Danny Elfman, who has scored many of
Tim Burton's imaginative films (
Edward Scissorhands, his two
Batman films, etc.), is a perfect musical partner for the somewhat macabre director, and never more so than here, where, in fact,
Elfman gets not only to write the music but to play the part of the main character. The Nightmare Before Christmas is an animated movie musical about the abduction of Christmas by the denizens of Halloween land, and
Elfman sings the part of Jack, the Pumpkin King. The score is in his usual lush but threatening style (
Kurt Weill is his biggest influence), but the highlight is
Elfman's singing. Even in his rock band
Oingo Boingo (now merely
Boingo),
Elfman doesn't get to sing like this. Granted, the soundtrack album inevitably lacks the film's outlandish visuals, but it tells the story on its own, and one is better able to appreciate
Elfman's outstanding performance. ~ William Ruhlmann