Zero is Jack's ghost-dog who serves as the tritagonist of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas and the titular protagonist of the graphic novel sequel Zero's Journey. Show
Zero has a glowing pumpkin nose, (which glows red) an obvious Halloween pun of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Zero helps guide his master Jack Skellington through the fog on Christmas Eve. Zero has a doghouse gravestone in the graveyard seen before Jack enters the Hinterlands. The Poem[]Zero emerging from the graveyard in Burton's illustration for the poem. Zero first appears in Tim Burton's original poem, who is described as "the best friend (Jack) had". Zero feels sad after going unnoticed by Jack, attempting to cheer him up but coming to no avail. At the end of the poem, Zero turns into a tissue box for Jack to wipe his tears with. The Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's Revenge[]Jack and Zero in Oogie's Revenge. Zero appears in the sequel video game Oogie's Revenge, where he first appears out from his grave in the graveyard and approached by Jack. He helps Jack find the Hanged Men by flying in the graveyard and barking to alarm him when he sees one. Zero doesn't make many appearances in the game, only assisting Jack in two levels. Zero's Journey[]Zero returns as the protagonist of the sequel comic book, "Zero's Journey", where he gets lost in Christmas Town after an accident in Jack's House. He first appears sleeping in the comic, but wakes up wanting to play with Jack. He first gets ignored, but convinces his owner to stay for a game of fetch, where Jack removes his rib bone and tosses it around the room. Zero chases after it and nearly causes a mess in Jack's study, wearing his night cap after falling into a pile. Jack throws his bone one more time, accidentally bumping into his desk and dropping his portal device. He also incidentally opens up the portal through Halloween Town, which Zero flies through in an attempt to catch his rib. He chases it through the graveyard and into the forest, where he finds the rib in the middle of the holiday doors. Much like his owner, Zero becomes fascinated with the Christmas door and goes through it, and gets lost in Christmas Town. The reason he appears as the main character is because, according to a message left by creators TOKYOPOP, they "always wished there were more scenes with Zero. He was always there for Jack, floating along, a loyal companion." Trivia[]
Gallery[]Click here to view the gallery for Zero. “My, what a brilliant nose you have. The better to light my way! You're the head of the team, Zero!”―Jack Skellington
BackgroundPersonalityZero is entirely loyal to his master. Despite his ghostly form, he acts very much like a normal dog; his favorite activity is fetching the bones pulled from Jack's skeletal body. Despite Zero's loyalty, he (along with Sally) was the only Halloween Town resident to show reservation with Jack's unhealthy obsession with Christmas. It would appear that Zero is rather perceptive, as his concerns proved to be valid when Jack's Christmas turned out to be a disaster. Zero's primary concern is Jack's happiness. Despite his reservations with the Christmas ordeal, Zero aided Jack with overtaking the holiday with the hope of helping the latter live out his dream. He did, however, try to steer Jack in the right direction by reminding him of his true purpose (doing so by showing a portrait depicting Jack with a pumpkin). Like Sally, Zero's efforts fell on deaf ears until the third act of the movie. Physical appearanceZero is a ghostly dog that appears to be made of a white sheet, much like a stereotypical ghost. Like Pluto, he has basset hound-esque floppy ears. His "eyes" are just empty holes in the sheet. Zero's snout is very long and thin, and his upper jaw curls upward at the tip. His nose is a small glowing jack-o-lantern like Rudolph's red nose, and his collar is a faded brown color. AppearancesThe Nightmare Before ChristmasZero first appears when he is summoned from his grave by Jack after the yearly Halloween celebration ends and comforts his master as the latter expresses his grievances over Halloween's waning excitement. Zero later accompanies Jack for his walk through the woods, and in during which, begs to play fetch. The two later find a mysterious area filled with multiple doors that lead to similar worlds focused on different holidays. Jack enters the Christmas door, and Zero stays behind. When Jack returns, Zero is by his side as the former enters Halloween Town's square with various Christmas-related items. Jack makes it his mission to study Christmas and incorporate its customs into Halloween Town. Zero becomes increasingly wary of Jack's growing obsession, and when Christmas finally comes (which Jack forcefully decides to take over as Santa Claus for the year) Zero is selected to lead the sleigh so that his shining nose can guide the other reindeer into the human world. During the escapade, Jack and Zero are shot down from the sky by the military, though both survive. In a graveyard, Jack comes to terms with his role as the Pumpkin King, much to Zero's delight, and the two return to Halloween Town in haste to rescue Santa Claus from Oogie Boogie. During the battle, Zero barks aggressively at Oogie and looks in shock as the villain dies at Jack's hands. During the finale, Jack and Sally confess their love for one another, and as they do so on the spiraling hill, Zero watches on before flying into the sky and turning into a star. Other appearancesAn emoticon version of Zero appeared in the As Told by Emoji episode based on The Nightmare Before Christmas. He started the short as an emoji of a normal dog (alongside an emoji of a pumpkin) before transforming to his well-known ghostly appearance. Video gamesThe Nightmare Before Christmas: Oogie's RevengeZero appears as an ally to Jack, vital in certain parts of the storyline. After hearing from Corpse Kid and Clown that Oogie's baddies had kidnapped Sally and taken her to the cemetery, Jack rushes there himself. He finds the Hanging Tree, though his Hanging Men are missing, who states that he doesn't know where Sally is but adds that his men might. Jack states that he could track them down and ask, and mentions that he could use Zero's nose for it. Hanging Tree directs him to Zero's grave and, after a skirmish with Lock and some skeletons, Jack reaches the grave and calls Zero. He emerges and leads Jack to five separate places in the graveyard, where each Hanging Man is hiding. He is seen again much later after Jack has all but undone everything Oogie did in Halloween Town. He learned from Oogie's shadow that the villain was currently in Christmas Town, so he calls Zero again from his grave to help him find the key to Spiral Hill so that he can reach the Hinterlands. Zero's nose again proves helpful, and Jack finds the key. Zero's grave is accessible at any point once the Graveyard can be reached, but he will never be home except for those two times. Apart from that, he is only seen in the closing scene, as Jack and Sally share a heartfelt moment like the ending of the film. Kingdom Hearts seriesZero is a relatively minor character in the Kingdom Hearts series, usually only seen in the background of Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II in his homeworld, Halloween Town. He is given a slightly larger role in Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days, where he can sense Heartless and uses this ability to help Jack Skellington and Roxas. Disney ParksDisneyland ResortZero appears in the Haunted Mansion Holiday attraction in the Endless Hallway, the Ballroom, and the Graveyard scene with Jack. He also appears in Disneyland's Happy Hallowishes fireworks show, floating over the castle in a similar fashion to Tinker Bell. In 2016, Zero appeared in the unit based on The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disneyland's Frightfully Fun Parade. Walt Disney WorldZero makes a cameo appearance during the segment of Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! based on The Nightmare Before Christmas in Disney's Hollywood Studios. GalleryTrivia
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Is zero in Nightmare Before Christmas a girl or boy?Character information
Zero is a supporting character in Tim Burton's 1993 stop-motion Disney film, The Nightmare Before Christmas. He is Jack Skellington's pet ghost dog.
What is Zero's nose in Nightmare Before Christmas?Zero has a glowing pumpkin nose, (which glows red) an obvious Halloween pun of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Zero helps guide his master Jack Skellington through the fog on Christmas Eve.
What type of dog is zero?Zero has a slender, pointed face, and long, floppy ears, followed by an elongated ghost body. Many fans have noticed that he appears to be inspired by the dachshund breed.
What's the dog's name off of Nightmare Before Christmas?Zero is Jack's ghost dog who floats about freely and follows Jack wherever he goes. His nose, which is in the shape of a glowing orange jack-o-lantern, also doubles as a bright light.
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