So I just got back from seeing Where The Wild Things Are with my parents. I grew up with this book, and had it read to me a lot when I was very little, so I was really excited to see the movie.


Although surprisingly, I do not think this was a kid's movie. Even moreso than Up, this movie was not at all intended for kids. There were funny moments, sure, and the wild things were amazing fun to look at, but there were a lot more scary or sad moments than there were funny. In fact, almost all of the scenes of Max with the wild things were fun or heartwarming moments that were also just teetering on the edge of frightening. He's running around just playing with these huge things that could really hurt him or crush him if they make one wrong step, and they're presented in such a way where you never forget that fact.

This also really wasn't a kids' movie just because there were so many psychological layers within the film...I was watching for stuff and even I couldn't figure out a lot of what I think they were trying to say. But it was a very subtle story of a boy who's angry and scared because he lives in a "broken" family, and because of this he lashes out at his family and is out of control, but can't see that he's hurting people. So he runs away to the wild things, and sort of becomes the "mom" to this group of "children"...creatures that ultimately just want to be happy, have fun and feel safe, but at the same time possess this immense, almost deadly power, and end up hurting each other because they're angry or scared. And in the process of trying to help the wild things overcome their fears (but discovering that he can't because he is flawed himself), Max learns a little of how his family feels and then decides to go back to them. It's heavy stuff, at times more than a little heartbreaking, and I don't think it's necessarily what little kids would enjoy.

All that said, I still think it was a really good movie, even if it had me crying at the end. If nothing else, it was a gorgeous movie, with incredible visuals that probably match as close to the book as you could possibly get without animating it. I looooooved the fact that they went with having actual suits and puppetry for the wild things (thank you Jim Henson!) because it just helped them feel all the more real and grounded in their world. All of the wild things were individuals with their own complex issues and desires, that you feel like you only scratch the surface of in the movie. It's a movie that's risky, both visually and storywise, and I've always appreciated that sort of thing, even if it doesn't always work for the better (see my thoughts on "9").

The one thing I wish they'd have done different was the camera. There was quite a lot of shakycam, and I've never really been a fan of it (Cloverfield notwithstanding. XD)


Drawing: A lot and a lot, mostly practice and fanarts.

Writing: Nah much