<P> Disney decided to release the film under their Touchstone Pictures banner because they thought the film would be "too dark and scary for kids", Selick remembered . "Their biggest fear, and why it was kind of a stepchild project, (was) they were afraid of their core audience hating the film and not coming ." To convey Burton's' involvement and attract a wider audience, Disney marketed the film as Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas . Burton explained that, "...it turned more into more of a brand - name thing, it turned into something else, which I'm not quite sure about ." The film premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 9, and was given a limited release on October 15, 1993, before its wide theatrical release on October 29 . </P> <P> The Nightmare Before Christmas was reissued by Disney under the Walt Disney Pictures banner and re-released on October 20, 2006, with conversion to Disney Digital 3 - D. Industrial Light & Magic assisted in the process . The film subsequently received annually releases in October 2007 and 2008 . The El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California has been showing the film in 4 - D screenings annually in October, ending on Halloween, since 2010 . The reissues have led to a reemergence of 3 - D films and advances in RealD Cinema . </P> <P> With years of successful home video sales, Nightmare subsequently achieved the ranks of a cult film . Touchstone Home Video first released the film on VHS on September 30, 1994, and on DVD on December 2, 1997 . The DVD release contained no special features . Nightmare was released a second time on October 3, 2000 as a special edition . The release included an audio commentary by Selick and cinematographer Pete Kozachik, a 28 - minute making - of documentary, a gallery of concept art, storyboards, test footage and deleted scenes . Burton's Vincent and Frankenweenie were also included . Both DVDs were non-anamorphic widescreen releases . </P> <P> Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment released the film on DVD again (this time with an anamorphic transfer) and on Blu - ray Disc (for the first time) on August 26, 2008 as a two - disc digitally remastered "collector's edition", but still containing the same special features . </P>

What is the theme of the nightmare before christmas