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IMDbPro

Where the Wild Things Are

  • 20092009
  • PGPG
  • 1h 41m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
106K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,350
2,054
James Gandolfini and Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
The second theatrical trailer for Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are, an adaptation of Maurice Sendak's children's book. In it, 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.
Play trailer2:33
13 Videos
99+ Photos
AdventureDramaFamily
Yearning for escape and adventure, a young boy runs away from home and sails to an island filled with creatures that take him in as their king.Yearning for escape and adventure, a young boy runs away from home and sails to an island filled with creatures that take him in as their king.Yearning for escape and adventure, a young boy runs away from home and sails to an island filled with creatures that take him in as their king.
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
106K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,350
2,054
    • Spike Jonze
    • Spike Jonze(screenplay)
    • Dave Eggers(screenplay)
    • Maurice Sendak(book)
  • Stars
    • Max Records
    • Catherine O'Hara(voice)
    • Forest Whitaker(voice)
    • Spike Jonze
    • Spike Jonze(screenplay)
    • Dave Eggers(screenplay)
    • Maurice Sendak(book)
  • Stars
    • Max Records
    • Catherine O'Hara(voice)
    • Forest Whitaker(voice)
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 460User reviews
    • 346Critic reviews
    • 71Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos13

    Where the Wild Things Are -- Trailer #2
    Trailer 2:33
    Watch Where the Wild Things Are -- Trailer #2
    Where the Wild Things Are: Trailer #1
    Trailer 2:07
    Watch Where the Wild Things Are: Trailer #1
    Where The Wild Things Are
    Clip 1:21
    Watch Where The Wild Things Are
    Where The Wild Things Are
    Clip 1:33
    Watch Where The Wild Things Are
    Where The Wild Things Are
    Clip 1:34
    Watch Where The Wild Things Are
    Where The Wild Things Are
    Clip 1:32
    Watch Where The Wild Things Are
    Where The Wild Things Are
    Clip 1:25
    Watch Where The Wild Things Are
    Where the Wild Things Are -- International Featurette
    Featurette 2:26
    Watch Where the Wild Things Are -- International Featurette
    Where the Wild Things Are -- Maurice Sendak and Spike Jones Featurette
    Featurette 3:17
    Watch Where the Wild Things Are -- Maurice Sendak and Spike Jones Featurette
    Where The Wild Things Are
    Interview 0:33
    Watch Where The Wild Things Are
    Where The Wild Things Are
    Interview 0:36
    Watch Where The Wild Things Are
    Where The Wild Things Are
    Interview 0:28
    Watch Where The Wild Things Are

    Photos112

    Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker, Nick Farnell, and Sam Longley in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    James Gandolfini, Max Records, and Vincent Crowley in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    James Gandolfini, Max Records, and Vincent Crowley in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    James Gandolfini, Max Records, and Vincent Crowley in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    Max Records in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
    Catherine O'Hara and Nick Farnell in Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Max Records
    Max Records
    • Max
    Catherine O'Hara
    Catherine O'Hara
    • Judith
    • (voice)
    Forest Whitaker
    Forest Whitaker
    • Ira
    • (voice)
    Pepita Emmerichs
    • Claire
    Max Pfeifer
    • Claire's Friend
    Madeleine Greaves
    • Claire's Friend
    Joshua Jay
    Joshua Jay
    • Claire's Friend
    Ryan Corr
    Ryan Corr
    • Claire's Friend
    Catherine Keener
    Catherine Keener
    • Mom
    Steve Mouzakis
    Steve Mouzakis
    • Teacher
    Mark Ruffalo
    Mark Ruffalo
    • The Boyfriend
    James Gandolfini
    James Gandolfini
    • Carol
    • (voice)
    Vincent Crowley
    Vincent Crowley
    • Carol Suit Performer
    Paul Dano
    Paul Dano
    • Alexander
    • (voice)
    Sonny Gerasimowicz
    Sonny Gerasimowicz
    • Alexander Suit Performer
    Nick Farnell
    Nick Farnell
    • Judith Suit Performer
    Sam Longley
    Sam Longley
    • Ira Suit Performer
    Michael Berry Jr.
    Michael Berry Jr.
    • The Bull
    • (voice)
      • Spike Jonze
      • Spike Jonze(screenplay)
      • Dave Eggers(screenplay)
      • Maurice Sendak(book)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Spike Jonze turned down the chance to make the movie fully animated, because he wanted people to feel the Wild Things, and thought it would be more exciting and dangerous if a real kid were running around with the wild things.
    • Goofs
      When Max says, "Wow!" when he sees Carol's world built from sticks, an earpiece is visible in Max Records' ear.
    • Quotes

      Douglas: Will you keep out all the sadness?

      Max: I have a sadness shield that keeps out all the sadness, and it's big enough for all of us.

    • Crazy credits
      The logos for Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, and Village Roadshow Pictures are covered with Max's scribblings.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Duplicity/Knowing/I Love You, Man (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Worried Shoes
      Written by Daniel Johnston

      Produced by Karen O and Tom Biller (as tbiller)

      Performed by Karen O and the Kids

      Courtesy of DGC/Interscope Records

    User reviews460

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    A very difficult story to adapt, but Jonze/Sendak did a good job
    If you haven't yet read Maurice Sendak's classic book, you can go ahead and do that now because its only 347 words long. This review I'm typing ended up being almost twice as long.

    The point I'm making is that the original book didn't have much of a plot; its charm is in the imaginative illustrations. So the task of adapting the book to a 1 hr 41 min feature film was very ambitious, to say the least.

    Let's complicate matters. In the original story the main character, Max, isn't a very likable protagonist. In almost every drawing he is shown with a malicious smirk on his face as he causes mischief such as chasing the family dog around with a fork, and then later commanding others to do his bidding with a tyrannical ferocity. I won't go into a discussion of Sendak's book, but let's just say it's not your typical cutesy fable or morality play.

    Quirky and ofttimes cynical director Spike Jonze (known for the excellent "Being John Malkovich") was well suited for the job. During production, Jonze consulted Sendak himself, so we can guess that the author's original intent was mostly preserved. The result is that this is definitely no Disney flick. If you're looking to take your kid to a "Beauty and the Beast" entertainer, hmm, you might wanna look elsewhere.

    Great, so if that didn't scare you off, let's talk about what's good about this film. One: they didn't corrupt the original bratty concept of Max. Although he's considerably softer around the edges than the fork wielding demonchild in the book, he's still not exactly likable, and so he's almost an anti-hero. Of course he's still a cute kid, so you can view him as that, but I like to think he's a troubled juvenile with some serious psychological issues brewing.

    Two: the visuals & special effects are primo. The master puppeteers of Jim Henson's group (Henson himself died a few years prior to filming) provided amazing 7ft tall animatronic puppet suits with actors inside which were augmented by subtle cgi. In other words, to all my fellow cgi haters, this was done very tastefully. Sets and landscapes are jaw dropping, having been filmed in the majestic forests & deserts of Australia.

    Three: the music is pretty cool. Composed and performed by Karen O (The Yeah Yeah Yeahs), the score and songs are edgy but still cinematic enough to blend with the film. Most of the songs are simple haunting melodies with an alternative rock vibe. If you're not familiar with Karen O, think of maybe Bjork.

    Four: it has a pretty complex message that may be lost on young kids, but adults may get it. It's the idea that life's problems aren't so easy to solve, even when everyone does exactly as you say. You might even sense socio-political overtones as Max attempts to create order in his imagined kingdom while learning that you can't please everyone all the time. This is where the film deviates from the book where Max is a tyrant who imposes his rule over obedient and mostly mindless subjects. Here, the creatures have individual personalities and opinions. So in the film, Max faces the reality of making mistakes. He isn't so sure of himself, and his choices often lead him to deep regrets. I count this as a big plus, even though it may confuse young kids who are expecting a simple, digestible fairytale. Don't be surprised if your child comes out slightly confused, if not disturbed. (Note, there's a bit of violence... no blood, but a character or two might get slightly maimed).

    I would categorize "Where the Wild Things Are" with other fairy tales for grownups, like "Willy Wonka" (as well as the recent remake "Charlie & the Chocolate Factory") and an obscure 70s gem with Gene Wilder "The Little Prince". This film is probably closer to the children's side than those others which were clearly skewed toward adults. That's probably where it lost a little punch in my opinion. But it's still a great flick that does a nice job honoring a classic book. By the way... wtf? Did I just use the word "socio-political" to describe a children's flick? I need to get out more :/
    helpful•11
    2
    • rooprect
    • Feb 1, 2017

    FAQ7

    • Is "Where the Wild Things Are" based on a book?
    • Is this movie animated?
    • How closely does the movie follow the book?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 16, 2009 (United States)
      • Germany
      • United States
      • Australia
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Warner Bros. (France)
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Flinders, Victoria, Australia
    • Production companies
      • Warner Bros.
      • Legendary Entertainment
      • Village Roadshow Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 41 minutes
      • Color
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
      • DTS

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