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The Nightmare Before Christmas has seven holiday doors. Fans have been given a chance to see onscreen Halloween Town and Christmas Town in depth. There’s another lovely holiday world that has been depicted in literary form, however.
The novel, Long Live The Pumpkin Queen, details the world of Valentine’s Town. It also introduces the non-holiday world of Dream Town. The Disney novel is set as a direct sequel to the film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. However, fans should note that the novel may not necessarily be considered entirely canonical to the film, should Disney produce a cinematic sequel in the future.
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The Nightmare Before Christmas Valentine's Day World
Valentine's Town is the holiday realm in The Nightmare Before Christmas that is based on Valentine's Day. Through the heart-shaped tree-door in the Hinterlands of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington and Sally venture into this world to celebrate their marriage in the sequel novel, Long Live The Pumpkin Queen.
Valentine’s Town smells of sugar, chocolate, and roses, according to Sally. There are even trees that grow into the shape of hearts and not a graveyard in sight, to her surprise. It’s the polar opposite of Halloween Town. Valentine’s Town is charming and cheery, full of sweet, delicious surprises and daylight. The world is inhabited by cupids and is governed by Queen Ruby Valentino.
Ruby Valentino is described as a beautiful and regal queen in contrast to the Pumpkin Queen Sally with her “dull hair.” Ruby is also in love with William Shakespeare. She’s a big fan of his poetry. Unfortunately, she has no idea he is deceased. But Jack assures her that he’ll let her know if he sees him. It’s not entirely impossible for William Shakespeare to appear in Halloween Town. After all, where else would the dead go in the world of The Nightmare Before Christmas?
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Why Are The Cupids So Naughty In Valentine's Town?
In Valentine's Town, Cupids dip their arrows in a fountain that holds their naturally occurring love potion. When people are struck by these fountain-dipped arrows, they fall in love. However, there’s an interesting species of bleeding-heart flower that grow in Valentine’s Town. If they should ever contaminate the fountain and the cupids mistakenly dip their arrows, anyone struck would end up with a broken heart instead.
The cupids are too careless to be vigilant about the quality of the potion in the fountain. Queen Ruby Valentino, therefore, is always on the lookout and the bleeding-heart flowers plucked out immediately. The cupids, on the other hand, are a lively bunch of misfits. They fly around Valentine’s Town in packs causing all sorts of trouble. The cupids may be inspired by Tim Burton's underused characters Lock, Shock, and Barrel. Ruby Valentino:
“Cupids can only be trusted on Valentine’s Day. The rest of the year, they’re an awful nuisance.”
The cupids are rather immature and enjoy a sugar rush all day, so it’s no surprise they’re hyperactive. Shooting their arrows at people once a year is enough to focus all their excitement on matchmaking. The rest of the year leaves them bored and restless. However, there’s no stopping cupids from shooting their arrows at people throughout the year.
How Holidays Happen In The Nightmare Before Christmas
It isn’t exactly explained how the holiday festivities are brought to the Human Realm beyond basic facts of the world. Christmas presents are delivered solely by Santa Claus. The Pumpkin King Jack Skellington brings trick-o-treats. Meanwhile, the cupids of Valentine’s Town facilitate falling in love with their arrows. But it has yet to be detailed whether any of the otherworldly visitors to the Human Realm are seen by humans.
Jack is probably the only one capable of delivering his Halloween fright fest unnoticed, as he blends in with the creepy costume crowds. Queen Ruby, however, seems to be less directly involved in creating the love for Valentine’s Day in the Human Realm, unlike the other governors of the Holiday Towns. That being said, she has the most important task of keeping the love potion fountain from being contaminated, or else there’ll be a Valentine’s Day disaster. Or possibly a miracle to a certain Pumpkin King, the nightmare before Valentine’s Day.
Though the sequel novel was permitted to be produced by Disney, Tim Burton should not get credit for Shea Ernshaw's brillaintly imaginative additions to the world of The Nightmare Before Christmas. A lovely parting inspiration from Valentine’s Town was the inn that Sally and Jack stayed at thanks to Queen Ruby. Jack thought it’d be great for tourism in Halloween Town so, he commissioned one to be built. The reactions from guests at the Halloween Town inn are exactly how fans would imagine this wonderfully horrible idea in the novel, Long Live The Pumpkin Queen.
Valentine’s Town is a joyful place with most people going about in pairs, holding hands. It’s full of treats, love, and cupid mischief. It’s a holiday world worth exploring on its own without cameos from characters of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Ruby Valentino seems to have a deep longing that is reminiscent of Jack’s in the film. The irony of the Queen of Valentine’s Day being single and what she’ll do to find love is yet another reason Disney should continue expanding the lore of The Nightmare Before Christmas.
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