Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) is now a cult classic, and yet another example – out of so many – of the filmmaker’s creative brilliance. I mean, who can forget these classics? There is BeetleJuice (1990), with its amazing cast – Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Michael Keaton, Annie McEnroe, and Winona Ryder. Keaton’s character is unforgettable – ghoulish and delightfully witty. Then that other cult classic: Edward Scissorhands (1990), a clear example of how Burton saw the obvious talent of a young Johnny Depp. And who can forget Sleepy Hollow (1999), again with Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, and the fabulous Christopher Walken, as the evil Hessian Horseman? A film that depicts Washington Irving’s classic about Ichabod Crane in one terrifying scene after the next, a testament to Burton’s ability to allow the viewer to fully inhabit a specific time period. Burton is a master at digging into period pieces, creating worlds that viewers get lost in; indeed, Burton’s research is so thorough that his period films, down to every last detail, please even the most persnickety historian. As a filmmaker, in my view, he captures milieux like no other).
And that’s just the short list of Burton’s prolific film collection – just a few of my favorites. I could go on, but we’re talking about Jack Skellington and Nightmare Before Christmas.
As for Nightmare Before Christmas, it was released 20 years ago, and people like me, still watch it, rather religiously (!), right around Halloween. Jack Skellington is still an adored, iconic character. So, if you’re a gamer and you also love Skellington, you’re in luck.
Skellington, as Ryan Rigney at WIRED explains, is available as an Infinity figurine. The figurine is now available at GameStops across the country, and other stores will also begin carrying it on October 29th. The figurine, Rigney writes, “unlocks the Pumpkin King himself as a playable character in the Infinity Toy Box mode, [and in a] new challenge level called ‘Jack’s Nightmare.'”
WIRED was lucky enough to talk with Disney Infinity executive producer John Vignocchi and art director Jeff Bunker, and discussed how Skellington was developed. The publication also had the privilege of having access to never seen before behind-the-scenes concepts as well as character studies.
One thing is clear, and this is what Bunker explained, Burton’s Skellington remains such an enormously popular character, like the ones I mentioned above, that his iconic relevance continues to this day, and can now be enjoyed by gamers.
Who’s going to go out and buy this Infinity figurine?
Also published on Medium.
