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Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Paul Dano, Catherine O'Hara ... see more see more... , Forest Whitaker , Michael Berry Jr. , Chris Cooper , Lauren Ambrose , Pepita Emmerichs , Max Pfeifer , Steve Mouzakis , Mark Ruffalo , Joshua Jay Santiago , Ryan Corr , Vincent Crowley , Sonny Gerasimowicz , Nick Farnell , Sam Longley , Angus Sampson , Mark McCracken , John Leary , Alice Parkinson , Garon Michael , Michelle Williams , Tom Noonan

Visionary director Spike Jonze brings Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book to the big screen with the help of hipster icon Dave Eggers, who teamed with Jonze to pen the adapted screenplay. A mixtu... read more read more...re of real actors, computer animation, and live puppeteering, Where the Wild Things Are follows the adventures of a young boy named Max (Max Records) as he enters the world of the Wild Things, a race of strange and enormous creatures who gradually turn the young boy into their king. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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59% liked it

281,941 ratings

Critics

73% liked it

248 critics

PG, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: Spike Jonze

Release Date: October 16, 2009

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DVD Release Date: March 2, 2010

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Stats: 18,513 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (18,513)

  • aquateen2
    April 2, 2012
    aquateen2
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]

    I didn't enjoy Where The Wild Things are the first time I saw it, probably because it was so unexpected. I've watched it since and im proud to say that I did enjoy it the second time round. Its far from p... read moreerfect but it's perfection for telling a story that isn't coming of age but the end of one's innocence.
  • scottgreen96
    March 24, 2012
    scottgreen96
    Not to sound unprofessional but i want one of them monsters.
  • fb1463751009
    March 9, 2012
    fb1463751009
    Wow, "Where the Wild Things Are" accurately depicts the emotions and the thoughts that run through an angry boy in his early ages. The portrayal of such a neglected role in cinema shoots this movie high in my list. The cinematography and the CGI are huge pluses; they create the a... read moretmosphere of this movie. Even the most silent moments of this movie create deep emotional stir within the audience. This movie works effectively. There are cons however. The plot of the movie seems to point towards nowhere and the story's interest dips near the middle, but other than that, it is a great movie.
  • fb1664868775
    March 3, 2012
    fb1664868775
    A great adaptation of a childhood favorite. The reason it's great is because it goes off on it's own thing rather than sticking exactly to the book.
  • MrsInsomnia
    October 2, 2011
    MrsInsomnia
    Never been bored to death with movie again so much.Yes, this is for kids,yes, i don't know why people like it and NO i am definitely not recommending it for you or your kids.
  • DreamExtractor
    August 15, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Where the Wild Things Are isn't a bad movie, but it is for kids and kids will be scared at this movie, these Wild Things are huge assholes, and I don't want to be on that island. It has a great story, production, so why did I think its not really good. The book was for kids, an... read mored the movie is a sad horror movie that scared the crap oy of me sometime, and was disgusting at many moments, it was a good movie, but should not be targeted for kids because they will be frightened, and leave the theatre not feeling the joy of a normal kids film.
  • fb732260458
    May 12, 2011
    fb732260458
    A heartfelt children's story that doubles as a raw and uncompromising commentary on a child's emotional complex, Where The Wild Things Are is ultimately an adorable little film that simply reminded me of what it felt like to be a kid. A triumph for Spike Jonze, although it does c... read morearry a very dark tone and is sometimes very difficult to watch.
  • fb791220692
    February 8, 2011
    fb791220692
    Spike Jonze perfectly captures the essence of childhood.
  • paulsandberg
    February 2, 2011
    paulsandberg
    A bratty and precocious 8 year old with a fertile imagination rationalizes his life by creating a land where creatures represent his id and ego. That's pretty much the story behind Where The Wild Things Are.

    The kid is lonely (for some reason he has no-one to play with), and ... read morefor an unexplained reason his father is not on the scene. Ok, so he has issues - that's still no reason for him to be an obnoxious snot nosed holy terror that pouts and acts out when things don't go his way. That's the basic problem with the film in my opinion (one of several). The kid deserved to be grounded for life, not be given an "awww" pass and a later wink, wink, ain't I smart final scene.

    Once the film moves to the Island of Wild Things, it becomes a bit more interesting, given the large furry characters and the personalities polarized by the understanding of psychology presented by an 8 year old; but that same psychology works against the film, as the dilemmas and character reactions are also based on the imaginings of said 8 year old.

    The boy, Max, is drawn to the character who most represents himself - the often angry Carroll, voiced by Tony Soprano himself. We first see Carroll destroying the homes of the Wild Things, angry because things simply aren't working out right (he seems to have the equivalent of a pre-pubescent attraction for another character, CW, and gets angry when she quits the group, or decides to expand her horizons by meeting new friends). It's all a way for Max to work out why he is angry when things don't go as he thinks they should - not that the film sees fit to show that he has any kind of epiphany.

    There is a fear angle as well, which has some merit to it - triggered by a school teacher preaching to his students that the sun is going to explode someday, but not to worry - we'll all be dead via some other disasters by then anyway - what a stupid thing to say to an 8 year old - especially when you're in a position of authority.

    the film features some nice lighting on the creatures, but day and night kept getting confused for me - I'm hoping that this was intentional, to show that the land Max created was somehow outside the time/space continuum.

    The story is based on some evidently much beloved children's book. I of course haven't read the source material, though my final analysis is that, while I appreciate the allegorical nature of the story, I can't help but think back upon my own childhood as an only child. I always found neighborhood kids to play with, or school chums who lived close by, so the loneliness angle of the film didn't strike a chord. When I was sent to my room for misbehaving, I used the opportunity to read or listen to records and even though my father was often out of town, didn't feel the need to act out in his absence. So the entire premise on which the film is built runs counter to my own experiences, leaving me disinterested in what the film had to say, and also wondering what age group the film was created for and what message it was trying to get across. I'm sure there's some new age psycho babble, I'm ok, you're ok stuff that makes a certain sense here, but I'm not buying.
  • theylovealexis
    January 10, 2011
    theylovealexis
    A boy on an island with all the parts of his personality.
    I didn't think it was going to be anything other than sad. It did make me cry at the end and I'm a tough cookie. but the movie was cute and just beautiful to watch.

View All Where the Wild Things Are Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ann Hornaday
October 16, 2009
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

[Jonze has] achieved with the cinematic medium what Sendak did with words and pictures: He's grasped something true and terrifying about love at its most unconditional and voracious.

Liam Lacey
October 16, 2009
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Wild Things, you do not make my heart sing. Full Review

Tom Long
October 16, 2009
Tom Long, Detroit News

Intellectually interesting, visually arresting and filled with invention, there's just one crucial thing Where the Wild Things Are is missing: wildness. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
October 16, 2009
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

Spike Jonze, we salute you. Full Review

Nancy Churnin
October 16, 2009
Nancy Churnin, Dallas Morning News

Director Spike Jonze gets that Max's subsequent journey to the far-off island of the wild things is nothing less than an odyssey into his mind.

Peter Rainer
October 16, 2009
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

This blend of the real and unreal is successful because Jonze's feeling for childhood binds everything together. Full Review

Lou Lumenick
October 16, 2009
Lou Lumenick, New York Post

Some very good books were just never meant to be turned into movies. Sadly, you can now add Maurice Sendak's 1963 classic Where the Wild Things Are to that list. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
October 16, 2009
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Where the Wild Things Are is audacious in its refusal to be reassuring, which makes it hard to love, but also hard to dismiss. Full Review

Peter Howell
October 16, 2009
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

It's a joy for thinking moviegoers of any age. It doesn't seek to "keep out all the sadness," yet neither does it wallow in gloom. Instead it presents childhood as a journey filled with things both wo... Full Review

Christopher Orr
October 15, 2009
Christopher Orr, New Republic

Where the Wild Things Are may not be a great film for children (or, at least, most children). But it is something rarer still: a great, and unsparing, film about childhood. Full Review

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    • Carol: I don't apologize to owls. Owls are stupid.
    • Judith: Happiness isn't always the best way to be happy.
  • Eric Goldberg (1995's Pocahontas) was at one point attached to direct.
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  • Max goes on a journey inside his own imagination to Where the Wild things are. Who plays the young boy?  Answer »
  • Notable & Influential Films of ____. The Princess and the Frog Antichrist Invictus Where the Wild Things Are A Serious Man  Answer »
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