Sneak Peek: “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: 13 Days of Christmas”
Can you believe that there are only 122 days until Halloween and only 177 more days until Christmas? Not in the holiday spirit yet? I can fix that! Fans of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas will be excited to hear that a new picture book, “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: 13 Days of Christmas” is coming our way.
The book features Jerrod Maruyama’s unique Disney-inspired artwork who’s incredibly popular 2018 merchandise collection was inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. Maruyama’s spooky artwork along with renowned Imagineers Steven Davison and Carolyn Gardner’s text gives us the perfect spine-chilling spin on Christmas traditions.
Today we are bringing you an interview with Jerrod himself to give you a first look at what happens when two holidays collide.
Q: Tell us a little bit about how this project came to be.
A: I’ve illustrated several books for Disney and this was just one of the titles that happened to come my way. I was thrilled and honored when I was approached by Disney Art Director Brent Ford to take on this project. The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favorite films and the Holiday overlay of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland is just about perfect. So, this was a dream assignment for me.
Q: What was it like to revisit the residents of Halloween Town for this picture book?
A: The film has such a distinct look, it was quite a challenge to re-interpret the characters in a slightly more kid friendly way. But it was a challenge I welcomed. It’s what I love to do most with my work.
Q: Who are your favorite Nightmare Before Christmas characters to illustrate?
A: It’s so difficult to choose. Scary Teddy is one of my favorites. He’s a great combination of cute and spooky and that’s always fun to play around with. I love the contrast – it makes for the most interesting designs.
Q: What are some of the differences in illustrating for a picture book vs. creating artwork for prints and merchandise?
A: There isn’t a big difference in terms of actually creating the work. All of my art is done digitally using Adobe Illustrator. While all my art has some elements of storytelling, illustrations for books have a much more specific purpose. The images have to convey the words of the manuscript in a very direct way – especially when illustrating for a younger audience. Also, the setting is much more important when illustrating a book. For something like this ‘Nightmare’ book, I had to use references from the film to try and make things look similar to what we see onscreen.
So get ready! Beginning July 6th Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: 13 Days of Christmas is available wherever books are sold. For more information, visit DisneyBooks.com.
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: 13 Days of Christmas Credit: Disney
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