'Nightmare Before Christmas' returns in 3-D

Sixteen years isn't quite long enough to officially be able to call a film a classic, but there's no reason to wait with "Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas." The wickedly sharp script, spookily stunning visuals and haunting soundtrack have earned the 1993 film a place among the all-time greats.

As if that weren't enough, it's been reworked in 3-D for its annual Halloween visit to local theaters. "Nightmare" didn't need the 3-D; it's just an additional treat.

"Nightmare" also deserves classic status because of how it has influenced the film business. Movies from "Toy Story" to "9" have copied the concern for the tiniest of writing details and the luscious visual textures that director Henry Selick used to bring the Tim Burton story to life. Although available on video and DVD for years, the large screen is the best way to fully see how each frame of the film is a masterpiece of design and execution.

Even the way Selick blends in the dramatic, and frantic, Danny Elfman score has become a blueprint for filmmakers over the past decade and a half.

Everything about "Nightmare" defies the standards of animation set in the '30s by the Disney studio. The story about how a melancholy Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, tries to reinvent Christmas is nightmarishly dark to the point of being too intense for young moviegoers.

Characters are elongated and malformed to the point of being nearly surreal. There is a captivating beauty in watching these uncharacteristic characters strut and fret their way across a landscape that looks like it was created by Vincent van Gogh.

"Nightmare" is militant in its defiance of standard animated filmmaking, even with the music. There are no bouncy tunes that will one day resonate over a theme park ride. Elfman, who also provides the singing voice for Skellington, has created a score that is Andrew Lloyd Webber on drugs. You won't be humming the tunes, but will have a hard time getting them out of your head.

There's no reason to wait 10 or 20 more years to declare "Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D" a classic, as it will only get better with time.