Henry Selick , director of 1993 cult classic The Nightmare Before Christmas , has revealed he’s hidden a Jack Skellington in every one of his films. “If you look very, very carefully, you might find that there’s some image of Jack in every other film I’ve made. But I can’t legally say that’s true, but it might be true,” Selick said in an interview with GamesRadar+.
The Nightmare Before Christmas was Selick’s directorial debut. He went on to make James and the Giant Peach (1996) , Monkeybone (2001), Coraline (2009), and Wendell & Wild (2022). Many of his films share similar stories of alternate worlds and realities.
It makes sense that there would be some cross-references or Easter eggs in them. He hinted that Coraline fans who carefully watch the breakfast scene might see the eggs that the Other Mother cracks resemble the famous King of Halloween. In James and the Giant Peach , the captain of Skeleton Pirates looks like Jack—and is even referred to as “a Skellington.
” In Wendell & Wild , he pops up in the end credits. Jack Skellington has made supposed cameos in other films, including 2010’s Alice in Wonderland —directed by Nightmare Before Christmas producer Tim Burton— in the Mad Hatter’s tie, and 2003’s Finding Nemo , hidden in the bubbles in Gil’s fish tank. Sally and Jack appear in Disney Pixar’s Ralph Breaks the Intern e t .
Selick has also put other Easter eggs into his movies, including the Other Father wearing “Monkeybone” slip.