The production of the film started with a poem written by Tim Burton when he was working as a Disney animator in the early 1980s. With the critical success of Burton's stop-motion film Vincent in 1982, Disney started to consider The Nightmare Before Christmas as either a short subject or 30-minute television special. In 1990, Burton and Disney made a development deal. Production started in July 1991 in San Francisco. Walt Disney Pictures decided to release the film under their Touchstone Pictures banner because they thought Nightmare would be "too dark and scary for kids". The Nightmare Before Christmas grossed over $50 million during its initial theatrical release. While Disney suggested producing a sequel, Burton shot the idea down, claiming he wanted to "protect the purity of the movie."