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
about the abduction of Christmas by the denizens of Halloween land, and
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
's singing. Even in his
rock
band
Oingo Boingo
(now merely
Boingo
),
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
's outstanding performance. ~ William Ruhlmann