It’s about time I introduce myself properly on this blog. I made this side blog as The Nightmare Before Christmas is my special interest and is very dear to my heart. Naturally, I made this side blog to keep all my spooky stuff organized. I also create art and write fanfics. If you’re curious about my main art blog, just check out @dapperinsanity!
About Me
Adam | 25 | He/Vir
Neurodivergent
Digital Artist & Writer
Art Tag: #frightful art
My AO3
Posts
Book Reviews
Sally’s Lament
Long Live The Pumpkin Queen
Hour Of The Pumpkin Queen
My Fanfics
Work In Progress
Sweet Screams & Scary Dreams
-> Long Live The Pumpkin Queen rewritten.
-> wip ideas
Scarily Ever After
-> Takes place after the movie and focuses on Jack and Sally, navigating life as a couple.
Hell’s Bells
-> Santa has troubles with an old friend and the Pumpkin King and Queen are here to help.
Something I wish more novels of TNBC did was highlight that Jack and Sally ARE BEST FRIENDS. I feel like it gets breezed through like they only know each other from a distance which is not true that scene where Jack is in Sally’s sewing tent he is very vulnerable with her about how bad he was feeling but now he feels better. Also how she’s like this isn’t you because she knows him so well. They are soulmates and best friends.
It's funny how so much merchandise of them, and even the Disney actors, use the line "Dearest Friends", but Jack and Sally are rarely ever treated as such in the comics, games, novels, etc...It's often boiled down to Jack not listening/caring about Sally, admitting she was 'right' after whatever havoc dies down and giving her his attention/affection only *then*, and Sally being way too shy to voice her concerns to Jack despite going right to his face trying to warn him about Christmas in the movie.
I think lots of potential is squandered when an author writes Jack and Sally as strangers/distant acquaintances instead of the, well, dearest friends that they ARE. I cannot express how close they would have to be to have Sally feel comfortable/confident enough to be the only one verbally against his 'Christmas', and as you said, Jack alluding to opening up to her when they're alone.
For a Disney couple that has a song where they directly acknowledge they're dearest friends, so much material and fan arguments keep saying they aren't. If the movie's focus was about Jack & Sally's relationship, then it would be exactly that, but it isn't, because it's about Jack taking over Christmas and learning a lesson about it. They don't have a lot of screen time together, but their dialogue, mannerisms around each other, and eventual romance all do a good job in showing the audience that they're familiar with each other, Jack considers Sally his dearest friend, and Sally is pining for him while being the only one in Halloween Town who truly understands how he feels.
But, y'know. Two TNBC sequel comic books have Oogie Boogie casually waltzing in despite him being dead. I am legitimately convinced some of these authors don't even bother to rewatch the movie before they start writing for it. And since the popular consensus on the internet is that any Disney couple who isn't seen getting to know each other on-screen are unhealthy/strangers, it's easy to label Jack and Sally as 'good acquaintances' because they were friends far before the movie's events.
Today is the server shutdown so I am (last minute) finishing the tnbc quests. LOVED The Mayor and Jack's -- tumblr's mobile limit means one more addition to this post and it's done!
Since it’s almost the end of October, let me share some of TNBC sketches. From 2023 and 2024 respectively.
Sally in torn dress and a hat must have been her mirrorverse version or something.
I love how Jack notices little things about Sally in the official novelization. This line is followed by "There was so much he didn't know about Sally, but he wanted to...."
My Thought’s on Jack and Sally Fan Interpretations: A Commentary
One thing that bothers me is how Jack and Sally are portrayed sometimes. I get I’m probably biased here and I really try not to be, but I don’t think Jack would struggle with his obliviousness towards Sally after the Christmas Incident. This isn’t a defense of Jack either. The movie’s ending showed us Jack having some growth and while it’s realistic to expect someone not to do a full 180, I can’t see Jack making the same mistake twice when it comes to Sally.
Sure, I can see him getting distracted about something he’s passionate about but would catch himself before he gets too carried away. There’s a few fan interpretations I’ve seen where Jack hasn’t changed at all and even says some out of character stuff because of his obliviousness. No shade to the fans here, it’s just something I’ve been wanting to discuss in general.
Jack isn’t perfect and he does have an ego but his main struggle in the movie involves Jack wanting someone to see him as just Jack, and not as the pumpkin king. Sally was the only person who looked past his title and didn’t idolize him. They saw each other as friends and Sally wasn’t afraid to attempt to call him out on his behavior. I think, while not obvious, Jack highly appreciated this and recognized his obliviousness in his conversation with her after defeating Oogie. This is where I can see Jack realizing that Sally saw him for him and not as his title and hence why he would try to be a better person for Sally.
I will say this. Sally is there to support a man’s story. Behind the scenes, the writer of Sally had to try to push for Sally to have a story at all and she originally wasn’t even in the original poem to begin with. Elfman was too focused on his self-insert.
Despite that struggle and Sally being a support for Jack, she isn’t solely that nor reduced to just that. Selick was happily ready to include Sally’s story and give her autonomy if you watch the behind the scenes. That’s the problem with most fan interpretations. People reduce her down to Jack’s support role and assume nor focus on the fact she does have her own story and individuality in the film.
The thing is, she DOES have her own story in the film. Again, yes she supports Jack but the whole point of her own story is her freedom away from Finklestein and becoming her own individual and resisting what other’s reduce her down too. She can relate to Jack in a way no one else can due to her own experiences and because of her experiences and who she is motivates her to attempt to call out Jack ‘s Christmas problem. Not because she’s reduced to a female supporting male role but because of her own experiences, independent and smart personality, and who see’s Jack as an individual rather than just his status. She goes against the grain and doesn’t follow the crowd.
The “film” even calls out Jack’s problem. Santa, at the end of the movie, tells Jack that “I’d listen to her” and that “she’s the only one who makes sense in this insane asylum!”. Jack is humbled and his interrupted conversation after Oogie’s demise is him coming to a moment of realization and reflection. Sally is treated as equal to Jack, in the sense that they aren’t reduced down to their roles as King and Finklestein’s Assistant. Status is stripped away and these two are great friends turned lovers. The film treats Sally as an equal and no lesser than Jack.
Again, this is no shade to any fan works but rather, just a pet peeve of mine because fans tend to miss what the film itself says about Sally. Hell, I’d even say they reduce Jack to a bumbling idiot and yes, he has his idiotic moments but he isn’t solely that. Jack is more capable canonically than fans interpret him as, in my opinion.
I saw this as he respectfully asks Sally to join him by his side in the finale and I’m sure if she said no, he’d understand. Additionally, he was the only one who noticed Sally walking off while everyone else was busy celebrating in the snow. Normally, Jack would be bombarded and distracted with the citizens as shown early in the film. Sally tends to hide herself in the background on purpose anyways, mainly due to avoiding being caught by Finklestein. It didn’t help that Christmas has been hindering Jack from noticing Sally yet the one time Christmas comes back after he is called out (the snow), he isn’t focused on that nor the citizens. He notices Sally and immediately goes after her.
This is also why I have a problem with the Pumpkin Queen series. Thankfully, Sally’s Lament better understood what the film was portraying about Sally. Both series start off with little to no Jack yet Sally’s Lament brings in Jack and doesn’t reduce Sally to a supporter role and Jack isn’t reduced to that either. In the series, however, Jack is sidelined because once Jack is in the picture, Sally ends up being reduced to her supporter role.
What Sally’s Lament does right compared to the Pumpkin Queen series, is that the author doesn’t reduce Sally to a supporter role when Jack is around. Sally is allowed to be the main character even when Jack is in the picture. This time, it’s Jack’s turn to support Sally. Just like the film did with Sally, despite her being a secondary main character, she isn’t reduced to a supporter role and Jack isn’t either. They are equals.
This is also why I think Jack is just fine for Sally despite others saying she deserved better. Yes, Jack messed up badly but he eventually realized his mistakes. Despite this film being strictly centered around them, tell me what other citizens would be better for Sally? Because the whole town idolizes Jack but doesn’t see him for him.
Jack doesn’t want to be idolized in the first place hence why he wishes to get rid of his title as Pumpkin King. Sure, he enjoys it but it’s superficial at the end of the day and this is all shown in his lament. He has his egotistical moments but what makes him different from most kings and celebrities in general, is that he always makes sure he praises everyone and doesn’t want all the credit to be given to him. Despite his ego with making Christmas improved in his own way and stealing Sandy’s identity, he still praises the citizens work even when it’s Christmas related. He doesn’t want to be the only one participating, he wants to share that same joy he has with everyone else around him.
And this is why Jack realized his mistake in the end of the film. He realized it wasn’t about Christmas but rather he wanted a real connection with someone rather than a superficial one. He wanted someone else to spend his joy with and doesn’t care about what other’s can give him because that’s not what a relationship/connection is. He is the only one that can see Sally as she is because he understands what it’s like to be reduced down to a title. Sally isn’t a servant to him like she was made to be for Finklestein. Sally is just Sally and Jack is just Jack to each other. No titles, no transactions, and a mutual understanding of each other. What they both needed was genuine connection, understanding, and a mutual joy to be shared that both of them can give each other.
Not only is Sally is Jack’s answer but Jack is also Sally’s solution as well. Jack appreciates Sally for who she is and not just what she can do unlike Finklestein. The reason Jack is her “solution” is because this whole situation forces Sally out of the shadows and she develops further growth as well. She chooses to come out of the shadows to help Jack and isn’t hiding on the sidelines anymore. Jack is motivation for her to stand up to Finklestein. She deserves Jack because Jack is the only one who truly appreciates her for her and she clearly doesn’t want anyone else anyways.
To sum it up, you can’t reduce Jack and Sally to one and stereotypical roles. Jack isn’t soley a prideful oblivious king and Sally isn’t just Jack’s supporter/wife nor is she disillusioned by her romantic feelings like some may think.
