When we were at the movies last weekend, we saw the preview for Where the Wild Things Are, which looks absolutely gorgeous. Just from the tidbits shown, I feel like the movie is going to stay true to the feeling of the book and I’m really looking forward to it. Of course, I had to go back and re-read the book, for the umpteenth time. We used to read it a lot when Amber was younger and I do think it’s a classic that should be in every child’s personal library.
Where the Wild Things Are
by Maurice Sendak
Max, a little boy, gets in trouble and is sent to his room by his mom without dinner. In his room, he goes on a fantastic journey to where the wild things live. He becomes king, but eventually decides he want to come home. When he gets back to his room, his supper is waiting for him.
I love this book. The pictures are beautiful, especially in the land far away. The monsters are mishmashes, not scary at all, even though they have claws and teeth, and threaten to eat Max up. You get the feeling that they like Max, like having him as their king. The forest is wonderful and full of details. I never get tired of this book, no matter how many times we’ve read it over the years.
Max’s imaginary journey ends when he decides that he wants to go home, “where someone loved him best of all.” The book celebrates the power of imagination, but also the importance of mom’s unconditional love. Yes, Max got punished, but Mom still loves him. I like how his experience with the Wild Things echo what happened at home.
Once again, I’m urging folks to read the original before you see the movie. It’s worth it.
I just wonder how they’re going to make a full length movie out of such a short book.
I’ve shown my son the previews for this movie a few times since I first ran into them a few months ago. We are both so excited for the movie since it’s one of our favorite books.
I can’t wait to see this movie. I need to re-read the book too. I barely remember it at all. I can’t help but be curious how they managed to make a feature-length film out of a short picture book. Can’t wait to find out!
I saw this trailer awhile back, and dunno why I thought, perhaps since I have no idea what the books is like I could not get a feel of it
I’ll keep that in mind. This is the first time I heard about this. 🙂
I’m with everyone else, curious how a movie can be made out of a really short story. I do know from a preview I saw a while back in the theaters that Sendak worked with the filmmaker. Still, I absolutely adore this book and can’t wait to see the movie. This was one of the first books I ever bought for my daughter, and she and I still read it together from time to time.
–Anna