A Wild Fan Theory Links Tim Burton’s Animated Films Together

The Big Picture

• The Burton-Verse Theory connects Tim Burton’s films, suggesting that
  The Nightmare Before Christmas
  ,
  The Corpse Bride
  , and
  Frankenweenie
  take place in the same timeline.
• Fan theories propose that Sparky, Scraps, and Zero are all the same dog, with Sparky as the living form, Scraps as the skeletal form, and Zero as the soul form in the Afterlife.
• Another theory suggests that Victor Frankenstein, Victor Van Dort, and Jack Skellington are all the same person, with Victor’s journey spanning from
  Frankenweenie
  to
  Corpse Bride
  to
  Nightmare Before Christmas
  , experiencing memory loss and transformations along the way.

Tim Burton‘s The Nightmare Before Christmas premiered in theaters across the U.S. in October 1993. With the film recently celebrating its 30th anniversary and still thriving as a pop cultural phenomenon, it brings several discussions to mind about the film given its impact within the industry and its immense following. These discussions include interviews with its filmmakers and pieces covering the road to its release, but some of the most interesting topics come from fan theories about its story. Naturally, some of these can be a bit of a reach, such as Jack Skellington (Chris Sarandon; Danny Elfman) actually being Ankou, a henchman of Death in Celtic folklore. While many have not been confirmed, there are some that actually make sense. Chief among these in fan circles is the Burton-Verse Theory, which connects some of the famed creator’s cult classics.

To clarify: while the term “The Burton-Verse” covers more than one topic, this is referencing a collection of fan theories that claim The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Corpse Bride, and Frankenweenie take place at different points within the same timeline. In most cases, these theories connect the films through specific aspects such as similar physical appearances and the personalities of certain characters. As crazy as it sounds, there’s a logic at play within them. Some of it may seem a bit loose with some creative liberties sprinkled in, but that’s common practice with this sort of topic and, honestly, part of the fun of the discussion.

Sparky, Scraps, and Zero Are All the Same Dog

The most popular theory connecting the three films can be found on Reddit and revolves around the pets of their main characters. Put simply, it proposes that Sparky from Frankenweenie, Scraps from The Corpse Bride, and Zero from Nightmare are all the same dog. Naturally, Sparky would be its living form with Scraps and Zero as its respective skeletal and soul forms in the Afterlife. This makes sense as it points out that the dogs bear a strong resemblance to each other. Each possesses a narrow face and pointed nose as well as a lap-dog-sized body. Additionally, they have similar barks as well as nearly the same loyal, energetic, and expressive personalities.

This theory can also explain Zero’s ethereal glow and luminous nose as Sparky was reanimated twice with electricity. While some might point out their different owners and their existence within opposing time periods, there’s a theory which answers that too.

Victor Frankenstein, Victor Van Dort, and Jack Skellington Are All the Same Person

This theory could have simply recognized how much Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) from Frankenweenie, and Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp) from Corpse Bride resemble each other, thus being the same person, and stuck the landing at Jack Skellington as their final form and called it a day. However, it goes decidedly deeper into the narrative beginning in the 1950s, just after the last moments of Frankenweenie. After the citizens of New Holland come together and revive Sparky for the final time via the collective power of their car batteries, Victor continues perfecting his knack for invention with his canine companion by his side. He crafts all manner of machinations, eventually leading him to do what any genius innovator does within the realm of science fiction and construct a time machine. With his latest device, he and Sparky traverse time a la Mr. Peabody and Sherman, experiencing pinnacle moments in history or simply exploring certain periods and eras of time out of sheer interest. This goes well enough until something goes wrong with his invention, and they become stranded in England’s Victorian Era.

Unfortunately, as he’s still a young scientist, Victor has no way to prepare for this hapless event nor the unexpected side effects of time travel. This causes him to lose his memory except for his name, and he owns a very loyal and sewn-together dog whose name he can’t recall. Due to either its appearance or its predilection for food scraps, such as bones, he takes to calling the dog Scraps. After being homeless for some time, he’s taken in by the Van Dorts, a modest family of fish merchants whom he helps become wealthy by inventing canned fish. A few years later, Scraps passes away from old age and Victor reverts back to his shy, lonely nature as he has no way to bring him back within this century. Recognizing his misery, Victor’s adoptive parents set him up with another socialite family, which brings us to the events of The Corpse Bride.

Over their years together, they gain a love for holidays, with Victoria embracing Christmas and Victor taking a liking for Halloween. This continues through their later years and upon death, Victor is sent to Halloween Town in the afterlife where he awakens in skeletal form, much like what previously happened with Scraps. He’s reunited with his beloved pet, who is now a specter with a brightly lit nose, but he’s once again lost most of his memory. Given his new appearance, he takes on the name Jack Skellington and renames his dog Zero, assumedly because there’s nothing left of his physical body. After displaying his passion for Halloween year after year, he’s crowned King of Halloween Town where he becomes beloved by its citizens. Tying this into Nightmare Before Christmas, he realizes that there’s an emptiness growing within him, making him weary with the annual routine. Jack goes on a seemingly aimless journey, which leads him to Christmas Town. It’s theorized that while Jack doesn’t have any memory of his marriage with Victoria, the love from his previous life is why he’s drawn towards Christmas and becomes immediately captivated enough to bring the holiday to Halloween Town.

Of course, none of this makes sense logically. Given Burton’s art style, these could be mere nods to each other at best. There’s little to no empirical evidence that Jack and the two Victors are the same person, especially given the vast gaps in the eras in which they exist. But that strange and wild ride in which dots are offhandedly connected is why we love fan theories, especially when they’re just weird enough to work.

Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.

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