Childrens movies come and go every week, each more and more alike, each more and more seemingly cranked out for the sole purpose of money. ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ is perhaps the most unique, beautiful, and easily one of the best children’s films I’ve ever seen. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of it is that it was extrapolated from a 9-sentence picture book. Perhaps its the fact that it mixes almost every possible sort of visual effect (people in suits, CGI, puppets) to create one of the most fully realized fantasy worlds since ‘The Wizard of Oz’. Make no mistake. This is not to be missed.
It follows the basic plot of the 9-sentence source material, the classic 1963 children’s story. A little boy named Max causes trouble and is sent to his room, but he runs away and encounters a whole new world of creatures called simply – the Wild Things, who crown him their king. The movie obviously must expand on this and does – with several characters with distinct personalities, backstories, and troubles. These are not the two-dimensional sidekicks of ‘Madagascar’.
The highlight of the film is watching the ‘Wild Things’ come to life. They look so real, so incredibly realistic in physics and yet whimsical in design. You never think to yourself how they brought it to life, you never think what actor is voicing that creature. (Although with Forest Whitaker, James Gandolfini & Paul Dano it obviously brings an excellent voice cast together.) Max Records, the young boy portraying the main character, Max, is excellent. The entire film rests on his shoulders, and he delivers.
Director Spike Jonze realizes the film with a whimsy and passion that few other, if any other directors could possibly do. And the sets, my god! Although the vast majority of it was filmed in an Australian soundstage, you’d never guess it. When the characters are in a huge, vast desert, you don’t doubt it for a second. When they’re in a fort with hundreds of stories towering above their head, you believe it. What a feat.
It’s hard exactly to describe in words what ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ is. A modern classic? Maybe. Masterpiece? Pushing it a bit. But what it is, really, is a huge step forward in filmmaking, just by taking a step back and making it just a beautiful film. Not a commercial film, not a film that will please all, most likely a film that will divide audiences. But a divisive film is better than a bland one. Don’t miss this one. A
