Disney Confirms New Nightmare Before Christmas Sequel for 2026

The Nightmare Before Christmas will return later this year, just in time for Halloween. A new four-part story marks the return to Tim Burton's beloved holiday world.

Screen Rant shared cover art for both the paperback and hardcover editions of the upcoming The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town story, which is reportedly set for release on Sept. 15, 2026. A listing for the items was posted on Target's official website, where the paperback retailed for $15.99, and the hardcover was priced at $22.99. Jack Skellington and Sally star on the cover art, which can be seen below, along with a preview of the book's interior art.

New Nightmare Before Christmas Sequel Adds a Delightfully Spooky New Character

The Shiver of Christmas Town was previously released as four individual issues by Dynamite Entertainment, with the series making its debut back in January. The upcoming collected edition will include the entire series, making it the perfect purchase for fans looking to read the whole story in one sitting without having to hunt down each issue at their local comic shop.

The Nightmare Before Christmas miniseries put a new spin on the classic story, focusing primarily on Sally and Lock, Shock, and Barrel rather than the iconic Jack Skellington. The Shiver of Christmas Town was written by Red Sonja's Torunn Grønbekk with art by Edu Menna (Army of Darkness).

In the first issue, Dr. Finkelstein unveils his newest creation: the scariest creature ever...only to find it's a lot more cute and cuddly than terrifying. The scientist hands his creation over to Sally, who names it Shiver due to its freezing breath. Little Shiver eventually finds his way into Oogie Boogie's lair, launching a can't-miss adventure for fans of the movie.

Meanwhile, the Mayor tasks Lock, Shock, and Barrel with teaching the residents of Christmas Town how to trick-or-treat as the two realms continue to try to share their holiday traditions. Readers will get to see Christmas Town celebrating Halloween for the first time, and naturally, there are plenty of pranks to mark the occasion.

By the end of the story, Shiver becomes a lot more like Dr. Finkelstein originally envisioned, with Dynamite's solicit teasing: "With an unleashed Shiver finally showing his scary side, and Oogie Boogie’s ghouls running rampant in pursuit, the cozy little holiday town’s first-ever Halloween celebration looks as though it’s going to be permanently derailed. But with luck — and a bit of teamwork — Sally, Mrs. Claus, and their group of unlikely heroes might yet save the day!"

The Nightmare Before Christmas Sequel Was Created with Disney & Burton's Approval

It's been a long wait for fans to finally get a new story in the world of The Nightmare Before Christmas, and thankfully, neither Disney nor Tim Burton wanted to see The Christmas of Shiver Town disappoint. Grønbekk previously told AIPT that the entire series underwent edits and changes at Disney's and Burton's request. "Every outline and every script sort of goes through both Disney and Tim Burton," Grønbekk said.

As a result, some of the planned jokes for the issues were cut or adjusted. "We had some jokes cut…it turns out my humor is a little too dark," Grønbekk explained, adding that it was still a relatively smooth process of ensuring Halloween Town remained true to its original vision. "We would get into like, ‘Can we add like this certain shop into Halloween Town? Is that OK to do that?' and then that would sort of go through the chain to make sure that it felt correct for everyone involved."

The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town TPB goes on sale Sept. 15.