<P> Michael A. Morrison discusses the influence of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! on the film, writing that Jack parallels the Grinch and Zero parallels Max, the Grinch's dog . Philip Nel writes that the film "challenges the wisdom of adults through its trickster characters", contrasting Jack as a "good trickster" with Oogie Boogie, whom he also compares with Dr. Seuss' Dr. Terwilliker as a bad trickster . Entertainment Weekly reports that fan reception of these characters borders on obsession, profiling Laurie and Myk Rudnick, a couple whose "degree of obsession with (the) film is so great that...they named their son after the real - life person that a character in the film is based on ." This enthusiasm for the characters has also been profiled as having spread beyond North America to Japan . Yvonne Tasker notes "the complex characterization seen in The Nightmare Before Christmas". </P> <P> Danny Elfman was worried the characterization of Oogie Boogie would be considered racist by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Elfman's predictions came true; however, director Henry Selick stated the character was inspired by the Betty Boop cartoon The Old Man of the Mountain . "Cab Calloway would dance his inimitable jazz dance and sing' Minnie the Moocher' or' Old Man of the Mountain', and they would rotoscope him, trace him, turn him into a cartoon character, often transforming him into an animal, like a walrus," Selick continued . "I think those are some of the most inventive moments in cartoon history, in no way racist, even though he was sometimes a villain . We went with Ken Page, who is a black singer, and he had no problem with it". </P> <P> The film was nominated for both the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation . Nightmare won the Saturn Award for Best Fantasy Film, while Elfman won Best Music . Selick and the animators were also nominated for their work . Elfman was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score . Most recently, the film ranked #1 on Rotten Tomatoes' "Top 25 Best Christmas Movies" list . </P> <P> The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists: </P>

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