15 reasons why The Nightmare Before Christmas is still a timeless classic 25 years later

370100 02: Decked out in his new Santa Clause outfit, Jack Skellington, the ruler of Halloweentown, delivers a very different version of Christmas to the real world in Touchstone Pictures animated film, “Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas,” which will be returning to the big screen for the first time in seven years. (Photo by Joel Fletcher/Online USA)

Jack Skellington

One of our favorite characters in The Nightmare Before Christmas has to be its central protagonist, Jack Skellington. Not only is he the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, but he is at the center of all the drama and mischief that occurs throughout the story. It is because of him that so many things go wrong, and yet there is still something about him that endears him to many of us.

As we have gotten older, we can relate to the malaise and sense of dullness that leads to Jack making the rather bad decision to kidnap Santa Claus. He is depressed both in general and over the repetitive nature of his life and work as the head of ceremonies for Halloween. And we can all understand that, because it happens to everyone over the years. We fall into a rut and struggle to find our way out.

He is a tragic hero who shows his selfishness when he attempts to relieve his boredom and depression by kidnapping Santa Claus. But, he redeems himself by proving that he is strong enough to correct his mistakes and fix the things that he did to lead to the near destruction of himself, his own home, and even Christmas itself.