The Nightmare Before Christmas is perhaps Tim Burton's most iconic film. Or at least that's what people seem to think. The only problem is that Tim Burton isn't even the one who made it, but most people, when they think of this movie, associate Tim Burton with it and even credit him as the creator. The real creator of the film is actually Henry Selick, who served as visionary director.
Tim Burton's involvement in The Nightmare Before Christmas goes as far as a poem with the same name he wrote in 1982 along with a drawing of Jack and Zero. Tim Burton said he was too busy and didn't want to deal with the painstakingly slow process of stop motion, so he passed off the work to Henry Selick. Although Caroline Thompson is credited with having written the screenplay, the story was always evolving. She told Insider that Selick is not given enough credit for the movie.
One of the most known characters, Oogie Boogie, was not even in Burton's poem; in fact, most characters were not in the poem. He was added as a villain for the film. Although Tim Burton laid the framework for the plot and designed some characters through his poem, Henry Selick is the one who fleshed out the story and did the work on the film. It was his direction that made it what it is, and he deserves the credit for it. The 1300 word poem was an idea and starting point but not the final product.
If Henry Selick had been given more credit for the film that he made, he might have been more of a household name. To date, he has only made 3 major stop motion films. Other than The Nightmare Before Christmas, he directed James and the Giant Peach, and Coraline. What's sadder is that his other two films are often referred to as Tim Burton films as well, even though Burton was only a producer on James and the Giant Peach and he wasn't involved with Coraline at all. Selick has stayed in Burton's shadow for most of his career. However, he is set to direct a television adaptation of the popular indie game Little Nightmares.
On the other hand, Tim Burton has had a very successful career and has been able to make many films. He has directed 19 movies and several short films and TV shows. Tim Burton did conceive the story, but the movie itself is not his work to claim. Branding plays an important role in why Burton is more ubiquitous amongst moviegoers. He was able to have a personal brand, that brand just being himself and word of mouth. Everything about Burton from his name to his appearance and to his films helped create his unique brand. He advertises himself well.
This is not the first time the more popular of two artists outshone the other, who did equal work or more. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, inventors of the art movement cubism, bounced ideas back and forth—each time pushing the other to go further and beyond. Eventually, they created what is known as cubism today. But Pablo Picasso, be it because of a more sociable personality or better name, is widely recognized as the sole creator of cubism.
A lot of the time, when more than one artist collaborates on a project, it can be a struggle to get recognition for the work they've done. It seems once the media has produced the idea that one artist worked alone and pushes that idea onto the public, the fate of the other artist is sealed. It can be an uphill fight to get credited for the work they have done, and it is made even more difficult when the public already has the idea of who it is they think is the creator in their heads. This is why Henry Selick needs justice and a push for rebranding.
Tim Burton has only directed two stop motion films—Corpse Bride and Frakenweenie. Although both of these films are good, Henry Selick's three stop motion films are arguably just as good or better. Selick isn't the only one who hasn't been able to make a name for themself. ParaNorman, created by Chris Butler and Sam Fell, is another stop motion film that Tim Burton has no involvement in that he still gets credited for. It seems like the best thing for anyone who is getting into this type of work or similar can do is make sure they own their brand and push their name.
It can be a little deterring for an artist when it is known that this sort of thing happens often. Henry Selick is a talented creator whose career may have been ruined by a lack of public marketing. The Nightmare Before Christmas took about three years to film, and that amount of work deserves proper recognition.