The Nightmare Before Christmas introduced the world to the love story between Jack Skellington and Sally, but one small detail makes their inevitable romance even more perfect. Released in 1993, Tim Burton is often wrongly attributed as The Nightmare Before Christmas director, but he merely provided the story and rough character designs. It was director Henry Selick, the stop-motion master, who made the movie come to life, and writers Caroline Thompson and Michael McDowell, who are responsible for The Nightmare Before Christmas‘ memorable quotes.
Still, Burton’s fingerprints are all over the movie. His whimsical goth aesthetic is distinct and immediately recognizable, and The Nightmare Before Christmas is no exception to this. He originally conceived the idea when he saw Christmas and Halloween decorations together in a store window and thought about bringing the two holidays together. The result is one of the most visually distinct, unique movies from top to bottom. That uniqueness carries through to its characters, especially protagonist Jack Skellington and deuteragonist Sally, The Nightmare Before Christmas‘ rag doll.
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Together, Jack & Sally Make One Whole Person – Literally
They Have Parts The Other Needs
Jack and Sally have some of the most visually striking, iconic designs in movies. Their recognition is at a level movie characters rarely reach; even those who have never seen The Nightmare Before Christmas immediately recognize the characters and know who they are. Jack, of course, is the most well-known, the blade-thin skeleton with his ultra-long legs who moves like a spider through the world. Meanwhile, the sweet, stitched-together Sally is the rag doll version of Frankenstein’s monster with her cobbled-together body parts and stuffing. Their character design is perfect for the visual narrative of the movie, but it’s also secretly perfect for their romantic narrative.
Jack and Sally are each one-half of a whole before they come together – both literally and figuratively. Jack is a skeleton, all bones but no flesh or blood. As a rag doll, however, Sally is all “flesh” but no bones. Combining Sally’s rag doll cloth and stuffing with Jack’s bones, quite literally, makes a body. It’s a perfect bit of symbolism: each is made of parts that make part of a person, but it’s not until they come together as a couple that they become truly whole. Physically, spiritually, and emotionally, Jack and Sally complete each other.
Jack & Sally Later Got Married In The Nightmare Before Christmas Sequel Novel
This Time It’s Sally Saving Her Now-Husband Jack
While Tim Burton and director Henry Selick have rightfully pushed back against The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 ever being made, that doesn’t mean the story hasn’t continued in other media. One of those stories was Shea Earnshaw’s 2022 YA novel Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, which saw Sally as the main character instead of Jack. The sequel story followed Sally’s adventures when she and Zero accidentally stumble across an ancient realm known as Dream Town.
The official original soundtrack CD for
The Nightmare Before Christmas
included an epilogue not in the movie that revealed some years later, Jack had 4 or 5 skeleton children. The mother was never named, but it’s fair to assume it’s Sally.
The novel also reveals what happened to Jack and Sally after The Nightmare Before Christmas, and the answer is a lovely one: Jack and Sally are now happily married, and she is officially the Pumpkin Queen of Halloween Town. With Sally accidentally unleashing the dangers of Dream Town, it’s up to her to save Jack this time, instead of the other way around. That’s not the end of Sally and Jack’s love story, however: it was announced that two more sequel novels written by Megan Shepherd will be released in 2025 and 2026.
Henry Selick directs The Nightmare Before Christmas, a stop-motion fairytale from the mind of Tim Burton. Jack Skellington is the king of Halloween and one of Halloweentown’s most beloved citizens, but he longs for something more. When he stumbles across a magical door that leads him to discover Christmas, he makes it his mission to replace Santa Claus and bring festive cheer to his perpetually spooky hamlet.
- Director
- Henry Selick
- Release Date
- October 29, 1993
- Studio(s)
- Touchstone Pictures , Skellington Productions
- Distributor(s)
- Buena Vista Distribution , Walt Disney Pictures
- Writers
- Caroline Thompson
- Cast
- Catherine O’Hara , Glenn Shadix , Ken Page , William Hickey , Chris Sarandon , Paul Reubens , Danny Elfman
- Runtime
- 76 minutes
- Budget
- $24 Million