Why Netflix’s Henry Selick Movie Is Better Than Nightmare Before Christmas 2

Netflix’s Henry Selick movie Wendell and Wild already looks a far better proposition than The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 movie would have been. Streaming giant Netflix released a clip of Wendell and Wild on February 3rd, 2022, via its glossy 2022 movie preview video, which is set to see the titular demons (voiced by Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, respectively) escaping from hell while being hunted by their demon-hunting sister Nelly. Although the preview is very brief, this clip allows audiences a peek into director Henry Selick’s dazzling vision ahead of its 2022 Netflix release.

Selick is no stranger to quality stop-motion world-building, with the American-born director helming both James and the Giant Peach and Coraline in recent years. Selick also directed Tim Burton’s 1993 The Nightmare Before Christmas to much acclaim in only his second feature film at the time. The Nightmare Before Christmas perfect casting and popularity led to continued clamor for a sequel over the years following its release that persists in contemporary culture.

Yet despite an enduring appetite to see The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 as a movie, Henry Selick’s Wendell and Wild is the far superior choice by the director. The Nightmare Before Christmas‘ ending feels very much like a closed book, meaning any sequel devised by Burton and Selick is likely to feel jarring in comparison. In contrast, Wendell and Wild gives Selick a chance to create his own world rather than being shackled back to Burton’s vision some 26 years after the pair’s last collaboration – with Wendell and Wild looking phenomenal.

While The Nightmare Before Christmas remains a beloved, timeless story, it is certainly not one that warrants a further chapter. The film’s end sees Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon) make amends and save Halloween Town’s Christmas before declaring his love to Sally (Schitt’s Creek‘s Catherine O’Hara), who reciprocates his feelings, perfectly concluding Jack’s character arc. As such, a revision to Tim Burton’s and Henry Selick’s classic movie in a potential The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 would likely result in the tarnishing of a beloved IP.

In contrast, Selick’s Wendell and Wild looks to be flourishing without the constraints of audience expectation. Selick has penned a wholly original story and married his creative genius with hot properties Key and Peele to create a new vision that still retains the essence of The Nightmare Before Christmas‘ original stop-motion magic. Selick has already proven he is an adept storyteller in this medium’s arena, with 2009’s Coraline standing as unequivocal proof that he can mold a narrative without Burton’s direction.

Simply put, Selick has earned the right to create his own worlds, with Wendell and Wild looking a quality production on Netflix’s 2022 movies slate. He has also chosen his partners wisely, with Jordan Peele, in particular, an artist with his finger firmly on a winning pulse after cinematic horror hits such as Get Out and Us. The Nightmare Before Christmas 2 may well be the more recognizable setting, but Henry Selick’s Wendell and Wild is set up perfectly to be the far better movie choice for the veteran stop-motion director and audiences alike.

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