A clip from Spike Jonze’s movie adaptation of the classic kids book Where the Wild Things Are has been making it’s way around the internet for the past couple of days. For some reason, I’ve always caught up to it a few minutes after it vanishes, but it appears to have originated on Buzznet. I’m sure I’m not the only one who's been scouring the internet for it. The book is one of those seminal experiences you have as a child, whether you read it for the first time on the floor of your local library, or sitting at the televised feet of Levar Burton on Reading Rainbow. For a lot of people, it’s a pretty important part of their childhood.
We’ve seen a picture or two from the production, but till now not much more has been known about what Spike Jonze is doing with it, other than that it will take him till at least 2009 to finish it. But here at least is a clip from the film. Take a look, and I’ll see you after you watch it (assuming it’s still there when you click play).
It’s hard to know exactly what to think from that. It’s strange, but then so is the book and so is Spike Jonze. You have to expect that. It’s also sweet and sad, but whether it’s sweet and sad in a good way or in a sickly, overbearing way I’m not quite certain. It’s definitely more realistic than I expected. Sure, the character looks exactly like the drawings in the book and thus that means a giant, bizarre looking costume with CGI enhancements, but the place they’re standing in looks real. It looks like the real world. It’s grounded.
We need to see a lot more of this film. As soon as there is more, we’ll let you know.
