When I Met the Two
Jack Skellingtons

My favorite animated film will always be The Nightmare Before Christmas. Tim Burton and director Henry Selick really did their big one here. They masterfully combined two completely opposite concepts, the scary underworld and the wonders of Christmas, and made a family movie that everyone can watch throughout the holiday season. No other cartoon has been like it since.

I especially love the protagonist, Jack Skellington. As far as main animated characters go, he's one of the best. Despite being the skeletal “Pumpkin King” of Halloween Town, Jack always felt the most human to me. His desire for something new, his misguided efforts to bring Christmas to Halloween Town, and his eventual love for Sally were all hallmarks of a great cartoon hero.

The character was so awesome that it took two amazing performers to voice him. The legendary Chris Sarandon, whom many may remember as Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride, provided his speaking voice, while the iconic Danny Elfman provided the singing. And I gotta say, they both did a great job.

Honestly, I never knew two people voiced the character when I was younger. I only found out about it as an adult, and only because I became a fan of Sarandon after watching him in The Princess Bride. When I discovered he was one-half of Jack Skellington, I became an even bigger fan.

That's when I decided to get his autograph. Around then, I discovered that autograph-hounding was real. I always thought it was a stereotype that cartoons and shows exaggerated. But people really did dedicate time and effort to chase celebrities and get their autographs. And I wanted to be one of them.

With sheer determination, I finally achieved that goal in 2016. Chris Sarandon appeared at SacAnime Winter 2016 in Sacramento, participating in numerous panels throughout the convention. I attended his Nightmare Before Christmas panel, and I enjoyed hearing him talk about his experience in the movie. I also loved that he cherishes the film as much as I do.

And by the end of that day, I finally met him. It was surreal, to say the least. I had been watching and listening to him for years, so to experience it in person was almost overwhelming. Even during the panel, every time he spoke, I only heard Jack Skellington and Prince Humperdinck.

Fortunately, he was so nice in real life that I didn't have to stop liking him. I can't tell you how many times I've heard other autograph hounds cry about how their favorite celebrities were actually rude and nasty in real life. But that day, even from the signing line, I could see how warm and chatty he was with the volunteers and staff.

I only wish my encounter with Danny Elfman at the movie's 30th anniversary concert at the Hollywood Bowl had been just as eventful. On the Sunday night, he reunited with the late Catherine O'Hara for a lovely performance of the movie's famous songs, and it was one of the best live shows I've ever seen. I then got to briefly meet both of them and got their autographs on the same poster. Now that she's gone, that signature means the world to me.

I also met Greg Proops and the legendary Tim Burton in the past few years, and got them to sign the poster. It was the best time I ever had in autograph-hounding, and meeting the two Jack Skellingtons will always be the highlight.