THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993)

As we enter the week of Halloween, it's altogether appropriate that we celebrate with a first for our Animation Backgrounds blog: miniature background sets from a stop-action masterpiece... Disney's (and Tim Burton's) THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (1993).

Here's the first THIRTEEN! If you are superstitious, we can just call it a baker's dozen...

Once Upon A Wintertime

This beautiful digitally reconstructed B/G provided by our Italian correspondent and friend Andrea Giglio. Happy Holidays!

PLUTO'S CHRISTMAS TREE

Here's a special holiday treat. In one post, a comprehensive collection of digitally re-assembeld background art from PLUTO'S CHRISTMAS TREE (1952).

Here's the main title card- without the title! Note the Christmas card in the front...

The camera pans in... to this very merry house exterior...

Here's a re-created pan of Mickey's front door. Snow effects too!

A winter playground for Pluto, and Chip and Dale...

A"stage" for Chip and Dale (acorn: cel overlay)...

A re-created pan with characters included...

More snow!

a very long left to right pan B/G (Chip and Dale are in the last frame of the pan, so they stay...)

A snowdrift (snow bits are cel overlay)...

Chip and Dale's tree, soon to be "PLUTO'S CHRISTMAS TREE" ( and Mickey's too, of course)...

Inside the tree. Looks cold,doesn't it?

a snowy landscape...

Mickey stands on the ladder to decorate the tree. This sequence features a fade in, and the one "cel" ornament is in place before the fade ends. I actually hand-painted some Photoshop restoration to complete the ladder!

Inside the tree, in Mickey's living room!

Next, a series of views of the tree, inside and out!













A huge left-to-right pan across Mickey's living room. The last frame of the segment includes Mickey on the right.

Here's a closer look at the left side of the pan.

Even though unfinished, I had to share this magnificent tree art. The angle was inspired! The black area is what's left of Mickey... this area is never revealed. Even incomplete as it is, there's lots of beautiful detail to admire...

Another pan, including the beautiful tree on the right...

Anyone else grow up with a living room that looked like this in the 1950s?

another pan B/G...

and a closer look at the gorgeous tree...

Near the fireplace mantle...




The tree top...

And finally, the yuletide rubble left behind after the skirmish with Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale!