screenshot-2021.03.08-03_48_01.jpg

The Nightmare Before Christmas is finally getting a sequel, though not as many were expecting – and here’s everything you need to know about it. Tim Burton has been sharing his unique vision of the world through a gothic fantasy and horror lens for over two decades, and while his directorial debut happened in 1985 with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, the world got a taste of what he can do in terms of storytelling in 1990 with Edward Scissorhands. However, one of his most popular and beloved projects is one he didn't even direct: the 1993 stop-motion animated musical The Nightmare Before Christmas, directed by Henry Selick from a story by Burton himself.

The Nightmare Before Christmas follows Jack Skellington (voiced by Chris Sarandon with Danny Elfman in charge of the character’s singing voice), the King of Halloween Town who gets bored of doing the same thing every year. One day, he stumbles through a portal to Christmas Town, and becomes fascinated by everything Christmas, so he decides to bring this holiday to Halloween Town, but that’s a lot easier said than done. Accompanying Jack through this adventure are his ghost dog Zero and Sally (Catherine O’Hara), a rag doll who served as Jack’s love interest. The Nightmare Before Christmas was a critical and commercial success and has built a cult following over the years.

The story ends with Jack rescuing Santa from Oogie Boogie and thus restoring the order in both Christmas and Halloween Town, with Santa fulfilling Jack’s original dream by bringing a snowfall for the residents of Halloween Town to play with, while Jack and Sally declare their love for each other. Although it’s a complete and satisfying end, viewers were left wondering what else the universe of The Nightmare Before Christmas has to offer, and after years of waiting, the movie is finally getting a sequel, though not as expected. Here’s everything we know about The Nightmare Before Christmas sequel so far.

Nightmare Before Christmas 2 Is Happening

screenshot-2021.03.08-03_50_17.jpg

In February 2021, it was revealed that Disney Publishing is working on a sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas though not as fans were expecting, as instead of getting a new movie in the same animation style as the original one, it’s going to be a book. The currently untitled project will be written by Shea Ernshaw (The Wicked Deep) and will reunite fans with the main couple of the movie: Jack Skellington and Sally.

Previous Nightmare Before Christmas Sequel Plans

screenshot-2021.03.08-03_51_44.jpg

Given the popularity of the movie, a sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas has been rumored and teased for years. Back in 2001, Disney was reportedly considering making a sequel but using CGI rather than stop-motion, but Burton convinced the studio not to do it. In 2004, the video game The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie’s Revenge served as a sequel, and rumors about a proper movie sequel continued as Selick said in 2009 that he would do it if he and Burton came up with a good story, and then in 2019 it was reported that Disney was considering either a stop-motion sequel or live-action remake, but none of these came to fruition.

Nightmare Before Christmas 2 Will Follow Sally

screenshot-2021.03.08-03_53_45.jpg

The Nightmare Before Christmas sequel will now be focused on Sally, who is now happily married to Jack. According to Ernshaw (via io9), the story will be told from the point of view of Sally, and will take place shortly after the events of the movie. It will follow Sally as she navigates her new royal title as the Pumpkin Queen of Halloween Town and she accidentally lets a mysterious villain loose in town, leading her to visit other holiday worlds to find a way to save hers, all this while also making new discoveries about her past life.

Nightmare Before Christmas 2 Release Date

screenshot-2021.03.08-03_55_11.jpg

Unfortunately for fans of The Nightmare Before Christmas, the wait for the sequel will be a bit long. Sally’s adventures through Halloween Town and beyond have a projected release date of July 2022, and while it isn’t the sequel viewers were expecting, it will offer a new perspective of the events of the movie, its different worlds, and its main characters.