The Nightmare Before Christmas Director Finally Settles Whether It's A Halloween or Christmas Movie

Fans have been debating whether The Nightmare Before Christmas is considered a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie ever since its 1993 theatrical release, and now director Henry Selick finally puts an end to that argument with his definite answer.

Selick, who also directed other wonderful animated films like James and the Giant Peach and Coraline, was at the Telluride Horror Show at Colorado recently, and Birth.Movies.Death had a chance to host a Q&A with him after the screening of the film, and when a little girl asked the director whether The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween or a Christmas movie, he said:

After the question was asked Selick looked a little surprised, and he said, "Oh boy," likely knowing that whatever answer he gave would be controversial.

"It's a Halloween movie," he said, definitively. He acknowledged that a lot of people liked the Christmas Town stuff waaaaay better than the Halloween Town ("They love Santa and say he's all-powerful," he said), but he had to tell the truth: this is a movie about Halloween, and the people of Halloween, and how they react to something like Christmas.

So what do you think about Selick's answer? Does this change the way you see this animated classic?