Welcome to the world of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas

Land Entrance

Near the entrance to the Animation Courtyard and behind the Earffel Tower is a wooded area called the Hinterlands. Amidst this forest is a grove of seven imposing trees with large colorful carvings of symbols representing different holidays (e.g.: Easter, Independence Day, Christmas, Halloween). This rotunda containing the Holiday Doors will serve as the main entrance to the land.

Guests can choose between two paths to access the two areas of Halloween Town: the main avenue, located straight ahead from the rotunda, or through the Hinterlands path, located east of the rotunda. The main avenue will direct guests to the Town Center, while the Hinterlands path will direct guests to Spiral Hill and the Graveyard.

Land Layout

After exiting the rotunda and going past the Halloween tree, guests will step from a world of color to a world of Burtonesque fantasy. An accurate recreation of Halloween Town as seen in the film awaits guests, from its grey stonework to the expressionistic Gothic architecture that prevails over this town.

Using a hub-and-spoke design, Halloween Town is divided into two areas: Town Center, where the denizens of Halloween Town gather for social events and celebrations; and the Graveyard, where the spooks become spookier, and the ghouls become, er, ghoulier!

The main thoroughfare from the Hinterlands and the Holiday Doors Rotunda brings guests into the Town Center, where various facades of iconic Halloween Town buildings (including the Town Hall), rendered in the expressionist/surrealist Burtonesque style, can be seen. In the center of this plaza is the iconic fountain, the same fountain where Jack rises from to make his first appearance in the film in the musical number, "This Is Halloween."

Several experiences have been set up by the town's residents for the guests to enjoy. Jack, the Pumpkin King himself, is still in a Christmassy (or whatever his definition of Christmas is) mood, and is running sleigh rides behind his house. His sweetheart Sally is now running her own greasy spoon featuring her own culinary concoctions. Even her old colleague, the nefarious Dr. Finklestein, has set up shop, eager to draw in new victims visitors.

The eastern access from the Holiday Doors Rotunda brings guests to the Graveyard. After passing through the forest and under the wooden portal entryway, guests will find themselves near Spiral Hill, one of the icons of Halloween Town and the film itself. Following the path will bring them further into the Graveyard, giving guests the opportunity to explore the various tombstones (rendered with Haunted Mansion-esque gravestone epitaphs) present in the cemetery. Guests can also see the gravestone of Jack's beloved dog, Zero. Some even say one can hear his barks emitting from the ground underneath the gravestone from time to time...

Near the open gates of the Graveyard, guests can either go forward and exit to the town center, or go the other way to visit its outskirts and its resident spooks, the infamous Oogie Boogie and his henchmen, Lock, Shock, and Barrel, who have set up a demented carnival of sorts for guests' "enjoyment".

Area Music

Throughout Halloween Town, a suite of music from The Nightmare Before Christmas plays, specifically arranged for the land by the film's composer, Academy Award nominee Danny Elfman. Keen-eared fans will hear nods to the film's iconic songs like "This Is Halloween," "What's This," "Sally's Song," and "Kidnap the Sandy Claws."

Halloween Town Band

It isn't uncommon to see the Halloween Town Band while making your way through the town. Brought to life via incredibly detailed costumes, the trio doesn't say much, choosing to communicate through their music. Of course, they mainly play new renditions of songs from the film, often with a jazzier twist. Around Halloween, they add a few more songs to their lineup, swingin' instrumentals of popular Halloween songs like "Monster Mash", "Thriller", "Purple People Eater", and even "The Skeleton Dance". When Christmas approaches, the Halloween songs are swapped out for minor key versions of Christmas tunes like "Jingle Bells", "Deck the Halls", and "The Twelve Days of Christmas".

Trash Cans

Even though the town has a duly-elected Mayor, everyone knows who really is in charge of Halloween Town. As such, the Pumpkin King's visage can be found everywhere, even the trash cans!