'Wild' transfers to screen
Andy Moore
Issue date: 10/22/09 Section: TruLife
Maurice Sendak's book "Where the Wild Things Are" finally has been adapted to film by Warner Brothers after more than 40 years of being published. Most of you probably are surprised that a mere 10-page children's book turned into a 90-minute movie, and so am I. It already leads the box office with $32.5 million, according to CNN.
Despite my initial expectations, "Where the Wild Things Are" is a worthy update of the story we all know and love.Â
This film began its planning stage in the 1980s and was intended to be an animated movie. The project evolved into a live action film written and directed by Spike Jonze and with CGI technology and animatronics from Jim Henson's Creature Shop.Â
You probably know the story of the little boy named Max, who was sent to bed without supper and found himself in a fantasy world where the wild things declared him king. The film immediately tries for a more in-depth characterization of the imaginative Max, a child most parents would just shut up with Ritalin. He comes from a normal suburban home with a bratty older sister and stressed single mother. He runs away after an argument with his mother and boards a sailboat that takes him to the fantasy world that we are all familiar with.
As you can imagine, the plot gets pretty weird. The "wild things" in this movie look the same as the ones illustrated in the book, but they all have names like Carol, Ira, Douglas, Judith and the unforgettable duo of Bob and Terry. They all bicker like little kids, and the dialogue in these scenes made me a bit uneasy. If you decide to watch the film, you will see what sort of social issues might arise within the wild kingdom, and trust me, it's not nearly as bad as "Animal Farm." A child's fantasy world might not be more ideal than the real world.
Jonze shows how diverse his talents are, as he is also the director of "Being John Malkovich," producer of both "Jackass" movies and he even directed music videos for artists like Weezer, Kanye West and R.E.M. The cast consists of underrated talents such as James Gandolfini, Forrest Whitaker, Catherine O'Hara and Paul Dano, all of whom tend to star in award-winning films and television series, so prepare yourself.Â
Despite my initial expectations, "Where the Wild Things Are" is a worthy update of the story we all know and love.Â
This film began its planning stage in the 1980s and was intended to be an animated movie. The project evolved into a live action film written and directed by Spike Jonze and with CGI technology and animatronics from Jim Henson's Creature Shop.Â
You probably know the story of the little boy named Max, who was sent to bed without supper and found himself in a fantasy world where the wild things declared him king. The film immediately tries for a more in-depth characterization of the imaginative Max, a child most parents would just shut up with Ritalin. He comes from a normal suburban home with a bratty older sister and stressed single mother. He runs away after an argument with his mother and boards a sailboat that takes him to the fantasy world that we are all familiar with.
As you can imagine, the plot gets pretty weird. The "wild things" in this movie look the same as the ones illustrated in the book, but they all have names like Carol, Ira, Douglas, Judith and the unforgettable duo of Bob and Terry. They all bicker like little kids, and the dialogue in these scenes made me a bit uneasy. If you decide to watch the film, you will see what sort of social issues might arise within the wild kingdom, and trust me, it's not nearly as bad as "Animal Farm." A child's fantasy world might not be more ideal than the real world.
Jonze shows how diverse his talents are, as he is also the director of "Being John Malkovich," producer of both "Jackass" movies and he even directed music videos for artists like Weezer, Kanye West and R.E.M. The cast consists of underrated talents such as James Gandolfini, Forrest Whitaker, Catherine O'Hara and Paul Dano, all of whom tend to star in award-winning films and television series, so prepare yourself.Â
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