WHEN the Wild Things Are...

If you’re not aware, Maurice Sendak’s classic Where the Wild Things Are is hitting the big screen. Like you, I would assume, I loved this book as a kid. And like you, I would also assume, I bemoaned this fate of one of the most treasured and beloved books. It’s not exactly a cinema-sustainable plotline. But the more I heard and saw, the more I swayed. They’ve been trying to produce one for a decade or more… and I swear I saw a CGI Max chasing the cat around the house with a meat cleaver. (Good grief!) The one I speak of, however, is live action directed by Spike Jonze. Jim Henson Productions is creating the Wild Things. For there is nothing quite as “real” as a tangible creature. However, CGI can bring forth much that animatronic puppetry cannot. Thus, it seems best to utilize all the avenues to create the best effect. Precisely what they are doing. I became skeptical again, however, once I learned that the rough cut of it had been asked to be retooled and re-cut/shot so as to meet studio requirements or some such red tape. An interview with Jonze just came out wherein he explains much - and I am once again aboard. Still a bit leery by nature, perhaps, but hopeful and excited. You see, much of the retooling apparently came from the kid test audiences. Also, Sendak actually shared a historical anecdote about the book to Jonze and had given him advice on how to proceed. Can’t argue with those incidents!


You can decide for yourself by reading the interview and checking out the below images.
We can see the movie on October 16, 2009.