Henry Selick hopes for Nightmare Before Christmas prequel

Last Updated on November 3, 2023

Whether you watch The Nightmare Before Christmas during Halloween or Christmas time – or, like a sensible person, both – there’s no denying that the stop-motion classic is an essential. And considering the following it has developed in the 30 years since its release, it’s a bit of a surprise that it has never received a sequel. And if a sequel doesn’t do it for you, how about a prequel? After all, that seems to be of more interest to director Henry Selick.

Speaking with People on the occasion of the film’s anniversary – The Nightmare Before Christmas marked its official 30 years last Friday – Selick said, “It might be more interesting to do a prequel…There might be a more interesting story there about how Jack became the King of Halloweentown.” Fortunately, he’s got at least one key cast member on board, as Chris Sarandon – who voiced Jack Skellington – said, “To quote Henry, ‘F— yeah’…If there were a sequel, I’d be there in a minute.”

Talk of a continuation of The Nightmare Before Christmas is nothing new, as Disney tried to get a project going back in the early 2000s as a computer-animated feature. There was even talk a few years ago of a live-action sequel being considered. Thankfully this was squashed, but really, a prequel headed by the original director could work if the story is strong and tries to do something interesting with Jack (and, presumably, a lot of new characters) and doesn’t come across like a cheap cash-in. Certainly Tim Burton’s involvement could help greenlight it, but we hope for Selick’s sake that Burton doesn’t get all of the credit yet again…

For those who want a direct experience with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion Holiday – where the Pumpkin King gives the titular dark ride a facelift for the holidays – is now going on. Otherwise, it’s the perfect season (well, one of them) to sit back and watch the 1993 classic, currently streaming on Disney+.

What do you think? Could a prequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas work or should Selick let it be a standalone? Give us your thoughts below!