Most of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas takes place in Halloween Town, the home of protagonist Jack Skellington, but Jack is not the only leader in town. While Jack is central to the plot of the film and commands the respect of Halloween Town residents, the Mayor and Oogie Boogie are also shown in leadership capacities. The town overwhelmingly looks to Jack for leadership, which makes the Mayor and Oogie Boogie seem redundant in the community.
Jack Skellington, voiced by Chris Sarandon and Danny Elfman, is the Pumpkin King and master of ceremonies for Halloween, the town’s most important event. The Mayor appears to be an administrator, meeting with Jack for event planning and making announcements to the community, using his two faces to express how well, or poorly he believes things are going for the town. Oogie Boogie mostly lurks in his lair during The Nightmare Before Christmas, having nothing to do with the day-to-day running of Halloween Town and instead using his shadow and his minions to cause chaos for his amusement.
One theory that might explain the presence of these three leaders in The Nightmare Before Christmas (the Mayor, Jack Skellington, and Oogie Boogie) is that they are intended to map onto the Freudian trio of id, ego, and superego. The Freudian trio is often used in character design for movies and literature, and groups of three in stories can often be categorized this way. This theory would also justify the existence of the Mayor and Ken Page’s Oogie Boogie in Halloween Town, as they seem to be ineffective at actual leadership.
Halloween Town’s Mayor is the Superego
The Mayor of Halloween Town is a fussy man overly concerned with protocols and what should be done. He exemplifies the Superego, the part of the mind that Sigmund Freud identified as concerned with rules and order. The moment Halloween ends, he is keen to start planning for the next one, and he becomes quite upset when Jack is not available the day after Halloween. The Mayor is happy when there is a plan, and upset whenever anything unexpected happens.
Clues that Oogie Boogie Represents the Id
Oogie Boogie, or the Boogie Man, is composed of a mass of insects contained in a body of burlap. He is driven by his baser desires, as seen when he is easily distracted by the disembodied leg of future Pumpkin Queen Sally. Oogie Boogie’s lair has a casino theme, he openly admits to a love of gambling and taking risks, and he cheats when he is losing. All of these details and more match well with the idea that he represents the Id, or emotional and instinctual desires. He is akin to a mob boss for Halloween Town, acting outside the law and according to his own whims.
Jack Represents the Ego of Halloween Town
The third member of the Freudian Trio, the Ego, mediates between the Id and the Superego. The ego finds ways of meeting or curbing the id’s desires within the bounds of social conventions. This is Jack’s role in the iconic Halloween movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. We see that Jack works closely with the Mayor in planning Halloween, presumably taking the Mayor’s input on what is needed and using those guidelines to make concrete plans. He also tries to keep Oogie Boogie out of the goings-on in Halloween Town, because he is concerned that Oogie Boogie will cause problems with his sadistic and self-centered desires.
Why Jack Is The Real Halloween Town Leader
Jack’s centrality as the ego also explains why he is the true leader of Halloween Town and the protagonist of The Nightmare Before Christmas. The ego is also called ‘The I’ and is considered closest to the conscious mind. In The Nightmare Before Christmas, he is the Spirit of Halloween Town, just as Santa Claus is the Spirit of Christmas. That is also why a sequel to The Nightmare Before Christmas if it happens, would most likely center on Jack as well. The Mayor cedes responsibility to him and completely falls apart whenever Jack is unavailable because he needs Jack to make the decisions. He explicitly states that “I’m only an elected official here! I can’t make decisions by myself!” He is right, as the superego only provides rules to help make or judge decisions. Oogie Boogie would like to be in control, but Jack as the ego works to control the id, Oogie Boogie, and keep him from running amok. Oogie Boogie fears Jack because he knows that Jack ultimately has the power between them.
While Freud is largely discredited as a psychologist today, his theories remain influential in storytelling. This film in Tim Burton’s Dark Christmas trilogy may be one of the many influenced by the Freudian trio in terms of character design. Without this framing, the existence of a Mayor who is unable to lead and the continued tolerance for Oogie Boogie in The Nightmare Before Christmas do not make much sense.
