Disney wanted a Nightmare Before Christmas 2, but got a book instead

1993’s The Nightmare Before ChristmasThe movie, produced and directed by Tim Burton and Henry Selick, is a timeless classic. It’s one of the best-known and most recognizable movies. So why exactly hasn’t Disney ever made a sequel?

After all, Disney Enjoy the love of your life sequels. It’s hard to believe that so many of the most popular films have avoided sequels for over 30 years. But Nightmare’s missing sequel isn’t due to a lack of trying on Disney’s part.

In the past 30 years the House of Mouse tried to obtain an official title. Nightmare Burton and Selick refused to allow the sequel. Here are all the attempts to get another set of skeletal reindeer to fly — that we know about — and a few of the ways that Disney You can learn more about this by clicking here.Without making an official follow-up, the film continued to tell the story of Jack Skellington’s, Sally’s, and Halloween Town.

The direct sequel

Disney’s first real foray into sequel territory with The Nightmare Before ChristmasAccording to Selick, in a 2008 About.com interview, the project began in 2002. This was nearly a decade following the release of The Incredibles. Disney, according to the director who began his career with stop-motion animated films, wanted the CG look for the second film, which he found unsettling. Selick acknowledges, though, that it would certainly be tempting to have Jack Skellington invading other holidays for the return of the character.

Burton is the creator of The Nightmare Before Christmas and produced the movie, on the other hand, says that he’s always been opposed to a sequel. In 2006, he told MTV that he’s protective of the franchise and doesn’t like the idea of “Jack visits Thanksgiving world,” which he thought would ruin the purity of the original.

Though a sequel has never actually gotten off the ground, Selick doesn’t completely dismiss it. In an interview with Blastr in 2009, the director said he’d be open to a sequel if Burton came up with the right story. “It would have to depend. It’s a hard thing to top in terms of story. This particular clash of nightmares was perfect. I don’t know if Jack Skellington trying to take over President’s Day weekend would be as good.”

Of course, three decades after the original movie, it’s safe to say the pair hasn’t landed on the right story just yet.

Image: Disney via High-Def Digest

This is the first sequel.

Nightmare Before ChristmasIt has two multimedia sequels but the videogame that was released first is called The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge. Tose created the hack-andslash action video game. The team asked for advice from several film-related people. In fact, the development team flew to Burton’s place in England with a PlayStation 2 in hand in order to get his advice on things like the art style for the game. The movie’s art director, Deane Taylor, was also involved in development.

This is the live action version

For several years, since the dawn of Disney’s line of live-action remakes, a rumor has persisted that a live-action remake of The Nightmare Before ChristmasWas on its way?

Thankfully, there doesn’t seem to have been any noise of this beyond rumors, but it’s clear that Disney is still exploring the property. No surprise considering how popular it’s been for the last 30 years!

This is the second sequel.

Image: Disney

A sequel? The Nightmare Before ChristmasActually, it was relatively new. Disney’s book entitled Long live the Pumpkin QueenShea Ernshaw wrote a book that features Sally after the movies.

Even though she’s married Jack, Sally feels out of place as Halloween Town’s new Pumpkin Queen. She unleashes an evil threat on Halloween Town when she opens a portal to Dream Town. The book takes a look at some other holiday land near Halloween Town as well as the powers that control them.

Long live the Pumpkin QueenMegan Shepherd will be writing a sequel to the book in the very near future. She also wrote the original. Nightmare Before ChristmasNovelization of the tie-in only appeared in July.

Despite this smattering of random follow-ups, spinoffs, and failed projects, it’s still surprising that Disney has never successfully gotten a full sequel to You can also find out more about the following: Nightmare Before ChristmasBut Selick is still interested, at least as of a decade ago. It’s possible Burton could decide that it’s time to revisit Jack and Sally and their journey through Halloween Town. But with Selick still somewhat interested, at least as of a decade ago, it’s possible Burton could decide that it’s time to revisit Jack and Sally and their journey through Halloween Town.