From the Disney Parks Blog and written by: Allison Citino
If you’re a fan of Jerrod Maruyama’s unique Disney-inspired artwork, you may remember his 2018 merchandise collection inspired by Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, which brought his adorable art style to some of our favorite Halloween Town residents. Now fans can experience his artwork in a brand new way when thirteen days of frighteningly festive fun come to life in the new picture book, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: 13 Days of Christmas.
Renowned Imagineers Steven Davison and Carolyn Gardner’s text turns turtle doves and French hens into floating candles and true-love potions. When you combine that with Maruyama’s adorably spooky art style, it’s the perfect spine-chilling spin on Christmas traditions! We’re giving you an exclusive first look at what happens when two holidays collide, and an interview with Jerrod himself.
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.
Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: 13 Days of Christmas is available wherever books are sold beginning July 6. For more information, visit DisneyBooks.com. Get in on the festive fun!
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