Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are is a fantasy drama film. It was directed by Spike Jonze and adapted from Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book of the same name. The film stars Max Records as the young child, and features the voices of James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose, and Forest Whitaker.

The film has been generally positively received and, surprisingly, for a book adaptation many older viewers found the story brought back warm childhood memories of the book for some and many found themselves moved by the underlying sadness of the film.

Audiences were wowed by the mixture of actors in costumes and CGI which expertly realised the Wild Things. Plus the voice cast brought incredible emotional range to the creatures which added to the mood of the film.

Many viewers, however, thought the film was a little too psychological for children and perhaps it should have been billed as an adult film of a child’s view of life rather than a children’s film.

The story is of a young boy, Max, who is sent to bed without any dinner as punishment for misbehaving. He runs away and eventually ends up at an imaginary land where the Wild Things are. Through interactions with them Max sorts things out in his head and ends up going home of his own accord.

Cinema release 2009

Certificate PG

Available on DVD and Blue Ray