Despite the rousing Halloween celebration that kicks off the movie, Jack Skellington, Halloween Town's Pumpkin King, can't help but feel dissatisfied by its repetitive nature. Furthermore, as he explains in the song "Jack's Lament," he feels completely alone in his frustrations, confiding his feelings only to his pet ghost dog, Zero. Unbeknownst to Jack and Zero, however, Sally, the living doll, overhears Jack's lamentations while hidden, and feels an instant kinship. Like Jack, Sally also desires to experience something new — in her case, freedom from her possessive creator, Dr. Finkelstein.
While Sally doesn't reveal her presence or her growing romantic feelings in that moment, Jack deciphers the latter for himself after rescuing her and Santa Claus from Oogie Boogie. Realizing Sally had tried to free Santa before becoming Oogie's captive herself as a means to aid Jack, the Pumpkin King catches up to Sally on Spiral Hill, where the two express what's in their hearts through song. In doing so, both characters have not just gained a romantic partner, but a confidante whom they can relate their innermost thoughts to. In the past, Jack might have feared expressing such feelings like his boredom over Halloween, which could have thrown the beloved town he governs into something of a panic. Yet now, he has someone he can be completely honest with, while Sally's gained someone she doesn't have to tiptoe around, as she does with Finkelstein.
