Reel Jolly series: “Gremlins” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas” - A Couple Unconventional Holiday Staples

For this review, I took  a look at a couple movies that are holiday favorites that aren’t exactly traditional holiday classics - “Gremlins” and “The Nightmare Before Christmas.”

In the 1984 movie “Gremlins,” a gadget salesman is looking for a special gift for his son and finds one at a store in Chinatown. The shopkeeper is reluctant to sell him the “mogwai” but sells it to him with the warning to never expose him to bright light, water, or to feed him after midnight.

All of this happens and the result is a gang of gremlins that decide to tear up the town on Christmas Eve.

This 1984 favorite really polarized audiences when it was first released (on the same day as “Ghostbusters’). While most audiences enjoyed the dark humor and incredible creature effects (like myself), some viewers (mainly parents) found it too violent and scary for the younger ones - and this movie ended up being one of the movies that led to the creation of the PG-13 rating.

“Gremlins” actually has a fairly unique horror-comedy blend. The movie has the ability to shift between cute, heartwarming moments to violent, chaotic mayhem. The practical effects used for the gremlins (when they are cute/cuddly and when they aren’t) still stand out today and is one of the many reasons why this 1984 movie still stands out. 

While terrifically blending comedy and horror, “Gremlins” does a great job entertaining us with some iconic moments. The first appearance of the Mogwai, Gizmo, is a heartwarming moment that sets the stage for the chaos to come. And, once things hit the fan, the gremlins' fun really takes off.

Throughout the movie, we see some newly hatched gremlins try to attack Billy’s mother in the kitchen, a really over the top demise of the secondary antagonist Mrs. Deagle and we see some of the gremlins get into some various hijinks at a local tavern. And, before the gremlins cause even more chaos, they gather in a movie theater to watch the Disney classic “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

“Gremlins” has become a cult classic and an unconventional Christmas staple, beloved for its unique energy and entertainment value. Its ability as a fun, thrilling monster movie also contributes to its lasting appeal.

MPA: Rated PG   (runtime 106 minutes)  (can currently be streamed on Hulu/Disney Plus and HBO Max)

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington,

Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the “real world.” When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life - he plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa and taking over the role.

But Jack soon discovers even the best-laid plans of mice and skeleton men can go seriously awry.

This was actually the first time in years that I have checked out this Tim Burton-produced fan favorite and it’s still really entertaining! Now, while some might still debate whether it’s a Halloween or Christmas movie, it’s actually a perfect “in-between” movie for both seasons.

“The Nightmare Before Christmas” features a unique blend of Halloween and Christmas, incredibly detailed stop-motion animation, a really iconic soundtrack and so much more! The movie’s characters are well-liked for their relatable struggles with identity and belonging, like Jack’s existential boredom and Sally’s desire for freedom. All of these characters are “oddball” and are quite memorable.

Not only are the character designs one of the many highlights of this movie, the score and songs that we hear throughout are really iconic - especially with the really memorable “This Is Halloween” and “What’s This?” The stop-motion animation that’s featured is easily one of the best I have seen and I think the vibe of the movie would be completely different if this movie was done with today’s CGI.

Initially a moderate success, the movie has gained a massive, dedicated cult following over the decades, leading to extensive merchandise, theme park attractions, and a lasting influence on subsequent stop-motion movies like “Coraline” and “Corpse Bride.”

MPA: Rated PG for some scary images   (runtime 76 minutes)  (Disney Plus)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd20j2Hb-0Y

• The set for Kingston Falls is the same one used for Back to the Future (1985). Both movies were filmed on the Universal Studios backlot.

• In Cantonese, "mogwai" means "devil," "demon," or "gremlin." The Mandarin pronunciation is "mogui."

• Originally, Stripe and Gizmo were the same character. This changed when executive producer Steven Spielberg insisted one of the Gremlins be a good guy with whom the audience could identify. Director Joe Dante expresses that this decision was the reason why the film is fondly remembered.

• The film was released on the same day as Ghostbusters (1984).

• This movie and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) are credited with inspiring the Motion Picture Association (MPA) to create the PG-13 rating. Many felt the movies were too violent for a PG rating, but not violent enough for an R. Subsequently, the first movie to be released into theatres with a PG-13 rating was Red Dawn (1984) which came out a couple of months later in August. Another film that received the rating, The Flamingo Kid (1984) was supposed to be in theatres in summer 1984 but was delayed to December.

• Phoebe Cates recalls hearing some studio concerns that after Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), she might not be "wholesome enough" to play Kate. Director Joe Dante had seen the movie and felt that she was "awfully wholesome."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wr6N_hZyBCk

• Tim Burton has said the original poem was inspired after seeing Halloween merchandise display in a store being taken down and replaced by a Christmas display. The juxtaposition of ghouls and goblins with Santa and his reindeer sparked his imagination.

• In 2001, Walt Disney Pictures began to consider producing a sequel, but rather than using stop motion, Disney wanted to use computer animation. Tim Burton convinced Disney to drop the idea. "I was always very protective of [Nightmare] not to do sequels or things of that kind," Burton explained. "You know, 'Jack visits Thanksgiving world' or other kinds of things just because I felt the movie had a purity to it and the people that like it."

• Zero's nose is actually a tiny glowing jack-o'-lantern.

• According to Henry Selick, Vincent Price was initially cast as Santa Claus and recorded all of his dialogue. However, after the death of Price's wife (Coral Browne), his own health began to fail, and his voice performance was very frail and weak. The tracks were deemed unusable which led, much to Selick's regret, to the role being recast. The film premiered at a film festival on October 9th, only 16 days before Price's death and was released on a limited basis four days later. The film's first United States wide release was October 29th, four days after Price passed away.

• In 2013, Catherine O'Hara participated in "Danny Elfman's Music from the Films of Tim Burton" to perform "Sally's Song" from this film. She received a standing ovation when she entered the stage, as well as when she left.