Henry Selick, the director behind The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline, isn't abandoning hope for potential sequels for both films.
In an interview with Screen Rant, Selick addressed the possibility of whether fans will ever see a sequel to Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas or Coraline. The interview was conducted on Aug. 25 in light of his upcoming stop-motion film collaboration with Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, Wendell and Wild. "People have always wanted a sequel for Nightmare and Coraline," Selick said. "If there’s a good story, it might be worth doing. But too frequently, sequels are just a remake of the first film with some mild changes."
The 1993 stop-motion musical The Nightmare Before Christmas follows Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of "Halloween Town," who is inspired to start celebrating Christmas after stumbling across "Christmas Town." Jack, tired of the same-old Halloween routine, tries to introduce the unfamiliar holiday to Halloween Town's residents, but they aren't entirely convinced. While Nightmare Before Christmas's run-time clocked in at just over an hour, the animation process for the film took over three years. Selick's other film, Coraline, has a similar story.
Are Sequels for Coraline and Nightmare Before Christmas Possible?
The 2009 film Coraline focuses on the titular character and her discovery of a secret door that leads to an alternate world. Mesmerized by its wonder, Coraline is forced to rescue her parents trapped in a snow globe. She abandons the Other World, and joyfully reunites with her family. While Coraline's run-time came closer to two hours, the film took over four years to make. Therefore, a sequel to either film likely won't be in the near future.
Neil Gaiman, writer for both Coraline and The Sandman, recently shared what would have to happen for a Coraline sequel to be made. His response was similar to Selick's, in that a sequel would only be worth doing if the story was good enough. "What I've always said is that I wouldn't do a Coraline 2 unless I could come up with a story that was as good as Coraline 1," Gaiman said. "So I absolutely wouldn't rule it out, but would absolutely want to go 'Okay, that is the thing that is just even cooler than Coraline.'"
As for Nightmare Before Christmas, the film's composer, Danny Elfman, isn't too hopeful about a follow-up film. "I think Tim [Burton] has always felt that no, this is what it is," he said in a recent interview. Despite his doubts, Elfman revealed he would be open to returning if Burton expressed interest in making a sequel. Unlike Coraline, Nightmare Before Christmas received a sequel in the form of a novel titled Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, written by Shea Ernshaw, in which Sally served as the protagonist. While waiting patiently for the sequels, fans can watch Nightmare Before Christmas on Disney+ and Coraline on Tubi.
Wendell and Wild premieres on Netflix on Oct. 28.
Source: Screen Rant