HYPEBy Tanya Lai
What if you had to turn a 10-sentence children’s book into a full-length feature film?
Seems like an impossible job only meant for overachievers and the brilliantly creative, doesn’t it?
That brilliant and creative overachiever arrives in the form of Spike Jonze, whose directorial credits include Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. Known for his unorthodox interpretations and perspectives, Jonze has managed to magically transform the widely-popular children’s book, Where The Wild Things Are, into a feature film.
Costume designer Casey Storm says that Jonze “has a great imagination and a strong link to kids’ creativity”, and the book’s author Maurice Sendak was only felt comfortable handling the project to him.
Sendak wrote the original story way back in 1963 as a picture book starring Max, a mischievous boy who is sent to bed without supper after he misbehaves yet again. Angered by his punishment, Max deals with his emotions by imagining another world where he rules as king among monsters he calls Wild Things.
The massively successful children’s book paints a riveting and unusual story and won the “Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year” in 1964. The film adaptation has not fared too badly either; Firstshowing.net predicts that the movie “is bound to win a most creative or most unique award”.
The movie features a slightly unknown cast, save for Mark Ruffalo (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) who plays Max’s mother’s love interest and voiceovers by Forrest Whittaker (The Last King of Scotland) and Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone).
The one thing to look out for in the film is the depiction of the Wild Things. Storm explains that the monsters in the film were “foam walkabout costumes with people inside of them”. The movie combines suitmation with animatronics (use of electronics and robotics in mechanised puppets) and computer-generated imagery to create monsters that look somewhat out-of-this-world and yet oddly realistic.
Filming began in 2005, but studio executives deemed the final cut by Jonze too dark. Their creative differences almost caused an entire reshoot, which led to a postponement of the film to 2009; the film was originally slated for an Oct 2008 release. Total production and marketing costs have soared past US$100 million since then.
Still, it seems like the extra time and money has paid off. Judging from the short but telling official trailer, the stunning and wildly magical movie is all geared up for an experience of a lifetime. The movie is perfectly summed up in the trailer’s own words: “Inside all of us is hope. Inside of us is fear. Inside of us is adventure. Inside of us is a Wild Thing.”
Despite its seemingly childish exterior, Where The Wild Things Are is possibly one of the best efforts to combine elements of dynamic puppetry manipulation, outstanding voiceovers and a stirring plot, making it a truly beloved piece for every generation and those to come.
Where The Wild Things Are will make its silver screen debut on Nov 26.