Where The Wild Things Are - Preview Of A Dark And Different Children's Film; See Trailer Here

By Brogan Morris on Nov 17, 09 08:35 PM

It's less than a month to go now until its cinema release and yet it still seems that not a day goes by that I don't giddily watch the trailer for 'Where The Wild Things Are', one of my most anticipated films of the year.

Based on Maurice Sendak's picture book of the same name, the film follows the story of young schoolboy Max who, fed up of the lack of attention he gets at home, transports himself to a fantasy land inhabited by monsters. Although hostile at first, the 'wild things' soon warm to Max and crown him their king, taking him on a great adventure.

Where The Wild Things Are

Max with 'Wild Thing' Carol

Spectacular as it is, the trailer for the film simply consists of a series of shots of Max and his giant furry friends running about. But with 'Being John Malkovich' director Spike Jonze's lovingly framed shots backed by the sound of Arcade Fire's 'Wake Up' it becomes something else entirely, both glorious and haunting at the same time. If there are any initial doubts about mature, offbeat director Jonze tackling the well-loved children's book, the trailer should go a long way to pushing them to the back of your mind.

Still, although the final product looks fantastic, the film hasn't been without a troubled history. Filming wrapped in early 2006, yet studio disappointment coupled with a bad test screening (which apparently terrified children to tears) led to a well-publicised falling out between Jonze and Warner Bros and a rumoured re-shoot of the entire film. However, rather than scrap Jonze's work, the studio instead gave the director more money and a whole extra year-and-a-half to make the film more audience-friendly, which is why we're only just getting to see it at the end of 2009.

That any of the film Jonze shot has been released at all it is a triumph, but will it have been worth the wait? The film has polarised US critics - one camp cites a lack of story as a major problem, not to mention the very adult take on a children's film, with the movie as a whole leaving them cold. On the other hand, yet more critics are declaring it a masterpiece that perfectly portrays the complexities of childhood.

Unfortunately, us Brits are getting the film later than our transatlantic buddies, so we won't get to make our own minds up until 11th December when it's finally released. Time to watch that trailer again...