Back to A Nightmare before Xmas: any fans of this- Sara et al- may enjoy the stop-motion animations of Wladislaw Starewicz, through the silent era into the 30's. The Mascot has similarites with both Nightmare before Xmas (ghoulish moments) and The Wrong Trousers (charming dog hanging off back of a car, ears flapping etc). It would seem to me an influence on both. A distinctive, eccentric film-maker- see also the longer Tale of the Fox (a technical tour de force), Town Rat Country Rat (a charmer)