Where the Wild Things Are (The Movie)

Where the Wild Things Are is a children’s book that was published in 1963 by Harper & Row. The book was written and illustrated by Maurice Sendrak. It was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1964. The story is being adapted into a 2008 live-action movie directed by Spike Jonze, the acclaimed director behind Being John Malkovich and Adaptation.

Where the Wild Things Are follows the imaginary adventures of Max, a young boy who gets sent to his room without dinner. Frustrated, Max begins to imagine a wild forest that is teeming with scary looking creatures.

The book has seen several adaptations, including a 1988 animated adaptation which was directed by Gene Deitch. You can view it at the bottom of this article. It’s interesting to note that animated adaptation runs just a little under 7 minutes, and it will be ever more interesting to see how screenwriters Dave Eggers and Michael Goldenberg (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) extend the story to fit a feature film. You’ll have to excuse me if I sound pessimistic, but given how often Hollywood has completely obliterated my childhood memories, I can’t help but think that this is a recipe for disaster.

However, Forest Whitaker has been cast to provide the voice for one of the wild things, so it can’t be all bad, right?

Despite the fact that the book was published a whole two decades before I was even born, it still played a big part in my childhood and I have very fond memories of it. Needless to say, the live-action adaptation better be something phenomenal, otherwise it will definitely leave a sour taste in my mouth.

They could take a cue from Gene Deitch and his 1988 animated adaptation. It seems rather faithful to the book, from what I can remember.