The Nightmare Before Christmas: A Refuge for My Inner Child

I know this movie has received mixed reviews, both good and bad, but of all the films I watched as a child, it is and remains one of my favorites. Every Halloween, I watch it or listen to its song "This Is Halloween," which I know by heart.

Tim Burton's film is titled The Nightmare Before Christmas, and for others, The Nightmare Before Christmas. For me, it was much more than a movie. Literally, every time I watch it, I'm reminded of those one-of-a-kind specials that aired on Disney or Jetix during my childhood.

It's a film that has grown up with me, and although it's true that each time I watch it, it takes on a new meaning, the magic remains intact. I know it's not the best reference, and I know it's not the best recommendation for today's children, because as time goes by, one grows, understands other things, and thanks to my degree in Literature and expertise in discourse analysis, I can't ignore it. Clearly, there are things that are completely questionable and that I didn't understand or decipher at the time. Because I didn't have the critical eye for it, and much less had I acquired the amount of knowledge I possess now thanks to my university years and experiences in the field.

However, one thing never changes: every time I see it, I'm genuinely transported back to my most beautiful time, my childhood, a time when I was happy and didn't even know it. I had no adult obligations, no work demands or bosses, and not so many worries. My only concern was being a child.

For that reason, I personally still use it as an escape from the daily grind. Its songs, the choreography, and even all the superb direction and production work; it's simply a Victorian, romantic, gothic, and original classic. There's clearly a lot of mysticism involved and a lot of symbolism behind it; it even has subliminal messages. But, although I understand it from a very different perspective, and I don't think I would show it to my children, if I had any, nowadays…

There's something that will never change for me: the meaning that the whole film holds. I also can't forget all those endearing characters, like, for example, sweet Sally, intrepid Jack, and their love story, which to this day remains one of the most beautiful I've seen from that era, because it even resonates strongly with my current love life. My boyfriend has a personality very similar to Jack's, and I have one similar to Sally's, and our love is very much like theirs. We both accept each other as we are, with our quirks and our way of being.

All those things are little fragments that still connect me to my childhood, my innocence.

Nor can we forget the impetuous Zero, Jack Skellington's ghost dog, the ultimate symbol of loyalty to his master, even after death, because dogs are like that with their owners in real life. I can confirm this because I have a beautiful little dog named Thomas. He's a gorgeous Golden Retriever. And he's been just as loyal to me since I adopted him.

But the most impressive thing about that whole movie is its ability to transport me back to my childhood. It's incredible.

Sometimes I really miss that time, and that's one of the few movies that makes me feel secure in who I truly am and how I am; it also makes me feel that I'm not a mistake or a flaw, but that it's perfectly fine to be who I really am, with all my virtues, flaws, and unconventional tastes.

For that reason, every time I watch that movie, I watch it all the way through and sing along to the songs at the top of my lungs; because that's also part of my inner world and my way of being, feeling, and acting.

In a society as complicated as ours, where there's always someone who's going to say something or criticize something about your life or your actions, you need those "intimate and personal" spaces, those television and literary refuges to "recharge your batteries" and know that even if you had a hard day, which is normal, there will always be that fictional place to escape to and feel good, take care of your mental health, and start again the next day. Unfortunately, life isn't easy, and even less so nowadays. That's also part of its implications.

Sometimes one longs to return to those "happy times," and in my personal opinion, as someone who observes and is part of that world, as a spectator, film, radio, television, and even books are excellent refuges.

I am so glad to have these kinds of spaces, so important to me. My inner world. The place where the little girl I once was still resides and can be happy again, even if only one more time.

For this reason, among others, this film is a pillar of security and comfort for me. I sincerely love it, and it has a very powerful emotional component for me.