Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
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- Synopsis
- Visionary director Spike Jonze brings Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book to the big screen with the help of hipster icon Dave Eggers, who teamed with Jonze to pen the adapted screenplay....
- Read Full Synopsis
- Director(s)
- Spike Jonze
- Distributor(s)
- Warner Bros.
- MPAA Rating
- PG
- Runtime
- 104 min.
Trailers & Clips
Critic Reviews
Washington Post | Ann HornadayAdd Critic to Favorites
In elaborating on the original book so boldly, and repopulating it so richly, Jonze has protected Where the Wild Things Are as an inviolable literary work. In preserving its darkest spirit, he's created a potent, fully realized variation on its most highly charged themes.Read the full review
Rolling Stone | Peter TraversAdd Critic to Favorites
Jonze has filmed a fantasy as if it were absolutely real, allowing us to see the world as Max sees it, full of beauty and terror. The brilliant songs, by Karen O (of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs) and the Kids, enhance the film's power.Read the full review
The New York Times | Manohla DargisAdd Critic to Favorites
With Where the Wild Things Are Jonze has made a work of art that stands up to its source and, in some instances, surpasses it.Read the full review
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Headlines
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“Wild Things” and “Air” Lead Chicago Critics’s Nominations
12/16/09 Jason Reitman's "Up In The Air" and Spike Jonze's "Where The Wild Things Are" led the nominations for the Chicago Film Critics Association's annual awards, each taking notices for best picture and best director. | indieWIRE -
Lost in Baby Nation, Sofia Coppola Pregnant for a Second Time
12/16/09 Coppola and Mars have a 3-year-old daughter named Romy and have been together for four years. | Popeater Movies -
Hot Shorts: Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s “Sparks” Fires Up Wholphin Screening
12/16/09 Spike Jonze was not able to join the Wholphin gang at the Silent Movie Theatre. | indieWIRE -
Kanye West Calls 'We Were Once A Fairytale' Honor 'Humbling'
12/15/09 "I definitely wasn't expecting all this love at the end of the year," Kanye said of Pitchfork selecting his 11-minute short film with Spike Jonze, "We Were Once a Fairytale," as one of the top music videos of the year. | MTV -
Creating costumes for 'Wild Things'
12/15/09 Sometimes a film's costumes are so effective that they serve not only as indispensable story elements but also as an inspiration to fashion designers. | Variety -
Adapted scripts range wide
12/15/09 Though Cooper doesn't shy away from the downbeat qualities of Cobb's novel (concerning the twilight years of an alcoholic, washed-up country crooner named Bad Blake), his screenplay refocuses on Bad's decency, resilience and newfound May-December passion without the usual heart-tugging. | Variety -
Coens’ go-to composer in the running with ‘Wild Things’
12/14/09 Carter Burwell was a self-described dilettante (math, fine arts, biology, philosophy, electronic music) when he took a trip to New York with three other recent Harvard grads in 1977. | Variety -
400 Screens, 400 Blows - Wild Things
12/13/09 It's not too much of a stretch to suggest that most awards-season movies are a bit on the safe side. | Cinematical.com -
The Effects of Where the Wild Things Are
12/11/09 Spike Jonze's eagerly-anticipated adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are was initially supposed to use entirely practical effects, but the director soon realised he'd need more sophisticated computer trickery to bring the seven 'emotionally complex' (i.e. grumpy) Wild Things to life. | Rotten Tomatoes -
72% Where the Wild Things Are
12/11/09 Some may find its dark tone and slender narrative off-putting, but Spike Jonze's heartfelt adaptation of the classic children's book is as beautiful as it is uncompromising. | Rotten Tomatoes