Jack Skellington might have the appearance of a scary character, but in reality, The Nightmare Before Christmas lead is just an incredibly loveable and caring individual. He carries this stop-motion film and he does so with style, purpose, and plenty of energy.
Whether he's scaring people as the Pumpkin King or trying to bring smiles to faces as Sandy Claws, Skellington really is a compelling character. He never stops and is incredibly intrigued by everything that he sees, which makes him very curious and inquisitive. Jack asks plenty of questions and has a lot of thoughtful comments and that leads to him creating some amazing quotes.
Updated on November 21st, 2021 by Colin McCormick: Though The Nightmare Before Christmas is a brilliant animated movie no matter the date, there is always debate about which month is best to enjoy it. Some prefer during the Halloween season, but with that now ed, those who save it for the Christmas season can revisit Jack Skellington's adventures. Jack is such a wonderful and fun character filled with humor and surprising complexity which comes out in his best quotes from the movie.
The Same Old Routine
"Yeah, I Guess So. Just Like Last Year. And The Year Before That."
After Jack's epic introduction during the Halloween celebrations that open the movie, the first hints of his personal struggles are shown. As everyone else is thrilled with his performance, he escapes the crowd to be on his own.
As some of the Halloween Town creatures congratulate him, he shrugs it off as the same thing he does every year. It is an early sign that he is growing tired of his routine as the Pumpkin King and is suffering a personal crisis.
Jack Skellington's Lament
"Oh, There's An Emptiness In My Bones That Calls Out To Something Unknown."
Few people could have suspected that the stop-motion skeleton in this movie would be a deep character with problems many people could relate to. But in Jack's mournful and beautiful song, "Jack's Lament," he its his sadness.
It is not just that Jack is tired of the same old routine, but he yearns for something that he doesn't even fully understand. It is a perfect way of setting up Jack's emotional journey in the story and that it is something many people have experienced.
Pleasing The Halloween Crowd
"Well, I May As Well Give Them What They Want."
When Jack discovers the concept of Christmas, he is overly excited to bring it back to his Halloween friends. However, while Jack sees the joy and magic in Christmas, the others have trouble seeing it outside the world that they know.
As Jack tries to sell the concept to them, they keep trying to find the horror and gruesomeness in it. He decides that he should use their way of thinking to sell the idea to them. This is the beginning of where things go wrong as it creates their warped version of Christmas.
Jack Skellington Gets The Christmas Spirit
"Just Because I Cannot See It, Doesn't Mean I Can't Believe It!"
There are a lot of interesting themes and messages in A Nightmare Before Christmas, most of them coming through Jack's own journey. After becoming obsessed with Christmas, he tries to understand it more despite it no longer being around him.
However, he has an epiphany that Christmas is something he can create himself even if it's not right in front of him. It is fun to see this skeleton learn a similar lesson that is in countless other stories and movies about the spirit of Christmas.
Jack Skellington Claims Christmas
"This Year, Christmas Will Be Ours!"
It's fun to follow Jack on this discovery of Christmas. It shows him as a lovable protagonist exploring his new ion while also highlighting his flaws. He is so consumed with creating his own Christmas that he fails to see what he is turning it into.
This is somewhat foreshadowed when Jack announces Halloween Town will celebrate Christmas. Instead of sounding like a joyous declaration, it comes off as if Jack is seizing the holiday for himself.
Jack Skellington Understands The Meaning Of Christmas
"That's Not My Christmas! My Christmas Is Filled With Laughter And Joy."
The main theme throughout the entire movie is Jack Skellington trying to learn as much about Christmas as possible. He wants to become Santa Claus and he does everything in his power to make that a reality.
When Sally brings her concern to Jack that they might turn Christmas into some horrible thing, Jack reassures her that is not the Christmas he envisions. It shows that Jack really does want to honor the magic of Christmas but also that he is blind to his ability to do so.
Jack Skellington Ruins Christmas
"What Have I Done? What Have I Done? How Could I Be So Blind? All Is Lost. Where Was I? Spoiled All! Spoiled All!"
Jack Skellington might try to look the part when he takes to the sky on Christmas Eve, but it's fair to say his execution of being Santa Claus isn't quite right. When he is taken down from the sky, Jack reflects on his mistakes in a frank and honest manner, itting he has ruined things.
It's quotes like this that make Jack so relatable because he's able to reflect so honestly. He doesn't pretend everything is fine and he's very open emotionally, which makes him very layered.
Jack Skellington Takes Over From Santa
"Consider This A Vacation, Santy. A Reward. It's Your Turn To Take It Easy."
When most characters talk to Santa Claus within a movie, they normally do so with respect and love, and while Jack does come from that place here, he does so with some sass, which makes it a really funny moment.
Jack Skellington finally gets to meet Santa Claus and he immediately lets him know it is his time to relax as he's stepping in to deliver Christmas. Of course, this is a terrible idea in hindsight, but the way Jack delivers the news is hilarious as if he is doing Santa a favor by allowing him to rest for the night on vacation in Halloweentown.
Jack Skellington's Reaction To Christmas
"There’s Children Throwing Snowballs, Instead Of Throwing Heads, They’re Busy Building Toys And Absolutely No One’s Dead."
The mix of the festive and wonderful style of Christmas with the creepy and scary style of Halloween is a big part of what makes The Nightmare Before Christmas so memorable. These two worlds first collide when Jack finds himself in Christmas Town.
As he explores this strange new place, he comments on how different it is from Halloween Town. His astonishment over the lack of death and horror is a wonderful bit of dark humor in the movie.
Jack Skellington Wants A New Purpose
"And I, Jack, The Pumpkin King, Have Grown So Tired Of The Same Old Thing."
The reason that Jack Skellington initially wants to be Santa Claus and try something different is that he's bored. Jack has had enough of just being seen as the Halloween guy and wants to try something new. It showcases that even the best in the world at a specific job can begin to stop enjoying things if they repeat them long enough.
He knows he wants something else and this is what sets up the entire plot of the film. He struggles with his own identity as the Pumpkin King and wonders if there is another purpose out there for him.
