A sequel to Tim Burton's Danny Elfman's recent comments on the possibility of The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 highlight why continuing Jack Skellington's story would be wrong. Danny Elfman was an intrinsic part of The Nightmare Before Christmas, as in addition to providing both the score and songs for the film, he was also Jack Skellington's singing voice—and voiced a few other characters too. Directed by Henry Selick, The Nightmare Before Christmas was a critical and commercial success when it was released in 1993, and its popularity has only increased over the decades, with a cult following and generations of fans. While it's tempting to want more of a good thing though, The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 could easily undermine what makes the original so good in the first place.
In 2001 Disney explored producing a The Nightmare Before Christmas sequel using computer animation, but Tim Burton quickly put a stop to that idea. The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 was once again considered in 2019 as either a stop-motion sequel or a live-action remake, as Disney has done with a lot of their classic animated movies, but nothing has been announced. Danny Elfman has stated that while he'd Tim Burton for The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 if Burton had a fresh take on it, "he's never expressed any interest in that. I think he felt like this was a pure thing and it was what it was and that to try to do sequels on it would, I think it's just not inspired him".
Danny Elfman's comments about purity and inspiration really sum up why The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 shouldn't happen. As Hollywood scrambles to produce sequels and franchise every possible intellectual property, The Nightmare Before Christmas stands out as a self-contained and untainted classic. As talented as the filmmakers are, it would be nigh on impossible to recapture the essence of its spirit in a sequel. It is a complete story, with no narrative threads left at the end of the movie that would justify The Nightmare Before Christmas 2. Jack, Sally, and the rest of the characters are beloved, but they've got their happy ending. Walking back any part of the story to create dramatic tension for a sequel would be a betrayal of how perfectly formed it is.
It's far better that Danny Elfman, Tim Burton, and Henry Selick make new movies rather than the impossible task of The Nightmare Before Christmas 2. While there are tree doors to other holiday worlds that technically could be explored in The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 (Thanksgiving, Easter etc..), none of them hold a candle to the magic and wonder of Christmas. The juxtaposition between Christmas and Halloween is so instantly classic and pure as a concept that changing it wouldn't feel right, and doing it again would be uninspired and repetitive.
While a sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas has never been made, the characters do live on in other formats and media. YA book Long Live The Pumpkin Queen will give Sally her own adventure, while Danny Elfman regularly tours the movie with a live orchestra in tow. There are The Nightmare Before Christmas video games, books, and comics that expand the world for fans without directly treading on the legacy of the original. As magical as the world of Halloween Town and Christmas Town are, The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 doesn't need to exist.
