West Virginia University Libraries Exhibit
VOICING JACK SKELLINGTON
How did Chris Sarandon get the role of Jack Skellington?
"It was just a regular call from my agency saying, 'they're casting a speaking voice of this character.' Nobody knew anything about the movie, just that it was a Tim Burton project which made it, you know, sort of high profile. I hadn't known until fairly recently that Danny had actually recorded some of the dialog. I didn't realize that that was the case. And so I went in and auditioned with a number of other men and they played Danny singing one of the songs and showed me, I think, a clip of some footage that they had shot of the animation to Danny singing. So I had a visual idea about the character and also I had in my ear an auditory idea of the kind of voice that Danny was singing with. And I guess they felt it to match. I mean, I think in some ways it was just serendipitous that it was luck as it often happens, by the way in this business, that my voice matched Danny's. Otherwise we wouldn't be talking about this. But it's that simple. I don't think I necessarily brought any kind of unique artistry to the line readings because... I don't recall the exact scene I read, but you know Jack does a lot of
Fun Fact #1
Chris Sarandon voiced the speaking role of Jack Skellington for a total of 6 minutes and 21 seconds of the film!
Fun Fact #2
Danny Elfman was the singing voice for Jack Skellington for a total of 16 minutes and 54 seconds of the film.
In an interview with Chris Sarandon, he states:
laughing and yelling and screaming. And he's perplexed and he's, you know, whatever he's going through, you're playing as real as you can, considering you're working in a very kind of a heightened reality. After looking at the storyboards and the footage of they'd already shot, you realize you're in something that's really quite unique to stop motion animation. And they hired me and I'm still, you know, surprised in a way. But I'm more than grateful because of the acceptance that this move in culture is just extraordinary."
In the film, Chris Sarandon's first lines are, "I believe it was our most horrible yet. Thank you everyone!" This quote takes place 4 minutes into the film. His final lines in the film are, "Merry Christmas!"
To read more of Chris Sarandon's interview with WVU Libraries, click the button below.
Fun Fact #3
Chris Sarandon reprised his role as Jack Skellington for the 2006 videogame sequel Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge. He also sang as Jack in the game!
In the videogame sequel to the film, Jack encounters challenges throughout Halloween Town after Oogie Boogie returns. Trapping other holiday characters, Oogie proclaims himself the Seven Holidays King and attempts to capture and destroy Jack. In order to stop him, Jack must defeat Oogie and his helpers Lock, Shock, and Barrel.
Chris Sarandon reprised his role for the videogame along side a few of his other cast members, such as Ken Page (Oogie Boogie) and Paul Rubins (Lock) (IMDb.com, Inc., 2022). The videogame also has a soundtrack in which Chris Sarandon sings as Jack Skellington.
Fun Fact #4
Chris Sarandon continued to reprise his role as Jack Skellington for the Kingdom Hearts and Disney Infinity videogames!
In the video game Kingdom Hearts 1 (English Version), Jack Skellington tries to control the Heartless (mindless villains who appear throughout the game). Along with Dr. Feinklestein, Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy, Jack attempts to create a heart for the Heartless. Before they can test the heart, Lock, Shock, and Barrel steal and deliver it to Oogie Boogie. It is up to Jack and his new friends to save Halloween Town from Oogie Boogie and the Heartless.
In Kingdom Hearts 2 (English Version), Jack Skellington attempts to reclaim Christmas as his own holiday. He seeks the help of Sally, Sora, Donald Duck, and Goofy to convince Santa Clause. Along the way, Maleficent and Oogie Boogie cause mischief with the help of Lock, Shock, and Barrel. With his friends, Jack must defeat Oogie Boogie and save Christmas.
In the Disney Infinity video game series, players can select characters to battle enemies and build worlds. One of the characters available to play is Jack Skellington from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.
On October 3, 2001, Disneyland created The Haunted Mansion Holiday attraction (Delpozo, 2020). Like the original Haunted Mansion ride, guests walk and ride through a haunted house, viewing spooky displays. However, in the holiday version of the attraction, Jack Skellington decides to take over. He puts his own spin on the classic ride, creating a Halloween/Christmas atmosphere to the haunting attraction. There are new elements each year, making it one of the most dynamic rides at Disneyland.
Fun Fact #5
Chris Sarandon voiced Jack Skellington during a special three month holiday version of The Hunted Mansion attraction in Disneyland.
Click the video to learn more about the creation of The Haunted Mansion Holiday attraction.
Click the button below to hear more about Chris Sarandon's experience reprising his role as Jack Skellington.