FIRST LOOK

First Official Batch of Where the Wild Things Are Photos!

by Alex Billington
March 23, 2009
Source: USA Today

With the official trailer for Where the Wild Things Are due out sometime this week, it's fitting that USA Today debut the first batch of real photos from the film. In addition, the newspaper talked with director Spike Jonze about the production and gots a few interesting details out of him. "As a kid, I just connected to it. I wanted to hear it over and over," Jonze says of Maurice Sendak's 1963 book about Max, an angry boy who escapes to a mythical land of untamed giant beasts. "It's like trying to explain why you love somebody. To me, the Wild Things are both cuddly and dangerous. I wanted to climb atop of them like Max."

Jonze talks about his choice to make this live-action as opposed to animated. "I wanted them to actually be there," he says of the looming creatures. "I think as a kid I wouldn't imagine it as a cartoon. I would imagine they were in my world. There's a danger with Max being there on a real location. Dangerous and exciting. I wanted it to feel that you could hug them." I pretty sure you'll feel that exact way when you see these.

"I never thought of it as a children's movie," Jonze says. "My intention was to be true to how it felt to be 9 years old. Maurice's whole thing is to be honest. You can say anything to kids as long as you are respectful and not pandering." The boy you see above who plays Max is Max Records, who Jonze says, "is a very special sort of kid. Deep and thoughtful. Sweet and sincere. Wild, imaginative and caring. He brought all that to the film." Voice actors in the film include James Galdofini, Catherine O'Hara, and Lauren Ambrose.

Where the Wild Things Are is directed by visionary filmmaker Spike Jonze, of films like Being John Malkovich and Adaptation previously as well as numerous famous music videos as well. The screenplay was co-written by Spike Jonze and author Dave Eggers, a former Salon.com editor who also wrote Sam Mendes' Away We Go. This is based on Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book of the same name. Warner Brothers will finally bringing Where the Wild Things Are to theaters everywhere in October 16th.

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