'The Nightmare before Christmas' Crocodile prop

Crocodile prop used on a set from 'Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas,' a Skellington Productions stop-motion animation film directed by Henry Selick in 1993.

The crocodile shape is covered in wrapping paper like a present. It is decorated in the monochrome colour pallet of Halloweentown.

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare before Christmas (released 1993) was made by Touchstones Pictures, Skellington Productions Inc, Tim Burton Productions and Walt Disney Pictures in the Skellington Productions studio, San Fransisco.

The Nightmare before Christmas is a Tim Burton creation, developed out of a poem he wrote while working at Disney. It is set in the fictional town of Halloweentown where the pumpkin king Jack Skellington discovers Christmastown and gets swept up in the bright colours and warm spirit of the festive season.

The film was praised for its animation when it came out. Although it was only a modest box office hit, it has become somewhat of a cult film. Its beautiful, gothic and creepy style is a fine example of animation and storytelling.

The Nightmare before Christmas directors Tim Burton and Henry Selick had been impressed with Paul Berry’s work on The Sandman, a creepy, dark short horror version of Der Sandmann, written by E. T. A. Hoffmann.

Paul Berry is credited as one of the principal animators on The Nightmare before Christmas.