SAN ANTONIO — What's this? What's this? There's color everywhere. What's this? A display of which to be aware.
This October will mark 30 years since the release of "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and the McNay Art Museum is getting a head start with this week's opening of "Dreamland," a new exhibit spotlighting the artistry that went into producer Tim Burton's stop-motion animated classic.
Opening Thursday and running through the start of 2024, McNay staff say "Dreamland" will guide visitors "through the world of Burton" and give them "an open invitation to conjure fantasy narratives of their own using surreal imagery from the McNay's collection on display throughout the gallery."
"The Nightmare Before Christmas," which follows Jack Skellington's disruptive efforts to infuse morbid Halloween Town with the joy of the Christmas season, remains one of the biggest stop-motion movies ever made. It brought the unique take on animation to a mainstream contemporary audience for the first time.
"Dreamland" is expected to provide an intimate look at the Oscar-nominated film's craft. According to a McNay release, it will showcase character and set models seen on the screen that have been part of the McNay's Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts, pieces of which are consistently dusted off and displayed in exhibits shaped around film or theater.
But "Dreamland" will go beyond the influence of Burton and director Henry Selick to include what the McNay calls a "hall of peculiar portraits," featuring works from the likes of Picasso, Eugene Berman and Claudia Rogge to "welcome visitors into colorful and arresting worlds."
McNay Director Matthew McLendon said in a release that this year's anniversary of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" provides "the perfect opportunity not only to share Burton's fascinating set and character models, but also illuminate equally fascinating McNay artworks available to San Antonians throughout the year."
The exhibit opens Thursday and runs through Jan. 14. Museums hours are available here.
>MORE LOCAL NEWS:
>TRENDING ON KENS 5 YOUTUBE:
