Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

An adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's story, where Max, a disobedient little boy sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world--a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.

Director:

Spike Jonze

Writers:

Spike Jonze (screenplay), Dave Eggers (screenplay),

Stars:

Max Records, Pepita Emmerichs, Catherine O'Hara

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Max Records	...	Max
Pepita Emmerichs	...	Claire
Max Pfeifer	...	Claire's Friend
Madeleine Greaves	...	Claire's Friend
Joshua Jay	...	Claire's Friend
Ryan Corr	...	Claire's Friend
Catherine Keener	...	Mom
Steve Mouzakis	...	Teacher
Mark Ruffalo	...	The Boyfriend
James Gandolfini	...	Carol (voice)
Vincent Crowley	...	Carol Suit Performer
Paul Dano	...	Alexander (voice)
Sonny Gerasimowicz	...	Alexander Suit Performer
Catherine O'Hara	...	Judith (voice)
Nick Farnell	...	Judith Suit Performer

Storyline

A young boy named Max has an active imagination, and he will throw fits if others don't go along with what he wants. Max - following an incident with Claire (his sister) and her friends, and following a tantrum which he throws as a result of his Mother paying more attention to her boyfriend than to him - runs away from home. Wearing his wolf costume at the time, Max not only runs away physically, but runs toward a world in his imagination. This world, an ocean away, is inhabited by large wild beasts, including one named Carol who is much like Max himself in temperament. Instead of eating Max like they normally would with creatures of his type, the wild things befriend Max after he proclaims himself a king who can magically solve all their problems.

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Plot Keywords:

imagination | wolf costume | creature | igloo | king | 

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Taglines:

There's one in all of us.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. [fr] Warner Bros. [jp]

Country:

USA Australia Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Where the Wild Things Are: The IMAX Experience

Filming Locations:

Central City Studios, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$100,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£883,990 (UK) (11 December 2009)

Gross:

$77,222,184 (USA) (5 February 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Legendary Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It has been said that actors in the monster costumes would wear the head for no more than half an hour at a time, after which they would have 10-15 minute breaks in front of an air conditioner. Stunt performers would remain fully suited for hours at a time, without air conditioning.

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Goofs

When Max is falling head over heels down the sand dune, his crown comes flying off twice.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Max: Hey, Claire. Wanna see something great?
Claire: [on the phone] Who else was there?
Max: It's an igloo! I made it.
Claire: Yeah, my brother.
Max: Hey, Claire!
Claire: I can't. We're supposed to go to my dad's that weekend.
Max: The snowplows left some snow across the street, and I dug a hole into it.
Claire: Go and play with your friends.

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Crazy Credits

The logos for Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, and Village Roadshow Pictures are covered with Max's scribblings.

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Connections

Referenced in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: 2012/The Messenger/Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

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Soundtracks

"Rumpus"
Written by Karen O, Nick Zinner, and Tristan Bechet
Produced by Karen O and Tom Biller (as tbiller)
Performed by Karen O and the Kids
Courtesy of DGC/Interscope Records

User Reviews

Depressing, overlong and uninspiring...

I was really looking forward to see this film, and from the trailers it seemed like such a fun, light hearted childhood adventure - just like I remembered from the book I read over and over again when I was a kid. I also have Being John Malckovich listed as one of my favorite films ever, and seeing how Where the Wild Things Are comes from the same director - you can imagine just how pumped I was.

However, the movie itself was rather depressing and uninspiring. This could have easily been a short film, and instead it felt like it just dragged on and on. The kid who played Max was cute, but he couldn't get any real emotions out of me. He just seemed so sad all the time, and that just doesn't seem right for a would-be entertaining fantasy film. Also, once he arrived at the island, it just seemed like the movie started to drag. Many Wild Things were underused and had little to none characterizations. The ones that were prominent on screen weren't as inspiring or uplifting as I wanted them to be. Instead of being Wild Things, they were just angry and gloomy.

So yeah, I know this was all meant as a metaphor to what was going on in Max's life in the real world. However, it didn't have the justification of being so long and cumbersome, and being outright depressing. Movies for kids are supposed to make you feel good about yourself at the end, not make you want to stick a bullet in your head...