Nightmare Before Christmas is a stop-motion animated musical film that was released in 1993. It was directed by Henry Selick and written by Caroline Thompson and Michael McDowell, based on a poem written by Tim Burton. The film tells the story of Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, who stumbles upon the Christmas holiday and decides to take it over, much to the chagrin of Santa Claus and the residents of Christmas Town.