Where the Wild Things Are
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Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret hideaways.
What critics thought
Spike Jonze's adaptation earned broadly favorable notices, but the divide ran almost entirely along one fault line: is this actually a children's film? Critics who embraced it saw a bracingly honest portrait of childhood turbulence; those who resisted felt the film's melancholy and adult anxieties crowded out anything that might genuinely speak to kids. Even admirers noted that nostalgia does a lot of the heavy lifting.
“All the same, the film will play better for older audiences remembering a much-loved book from childhood, and not as well with kids who have been trained on slam-bam action animation.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“For all the money spent, the film's success is best measured by its simplicity and the purity of its innovation.”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“The movie is so loaded with adult ideas about childhood — as opposed to things that might delight or engage an actual child.”
Stephanie Zacharek·Salon.com
“I have a vision of eight-year-olds leaving the movie in bewilderment. Why are the creatures so unhappy?”
David Denby·The New Yorker
“A film for anyone who's ever climbed trees, grassed knees or basked in the comfort of a parents sympathy as they've pulled you off the ground crying. It'll make your inner child run wild”
Dan Jolin·Empire
Genres
Fantasy, Drama, Adventure, Family
Cast & Crew
Spike JonzeDirector
Max RecordsMax
Catherine KeenerMom
James GandolfiniCarol (voice)
Lauren AmbroseKW (voice)
Catherine O'HaraJudith (voice)
Forest WhitakerIra (voice)
Chris CooperDouglas (voice)
Paul DanoAlexander (voice)Spike JonzeBob (voice) / Terry (voice)
Mark RuffaloThe Boyfriend
Carter BurwellComposer
Karen OComposer
Dave EggersWriter
Lance AcordCinematographyFrom the studio
Where the Wild Things Are
Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret hideaways.
What critics thought
Spike Jonze's adaptation earned broadly favorable notices, but the divide ran almost entirely along one fault line: is this actually a children's film? Critics who embraced it saw a bracingly honest portrait of childhood turbulence; those who resisted felt the film's melancholy and adult anxieties crowded out anything that might genuinely speak to kids. Even admirers noted that nostalgia does a lot of the heavy lifting.
“All the same, the film will play better for older audiences remembering a much-loved book from childhood, and not as well with kids who have been trained on slam-bam action animation.”
Roger Ebert·Chicago Sun-Times
“For all the money spent, the film's success is best measured by its simplicity and the purity of its innovation.”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“The movie is so loaded with adult ideas about childhood — as opposed to things that might delight or engage an actual child.”
Stephanie Zacharek·Salon.com
“I have a vision of eight-year-olds leaving the movie in bewilderment. Why are the creatures so unhappy?”
David Denby·The New Yorker
“A film for anyone who's ever climbed trees, grassed knees or basked in the comfort of a parents sympathy as they've pulled you off the ground crying. It'll make your inner child run wild”
Dan Jolin·Empire
Genres
Fantasy, Drama, Adventure, Family
Cast & Crew
Spike JonzeDirectorMax RecordsMaxCatherine KeenerMomJames GandolfiniCarol (voice)Lauren AmbroseKW (voice)Catherine O'HaraJudith (voice)Forest WhitakerIra (voice)Chris CooperDouglas (voice)Paul DanoAlexander (voice)Spike JonzeBob (voice) / Terry (voice)Mark RuffaloThe BoyfriendCarter BurwellComposerKaren OComposerDave EggersWriterLance AcordCinematographyFrom the studio
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