New photos from Where the Wild Things Are have popped up over at USA Today along with new details on the movie. For instance if you’ve read the fairly short children’s book on which it’s based, you’re probably wondering how director Spike Jonze is going to stretch that into a 90 minute film. The answer is that he’ll do it by making the story his own, and he has author Maurice Sendak’s blessing to do it.

Says Jonze, “He was adamant that I make my own thing… He had strong opinions, but he would ultimately defer to us. He said, 'Make something personal to you.’” The film version will expand on Max’s home life and delve more into why he ran away in the first place.

Even though it’s based on a children’s book, Jonze sounds as though he’s determined not to dumb it down for kids. This isn’t Dora the Explorer. He says, “My intention was to be true to how it felt to be 9 years old. Maurice's whole thing is to be honest. You can say anything to kids as long as you are respectful and not pandering.”

For more images and more on the film, click over to USA Today.