MauriceSendak Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Next to the table of contents in the new book Heads On and Then We Shoot: The Making of Where the Wild Things Are, there's a list of songs that Spike Jonze says were influential and inspirational in the making of his adaptation of Maurice Sendak's children's classic. Among them are plenty of melancholy mood pieces, including The Smiths' "Cemetry Gates," "Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, whose lead singer composed original tunes for the film, and perhaps most obviously, Arcade Fire's "Wake Up," which ultimately appeared in Wild Things' theatrical trailer. But in my opinion, the most telling track included on that list was Langley Schools Music Project's devastating cover of The Beach Boys "God Only Knows" sung by a chorus of Canadian schoolchildren in the late 1970s, it captures the deeper sentiment of desperation and loneliness in Brian Wilson's lyrics even as it reverberates with the naïve, wholesome enthusiasm of voices unfamiliar with real heartbreak.

In the best possible way, Jonze's film also harnesses that contradiction: it feels like a grown-up story told by kids, where all of its emotional weight is buried in the story or otherwise ignored because nobody seems to know better than to emphasize it. Bereft of nostalgia, much less a cinematic style that lends itself easily to conventional spectacle, Spike Jonze brings Where the Wild Things Are to life in a way that no one could have possibly expected, but thankfully in one better than they could have ever imagined.

No, silly, I'm not asking about the steamy modern noir from 1998, but the big-screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's classic that opens on Friday. Cinematical will have a full review of Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are later this week; my personal reaction is that it's a sweet adventure, suffused with melancholy, displaying a delicate, altogether pleasant and grounded spirit of childish wonder. But is it for kids or adults?

Fears about the film's suitability first surfaced more than a year ago when test screenings reportedly reduced some children to tears. Delays and reshoots ensued, with some fans expressing concern that 'the scary bits' would be excised from the final product. I have no idea what children find scary these days; many young ones were in attendance at the screening I attended last night and I heard nary a whimper or a scream. Some early reviews have suggested that it's "a movie about a child that isn't a children's film," as Brent Simon wrote in his review for Screen Daily. Is that because it's still too scary? No, but because "family audiences may find it too challenging." Jonze himself has acknowledged that it's not "a studio film for kids, or ... a traditional film about kids. We didn't have like a Movie Kid in our movie, or a Movie Performance in a Movie Kid world. We had a real kid and a real world."

Based on what you've heard and seen so far, are you planning to see Where the Wild Things Are? Do you have any concerns that it might be too "adult" for your kids? Or, on the other hand, does it sound too childish for teens or adults?

Where the Wild Things Are is ten sentences long, but they're some sentences. They – along with Maurice Sendak's magical illustrations, of course – are at once angry, heartwarming, troubling and reassuring. They get at something profound that kids feel, and that I still do from time to time, frankly: a desire to rage, to leave the world behind, backstopped by an even deeper need for home – a warm dinner – a hug.

These feelings aren't trivial, especially in kids. The authors who understood them best were Sendak and Roald Dahl. Dahl wrote for an older audience; he abhorred sentimentality, his wounds and his anger were usually laid pretty bare, and his stories weren't always appropriate for the single-digit-ers. But Sendak's Wild Things is a book that grows up with you. It's cathartic and comforting at any age. Those are, as I say, ten pretty remarkable sentences.

Then there are the pictures, which are strange enough to be subtly disquieting, but which have a warmth and softness that make it pretty clear everything's going to be okay. And I'm not talking just about the wild things themselves, which (deservingly) tend to get all the attention, but the fact, for example, that Max's idea of mischief is terrorizing his family's terrier with a fork while wearing a wolf costume. The previous page shows him wielding a hammer twice the size of his head to construct a blanket fort, off one edge of which we see he's suspended a pathetic-looking teddy bear from a clothes-hanger. Why? Who knows. But if you're going to be sent to your room, it should probably be for something fun.

If the trailer and the insane reactions coming out of Comic-Con haven't got you excited for Where the Wild Things Are, perhaps this video of author Maurice Sendak, director Spike Jonze, and screenplay writer Dave Eggers will melt your icicle-covered heart.

In this featurette, Sendak discusses the initial response to the book and what he thinks about Spike Jonze's vision. Dave Eggers also pipes up a little about Sendak's involvement in the adaptation. Jonze talks about "his" version of the story and how important it was that Sendak approved.

"I've never seen a movie that looked or felt like this," Sendak says, "and it's his personal 'this.' And he's not afraid of himself. He's a real artist that lets it come through the work. So he's touched me very much. He has touched me very much."

There are also plenty of movie snippets and great behind-the-scenes stuff that you must see. Link courtesy of the fantastic and fantastical writer Jonathan Carroll.

No, it's not another sequel to the Neve Campbell/Denise Richards classic! The extremely likable Lauren Ambrose (Claire on Six Feet Under, Denise Fleming in Can't Hardly Wait) will voice a character in the upcoming adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved childrens' book -- Where the Wild Things Are. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ambrose is playing KW -- "one of the giant characters in the land of the Wild Things. When a young boy named Max visits their strange world, KW and company turn him into their king."

Ambrose is taking over the role from Michelle Williams. Apparently Williams got along well with the filmmakers, but "her voice didn't match their original vision of how the Wild Things should sound." Where the Wild Things Are mixes flesh-and-blood actors, computer animation, and live-action puppetry. I can't wait to see it, I adored the book as a kid and I love pretty much everyone involved with the film. Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation -- a couple of my favorite flicks) will direct, and wrote the screenplay with Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, one of my favorite books). You can go into the Wild in Fall 2008.

Got a small boy nearby that you wouldn't mind subjecting to some Wild Things? Is he yours? Do you both live in New York?

Then head on over The Church of St. Paul the Apostle (60th & Columbus) on Saturday, July 8th (between 10am and 4pm), because that's where WB will be holding an open casting call for Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are, which is the big-screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak's well-beloved book. The casting directors are looking for young boys between the ages of 7 and 11. (No, Michael Jackson does not work for the casting directors. Matter of fact, all kids must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.)

Adapted for the screen by Jonze (Adaptation.), Michael Goldenberg (Contact), and award-winning author / first-time screenwriter Dave Eggers, Where the Wild Things Are tells the story of "Max, a headstrong young boy who runs away from home and finds himself in a thriving forest bordering a vast sea. Misunderstood and rebellious, Max sets sail to the land of the wild things were mischief reigns."

The live-action / animation combo will star Benicio Del Toro, Forest Whitaker, Catherine Keener, Michelle Williams, Catherine O'Hara, and ... maybe your kid.