Jack Skellington and friends are back to haunt New York City!
On Sept. 25, the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx opened its doors for the second year of Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” Light Trail. The luminous spectacle, which features 8,300 square feet of dazzling light installations, new interactive video projections, intelligent LED lighting and 3D printed sculptures of the film’s characters, is set to run for a 10-week limited engagement.
The light trail is the brainchild of Adventurelive – the producing team behind Broadway’s “Hamilton,” – and is being presented in collaboration with Buena Vista Theatrical. The production company has previously worked on shows like “Mrs. Doubtfire” and “Moulin Rouge! The Musical.”
While the attraction first made its debut last year, Adventurelive founder Jeffrey Seller says this fall his company had one main objective.
“Bigger and better,” Seller told The Hofstra Chronicle. “By that, I mean we were learning last year. I had never done a light trail before, I’m a Broadway musical theatre producer, so in many ways, I felt like last year was [a preview], and this year’s the real opening.”
Seller is no stranger to the theatre world, as the 60-year-old has served as a producer on multiple Tony Award winning Broadway shows, including “Rent,” “Avenue Q,” “In the Heights” and “Hamilton.” With over thirty years of experience in the industry, Seller knows what it takes to make an audience happy – regardless of the medium.
“When I do a new musical, my job is to surprise the audience,” Seller said. “And when I make a light trail, my job is to surprise the audience and fill them with delight. What’s great about this is that the whole experience is about your delight.”
The returning attraction is delivering numerous “delights” which have been upgraded since last year.
“The pretzels and the popcorn [are] better, and the hot chocolate and cider [are] better,” Seller said. “We didn’t even have time last year to create [merchandise], so [this year] we have an amazing merch store.”
Fans of the 1993 Tim Burton film showed up en masse for the event’s family preview. As they walked through the trail, embellished with statues of Jack Skellington, Sally, Oogie Boogie and more, attendees were in awe at the level of detail.
“I’m super excited to be here,” said Queens resident Nikkia Phillips. “The characters, the lights – the attraction is just beautiful.”
Many described feeling as if they’ve stepped right on screen.
“It feels like we’re in the movie,” said Queens resident Julia Adney. “It’s amazing.”
Those who went last year also noted the differences featured in the updated version.
“It is a lot bigger than last year,” said Staten Island resident Austin Lagatto. “Where we start is new. It’s a lot bigger, and I saw a lot of new characters.”
While the attraction was chock-full of spooky decorations – including spider webs, jack-o-lanterns and skulls – Lagatto says it lacked in the holiday spirit area.
“I’m still not thrilled with how the Christmas side looked,” Lagatto said. “Last year wasn’t that big. This year still isn’t, but I feel like they’re still doing something with it.”
Others expressed similar feelings, with another Staten Island resident, Freda Siemers, believing there’s “still more to come.”
“The Nightmare Before Christmas” Light Trail will remain open to families until it closes its doors on Nov. 30.
