Awesome / The Nightmare Before Christmas

Hello, Oogie.

• The way Sally escapes from Dr. Finklestein in the opening scene. Not only does she break free of the decrepit old doctor's grip, knocking him down, but the only part that Finklestein manages to grab on to (her arm) manages to smack him on the forehead, repeatedly.
• Jack showing up to rescue Sally and Santa. Extra points for making his entrance so stylishly as seen in the page image.
  (Oogie swings the ramp around)
  Jack: Hello, Oogie.
  • The way Oogie Boogie, the Big Bad of the film, is obviously terrified of Jack. There's a reason why Jack's the Pumpkin King, and the sadistic Oogie Boogie has been hiding for most of the film in a deadly gambling-themed basement.
  • To give Oogie credit, he did come Crazy-Prepared, and activates a huge elaborate course of death traps to make it a challenge for the Pumpkin King at least:
    Oogie: [seemingly terrified] J-J-Jack!! But they said you were dead! You must be... DOUBLE DEAD! [activates his traps] Well, COME ON, bone man!
  • Jack is forced to navigate the obstacle course full of lethal traps, but he doesn't look scared or concerned, he looks annoyed by the minor delay.
  • As Oogie is seemingly going to make his escape, Jack sees a long thread hanging from Oogie's burlap sack body. With a Pre-Mortem One-Liner, he throws the thread into the spinning blades, ripping Oogie's "skin" off for him to fall apart into the bubbling cauldron below.
    Jack: How dare you treat my friends so shamefully!
  • Including Santa's way of dispatching what's left of Oogie.
    Oogie's last bug: My bugs! My bugs! My—(gets crushed by Santa's boot)
  • This is probably the only movie to feature Santa Claus killing the Boogie Man—he wasn't kidding about those "dire consequences" earlier! There had to have been kids cheering for that.
• Santa himself gets points for managing to remain so calm throughout his ordeal. The guy gets kidnapped from his home, finds himself face to face with a town full of hideous monsters, and is held prisoner by the freakin' Boogie Man (who threatens to turn him into stew — possibly after torturing him), yet (aside from being a bit confused by it all) he manages to keep his cool almost the entire time.
  • Better yet, he's actually defiant towards Oogie the entire time he's being threatened. Be honest: would you have the guts to talk back to a living, towering sack of bugs and snakes?
    Santa: Release me now or you must face the dire consequences. The children are expecting me, so please come to your senses! [...] Release me fast, or you will have to answer for this heinous act!
  • And then he calls out Jack for his actions after being rescued.
    Jack: Forgive me, Mr. Claws, I'm afraid I've made a terrible mess of your holiday.
    Santa: Bumpy sleigh ride, Jack? [snatches his hat out of Jack's hand] The next time you get the urge to take over someone else's holiday, I'd listen to her! [points to Sally] She's the only one who makes any sense around this insane asylum! [huffs] Skeletons, boogie men....
    Jack: I hope there's still time—
    Santa: To fix Christmas? Of course there is! I'm Santa Claus!
  • And then he does, in record time. Seriously, major props for the jolly old elf.
• From the climax of "Poor Jack": "And I... JACK... THE PUMPKIN KING... That's right! I AM THE PUMPKIN KING!" (laughs maniacally)
  • At which point those people watching with knowledge of theater join in with "He is! Hurrah for the Pumpkin King!"
  • Also, the fact that Jack was shot by a missile, fell out of the sky, landed on a stone sculpture, and he was still fine afterwards.
• What would happen if Jack Skellington took over the Haunted Mansion in his "take over Christmas" phase? Awesomeness, that's what.
• Jack's entrance during "This Is Halloween". As he's carried through Halloweentown he grabs a torch and uses it to light his scarecrow costume on fire. After doing a short dance he leaps into the fountain and, after a few brief lines, emerges in his pinstripe suit and full Pumpkin King glory.
• "Closing", anyone? The perfect ending for an awesome soundtrack.
• And while we're on the subject of awesome songs from that film, "Kidnap the Sandy Claws".
  • For added bonus, there's a version of it by Korn.
  • Better still, Jonathan Davis sings a live verison without the rest of Korn, but the orginal music. Possibly with Danny Elfman himself directing the instruments.
• The Oogie Boogie song was awesomely creepy. Seriously, what other Disney villain forces corpses in his lair to sing along?
• Sally intentionally jumps out of her tower and is broken to pieces on the ground. After a beat, she gets up and nonchalantly sews herself back together.
  • Also, Sally going to save Santa herself. Granted, she fails, but the plan was still brilliant. Honestly, only those who believe that Real Women Don't Wear Dresses can deny that took guts.
• "How DARE you treat my friends so shamefully!"
• Awesome Music: ''This Is Halloween
  • Also in German.
  • And in Italian.
  • It's on the borderline to Nightmare Fuel, but it is also awesome in Russian.
  • The album Nightmare Revisited had this one done by Marilyn Manson! With opening narration provided by Patrick Stewart!
• Instead of Wangsting over his failure, Jack acknowledges that he screwed up, realizes that Halloween is his holiday, not Christmas, is sorry for his mistake, and goes off to fix things. While singing to himself.
• Jack's genuinely menacing rage face after Lock, Shock and Barrel bring back the Easter Bunny rather than Santa Claus. It's easy to forget given how kind-hearted and well-meaning Jack is throughout the film, but he's the Pumpkin King for a reason.
  • At the same time, Jack is kind and respectful to the poor Easter Bunny: as soon as he's done scaring Lock, Shock, and Barrel straight, he apologizes to the Easter Bunny.
    "I'm terribly sorry for the inconvenience, sir." (to the henchmen) "Take him home, first! And apologize again!"
• Humanity's rapid competent response to Jack's unwitting spreading of terror, police instructing citizens to close off any access Jack might use like chimneys or windows, and the military managing to lock down Jack's sleigh and shoot it down with anti-aircraft batteries.
• When Sally's attempt to stop Jack's Christmas Eve flight appears to be successful, Zero with his glowing nose shows up and Jack commands him to the front of the skeletal reindeer team. They take off while the majority of the crowd cheers and Jack laughs Santa's classic "Ho-ho-ho!". Danny Elfman's triumphant score is the icing on the cake.

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