The Nightmare Before Christmas screenwriter Caroline Thompson ‘begged’ Tim Burton to change ‘dangerous’ Oogie Boogie character

Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter for all the latest entertainment news and reviews Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter Sign up to our free IndyArts newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Caroline Thompson, the screenwriter behind some of Tim Burton’s most popular films, has revealed that she begged the director to change the Oogie Boogie character in The Nightmare Before Christmas. Plan auto-renews until cancelled Try for free “The Oogie Boogie character looks like a Klansman,” she said. It was a troubling part of the film for me, to be frank.” Thompson also pointed out that Oogie Boogie is voiced by a black artist, Ken Page, “so it’s like a trifecta of wrongness”. I think it’s a fun segment of the story as it was executed but it’s a troubling one.” Selick has previously stated that the Oogie Boogie character in The Nightmare Before Christmas was inspired by the Betty Boop cartoon, The Old Man of the Mountain.