‘The Simpsons’ Meets ‘Nightmare Before Christmas’: Tim Long

Products You May Like

Homer as the Mayor. Bart as Jack Skellington. Ned Flanders as Oogie Boogie. This year’s The Simpsons Halloween opening is having a whole lot of fun with The Nightmare Before Christmas, and we caught up with co-executive producer Tim Long to talk about bringing the two worlds together.

As we shared in our first look at “Treehouse of Horror XXXVII”, Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, the team behind Robot Chicken, created the opening. The episode airs Sunday, October 25, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Fox, with streaming the following day on Hulu.

Long tells us the sequence took roughly six months to create. As for why this was finally the year to pay tribute to Henry Selick’s Halloween classic? Well, apparently Fox had some airtime to fill. Read our full exchange below.

‘Treehouse of Horror XXXVII’ Turns Springfield Into ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’ [Images]

Dread Central: How did the idea to turn The Simpsons into The Nightmare Before Christmas come about, and why was this the perfect year to do it?

Tim Long: It seemed like a mash-up that was just sitting there, begging to happen, and we were finally smart enough to do it. And this was the perfect year to do it because we had 25 extra seconds at the top of the show and Fox doesn’t like it when we broadcast a blank screen for almost half a minute.

DC: How did you decide which Simpsons characters would play which Nightmare Before Christmas characters? Were there any particularly funny choices or characters that didn’t make the cut?

Tim Long: So many characters just seemed to naturally suggest themselves. Ned as Oogie Boogie? Check. Homer as the Mayor? Of course! And Bart as Jack Skellington? Does the term no-brainer mean anything to you?

DC: What was the biggest challenge in bringing Springfield to life through stop-motion animation, and how long did the entire sequence take to create?

Tim Long: The biggest challenge was picking up the phone and calling Stoopid Buddies, the best damn stop-motion company in the country. Everything was easy after that. In terms of time, I think the whole process took six months, because in show business everything takes longer than it should.

DC: How much inspiration did you take from Henry Selick’s original film, and were there any specific scenes or details you wanted to recreate?

Tim Long: The part where they sing “This Is Halloween” was obviously the inspiration. But all the stuff with Oogie Boogie — and the reveal that he’s full of bugs — also felt like a natural.

DC: If you could give another classic horror movie the Simpsons stop-motion treatment, which one would you choose and why?

Tim Long: I think that “Melania” documentary looks pretty scary. We’ll take a look at that.