Danny Elfman Got ‘Horrible Reviews’ for His ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’ Score Because ‘Nobody Understood It’

It’s Halloween weekend, which means “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas” is likely making its way back into many cinephiles’ viewing rotations.

Henry Selick’s stop motion classic has amassed a cult following over the years for its ability to blend sweetness with the macabre, something that its creative team could never have predicted at the time of its release.In a new interview with Yahoo Entertainment, Danny Elfman revealed that the early negative reception to his score made him think that the film would be a failure.“I had no idea,” Elfman said.

“Because when I wrote it, nobody understood it.

I got horrible reviews for it.

Disney didn’t know what to make of it.

How could Disney know what to make of it? They did a preview with kids who were expecting ‘The Little Mermaid’ and they got an unfinished version of ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas.

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