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Nightmare Before Christmas & Hocus Pocus Returning to Theaters
Disney's spooky cult classics The Nightmare Before Christmas and Hocus Pocus are being brought back from the dead and returning to select movie theaters nationwide. Both films were released back in 1993 and will be celebrating their 25th anniversaries this year. While there has always been debate whether or not Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween or a Christmas movie (it's both), both it and Hocus Pocus receive repeat viewings and inspired costumes from fans during the month of October, and Disney has decided that their return to theaters is the perfect way to celebrate.
The two films have achieved cult status and rabid followings, although whereas Nightmare Before Christmas has always been a favorite, Hocus Pocus took its time gaining new generations of fans, especially in recent years. It's become a major part of the Halloween celebrations in the Disney parks, and its continuously growing popularity has lead to talks of a highly anticipated sequel happening. While the stars of the original film have expressed interest in reprising their roles, Disney announced plans to remake it as a Disney Channel TV movie. Tim Burton has said in the past that he has no interest in putting together a sequel for Nightmare Before Christmas, but it did recently receive a continuation of its story in comic book form.
CBR reports that the plan to release the two films back into theaters was announced by Disney as part of their D23 Spooktacular Fanniversary. If fans want to be able to watch these classics back up on the big screen, they're going to need to become members of D23 (Disney's official fan club) first. Members will be able to catch either film at screenings on the Disney Studios lot located in Burbank, California, or at Disney Springs down at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. There will also be screenings at select locations around the country.
The only downside to it all is that fans will have to decide which one of these beloved films they want to see, instead of being able to view both of them on different dates and times. That could certainly be considered an incredibly tough decision, especially among hardcore Disney fans. Nevertheless, Disney seems dedicated to treating their D23 members to exclusive offers and experiences, and they'll be doing giveaways and behind the scenes looks at both Nightmare Before Christmas and Hocus Pocus in addition to the special screenings.
Both of these creepy Halloween classics have devoted and dedicated fan bases, and their places in pop culture only seem to grow larger each passing year. Halloween is a great time for watching movie favorites, and even if fans aren't able to make it to these exclusive screenings, they'll be sure to get their yearly fix of Disney spookiness themselves.
