Cast: Max Records, Catherin Keener, Mark Ruffalo, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, Paul Dano, James Gandolfini; Director: Spike Jonze; Producers: Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Maurice Sendak; Screenwriters: Spike Jonze, Dace Egger; Music: Karen O Carter Burwell; Editor: Eric Zumbrunnen; Genre: Animation, Fantasy; Cinematography: Lance Acord; Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures; Running Time: 101 min.;Technical Assessment: 4
Moral Assessment: 3
CINEMA Rating: For viewers 14 and above
The movie is an adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s 1963 award winning children’s book. It stars 9 year-old Max (Max Records), a boy with a very active imagination and bad temper. He constantly throws tantrums when things don’t go his way. When his divorced mother, Connie (Catherine Keener), yells at him for acting out during dinner with her boyfriend, Max runs away in the middle of the night and stumbles into an island inhabited by six large monster-like creatures. When the giant creatures are about to eat him, Max tells them he is actually a king with magical powers and that he can unite their group. For a time, Max is able to impose his rules and bond Carol (James Gandolfini) and KW (Lauren Ambrose). However, when Alexander (Paul Dano) gets hurt during a fight between the “good guys” and the “bad guys”, as Max suggested, settling another issue among the group, his secret is exposed and he decides to come home.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is a poignant movie about childhood and the inner struggles of a child. The director’s vision and interpretation is beautiful, stunning and painfully truthful despite the animations and puppetry. The story is symbolic but clear while Records portrays his character very well. The production has tenderly captured Max’s struggle as shown by his unruly exterior and his lonely inner self and creatively presented the conflicts a young boy undergoes. The giant creatures capture an aspect of Max’s personality and life and show how children manage to be alternately creative and destructive as the same time. The technical side of the film is outstanding, with a moving musical score, spectacular cinematography and imaginative CGI’s.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE shows selfishness and selflessness, creativity and destruction, temper and patience, acceptance and maturity through the eyes and mind of a 9 year old. More importantly, it emphasizes the value of home and family as Max travels in his mind to his make-believe world of carefree monsters, at the end of the day, he chooses to return home to his family.
The authors of the film have emphasized that this is a movie about childhood and not necessarily for children, but with six adorable creatures interacting with a child protagonist, most children with be enticed to watch this as well. It is important that parents understand the movie and consciously decide if they can afford to allow them to watch this.
On the one hand, the movie may be too dark for some children. There is a certain melancholy in the film that might disturb very young audiences. Parents should be prepared to guide and explain the destructive behaviors expressed every now and then. On the other hand, as soon as parents are ready to deal with issues that may arise, it is a must see movie to explain friendship, inner struggles and discipline to young children.
