What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this off-beat, stop motion-animated movie is one of the great family films for all ages. That said, it does have scary Halloween creatures in it -- characters take off their own heads and limbs, and there are skeletons, nasty toys, and a creepy villain named Oogie Boogie. A Christmas tree even burns up. Some little kids who aren't old enough to distinguish this fantasy from the goings on at Halloween (or those prone to nightmares) might steer clear, although you can always pause the TV and talk about what's scaring them. The special 3D version is identical in content and storyline to the original, but the enhanced visuals may add marginal spookiness and could further blur the line between fantasy and reality for some younger kids.

Families can talk about why we celebrate the holidays we do. What does your favorite holiday mean to you? Has anyone ever tried to ruin one of your holiday experiences, and how did you overcome that? When you get tired of something, what are some creative ways to bring excitement back into it? Also, why did Jack's experiment fail? Is it fair to expect people who have done something the same way for a long time to change quickly? Could Jack have tried his ideas a different way?

Common Sense Media Review
Tim Burton's movie is a magical marvel. With a nod to Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Burton has fashioned a funny, darkish tale that pokes a bit of fun at kids' two favorite holidays (indeed, only the Easter Bunny is spared). Made in stop-motion animation, the story features Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King (voiced by Chris Sarandon) -- a creature who is to Halloween what Santa is to Christmas. When Jack becomes bored with staging yet another frightnight for the sketchy members of Halloweentown, he wanders away from town one night and stumbles across Christmastown and becomes immediately entranced.

Jack decides he needs to bring Christmas to Halloweentown and he is willing to do just about anything to make it happen -- even it if means kidnapping Santa himself.

Unfortunately for Jack, his plans don't exactly come out right. The holidays just don't translate. Whether it's a coffin-shaped sled pulled by skeletal robo-reindeer to gifts that terrify their recipients or shrunken heads, or snakes that devour Christmas trees (all done in a way that isn't too scary for kids), the effects just don't come out the way Jack wishes. At one point, the military is called out to shoot down Jack's sled from the Christmas Eve skies.

The movie is twisted in the way Charles Addams or Roald Dahl or even Maurice Sendak, are slightly off kilter. By changing the perspective on something we all take for granted, Burton makes us see these special holidays anew. And, of course, he does provide a happy ending. It's pure Tim Burton -- utterly weird and totally enchanting. So if you like Beetlejuice , or Edward Scissorhands (both of which are for an older audience), this is a movie for you.

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