which would be released through the company's Touchstone Pictures label as the film was believed to be "too dark and scary for kids."
The movie was released in 1992 and grossed $50 million in the U.S. Although considered a sleeper hit at the time -- with a production budget of just $24 million -- The Nightmare Before Christmas has since exploded in popularity. No longer considered just a cult classic, it's now regarded as one of the greatest animated films of all time.
Would you like to see a prequel, sequel or reboot to The Nightmare Before Christmas or do you believe it's better left untouched?