Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

October 13, 2009 (New York City)October 16, 2009 (United States)December 3, 2009 (Australia)December 17, 2009 (Germany)

October 13, 2009 (New York City)
October 16, 2009 (United States)
December 3, 2009 (Australia)
December 17, 2009 (Germany)

Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 fantasy adventure drama film directed by Spike Jonze, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dave Eggers. Based on Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book of the same name, it combines live-action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery (CGI). The film stars Max Records, Catherine Keener, and Mark Ruffalo, and the voices of Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, and Forest Whitaker. The film centers on a young boy named Max who sails away to an island inhabited by creatures known as the "Wild Things", who declare Max to be a king.

In the early 1980s, The Walt Disney Company considered adapting the book with a blend of traditionally animated characters and computer-generated environments, but development did not go past a test film to see how the animation hybridization would result. In 1999, Universal Studios acquired rights to the book's adaptation and initially attempted to develop a computer-animated adaptation with Disney animator Eric Goldberg, but the CGI concept was replaced with a live-action one in 2003, Goldberg was dropped for Jonze, and work on the film was transferred to Warner Bros. Pictures. The film was produced by Jeph Loeb, Gary Goetzman, Sendak, John B. Carls, and Vincent Landay, and made with an estimated budget of $100 million. Where the Wild Things Are was a joint production between Australia, Germany, and the United States, and was filmed principally in Melbourne.

Where the Wild Things Are was released on October 16, 2009, in the United States, on December 3, 2009 in Australia, and on December 17, 2009 in Germany. Despite concerns from within Warner Bros. and news outlets leading up to release over whether or not Jonze's approach to the film was suitable for children, the film was met with positive reviews and appeared on many year-end top ten lists. However, the film was a financial failure, grossing just $100 million against an equal production budget. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray on 2 March 2010.

Storyline

Max is an emotional eight-year-old boy with an active imagination and divorced parents. His older sister, Claire, does nothing when her friends crush Max's snow fort with him inside during a snowball fight. Out of frustration, Max messes up her bedroom and destroys a frame he made for her. Later, his mother invites her boyfriend Adrian to dinner. Max becomes furious with her for not spending time with him that evening as they had agreed. Wearing his wolf suit, he begins to wreak havoc in the house. As Max's mother chases him, he lashes out by biting her on the shoulder. She yells at him that he is out of control and he runs away from home, scared by what happened. At the edge of a river, Max finds a small boat that he boards.

Eventually, Max reaches an island that is home to a group of seven large monsters called the Wild Things - namely, Carol, Ira, Judith, Alexander, Douglas, KW, and the Bull. Carol is in the middle of a destructive tantrum caused by KW's departure. Max tries joining in on the mayhem but finds himself facing the suspicious anger of the Wild Things. When they contemplate eating him, Max convinces them that he is a king with magical powers capable of bringing harmony to the group. They crown him as their new king. Shortly after, KW returns, and Max declares a "wild rumpus" in which the Wild Things smash trees and tackle each other, before going to sleep in a pile with Max at the center.

Carol takes Max on a tour of the island, showing him a model he built depicting what he wishes the island looked like. Inspired by this, Max orders the construction of an enormous fort. When KW brings her two owl friends, Bob and Terry, to the fort, a disagreement ensues as Carol feels they are outsiders. To release their frustrations, Max divides the tribe into "good guys" and "bad guys" for a dirt-clod fight. However, Alexander is hurt during the game, and Carol berates KW for jokingly stepping on his head, prompting the latter to leave once again.

Max finds Alexander alone in the fort, whereupon he reveals that he knows Max is not a king with magical powers, but warns him never to let Carol know. However, Douglas reveals the truth when Carol throws another tantrum in the middle of the night over the state of the fort and Max's failure to fulfill his duties as a king. Angry, Carol rips Douglas's arm, though only sand pours from the wound before chasing Max into the forest and trying to eat him. Max is saved by KW, who hides him in her stomach. After Carol leaves, KW explains to Max how difficult their lives are, with Carol's tantrums only making matters worse. Max realizes what his mother is going through and decides to leave the island.

Max returns to the crushed remains of Carol's model island and leaves a token of affection for him. Max finds Carol and tells him he is going home because he is not a king, but Carol responds with disdain. The other Wild Things escort Max to his boat. Carol sees the token that Max left and runs after him, arriving just in time to see him off. He starts to howl and Max howls back; all the other Wild Things join in. Carol looks at KW, and she smiles kindly at him. Returning home, Max is reunited with his mother, who gives him a bowl of soup, a piece of chocolate cake, and a glass of milk. She sits with him as he eats and he watches as she falls asleep at the table.

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