LUCIDMEDIA

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

Written by Phil Brown Tuesday, 09 March 2010 14:22

When an incomplete version of Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are was screened in late 2007, a theatre full of terrified and tearful children sent Warner Brothers executives into a temporary panic. Expecting to release a family-friendly feature, Warner Brothers feared that Jonze’s expansive adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book was an unmarketable monster destined to polarize it audience.

And they were right, well, at least in the short term.
But with this month’s DVD release, the filmmakers are hoping that Jonze’s emotionally complex film will transcend its short term failures and land itself a long term audience.
Despite working within Hollywood, Jonze shot his film with complete freedom, and with Sendak’s blessing. However, following the infamous 2007 screening, Spike Jonze and Warner Brothers spent months in a bitter stalemate. The director refused to water down his vision, and Warner Brothers threatened to kick out Jonze and reshoot a more conventional film. But in the end, artistic integrity won the day, and the Hollywood studio decided to release Jonze’s version.

What many people don’t know is that Maurice Sendak’s classic picture book had been in feature film development for decades. There were several previous adaptations which came close to production, including a pre-Toy Story adaptation by Pixar founder John Lasseter. But time after time, Sendak refused to relinquish control until he found with a director who would treat the project with respect and intelligence.
Where the Wild Things Are was not designed to be a quickly forgotten box office phenomenon. Instead it seems almost destined to be rediscovered on DVD. From now on, Jonze’s film will be waiting on the shelves, read to launch the imaginations of pint-sized Wild Things fans, at least until they are old enough to understand all of its subtle complexities. Without a doubt, the cult starts here.
For more the complete DVD preview, check out the printed version of Lucid Media which may be found on the racks and shelves of your local bookstores.