There’s a part of me that’s slightly embarrassed by my reaction to the ads running for the the release of the movie version of Maurice Sendak’s classic Where the Wild Things Are. I find myself smiling every time the ad concludes and a certain lightness, a kid-like giddiness rises in me at the prospect of seeing something magically special.
I don’t know why. I’m seemingly long past the age of kid-like excitement. I never read the book when I was a child so it doesn’t rekindle warm and fuzzy memories. I usually don’t even like the idea of trying to make movies from my favorite books, usually with good cause.
But there is something very engaging in the trailer for this film. Maybe it’s from the direction of Spike Jonze who is responsible for Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, two of the most unique films of recent years. His choice of costuming and the beautiful golden colors of his cinematography make it so that you can’t pull your eyes from the screen.
I can only hope it meets my now raised expectations. It opens this Friday.
There was a somewhat animated version from 1973 that was done by Peter Schickele ( AKA PDQ Bach) in collaboration with Sendak. It’s a short piece that definitely lacks the finish of more recent animations but is true to the story. Take a look…
Redtree Times 