The Nightmare Before Christmas Vs. Corpse Bride

If I were to ask you, what Tim Burton movie is the most recognizable? Or which of his films gets the most hype? My guess is that you would say The Nightmare Before Christmas. I would agree with this statement. Case in point, I’m wearing a Jack Skellington shirt today. It certainly is the movie that has the most merchandise for it. I think this is greatly attributed to the fact that it is a movie produced by Disney. Did Corpse Bride suffer due to being produced by Warner Bros?

Personally, I tend to like Corpse Bride more over The Nightmare Before Christmas because I think it has the stronger plot. Recently, I re-watched NBC and tried to analyze it in a plot-driven way. I think it is a fantastic movie with wonderful characters and animation. Though, at times, I feel like the plot gets derailed and becomes a bit scattered. I feel this the most during the climax of the movie, when Jack and his sleigh are shot down. The tone of this entire sequence feels so off from the rest of the movie. I also feel confused as to what the focus of the plot is supposed to be. Is it the story of Jack and Sally falling in love? Is it Jack’s discovery and exploration of Christmas? Or is it supposed to be a combination of both? Maybe I’m overthinking this entirely. One thing is for sure, Sally represents the voice of reason and is simply meant to be this way.

As for Corpse Bride, it is clear that the driving force for the plot is the love story. After all, bride is in the title. The one complaint I have about this movie is why did the two living people involved in the love triangle need to be named Victor and Victoria? That just makes no sense to me. As for Emily, I think she is brilliant and her yearning to be loved is one of the best things about the movie. I like that in CB, as well as NBC, we are being constantly transported through 2 different worlds. This stark contrast really makes these movies successful. In CB, we are presented with a backstory as to how Emily came to be a corpse. I really like that this was added so we weren’t in speculation. That is something that I wish was explored in NBC. Since Jack is a skeleton, it leaves me pondering about was he once alive? Or is Halloween town its own entity entirely where these creatures and monsters coexist with no ties to the human world? Both movies leave me with having a lot of unanswered questions.

I will say that NBC has the stronger villain. Oogie Boogie is absolutely terrifying. He’s a living mass of bugs with a drive to gamble with evil intentions. Lord Barkis in CB is evil, but he’s just a greedy man. Yes, he’s a sinister murderer who I wouldn’t want to stumble across, but he isn’t near as intimidating as Oogie Boogie (and Barkis doesn’t get a song).

This all being said, I don’t dislike either movie. I still find it difficult in saying that I prefer Corpse Bride because I love them both so much. I just wish Corpse Bride was given a fraction of the attention that The Nightmare Before Christmas gets.