When my daughter was eight yrs old her school did the play based on the book,she was the main character and i was so proud of her she said all her lines and never had to be helped by her teacher.I was so proud of her and was glad to attend so I could see how smart she is.I never told her but I knew she would go far in this life.So where the wild thing are have always been my favorite children’s books so I would surely go and see the movie.I am now a grandmother and would hope my daughter take her little girl to see the movie

I don’t have children, and I was a bit too old for “Where the Wild Things Are” when it appeared. So, I have nothing to compare the movie to, and no memories that might be affected.
But, I certainly take your point. To me, books and movies are totally different, and so I view the film of a beloved book (Harry Potter, GWTW, LOTR) as an interpretation. Films aren’t necessarily better or worse than the books they are based on, just different.
And sometimes, the less there is on the page, the better the movie adaptation can be. For instance, a not very good book called “MASH” became a terrific film and television series, while a hilarious, brilliant movie called “Catch-22″ became a film that just didn’t work, despite the great cast and director.
To me, it sounds like “Where the Wild Things Are” and your experience took up space in your imagination that you don’t want filled by other images, and that is a tribute to what a fine book it must be.

One more thought – I read many of the “Oz” books (even the ones not written by L. Frank Baum) but not one of them holds a candle to the movie, “The Wizard of Oz.” More than was there on the page.

You’re not alone, I love the picture book and have really enjoyed sharing it with my daughters, who jump up and do the wild Rumpas everytime. I may see the movie, just out of interest, I really hope it does the book justice. Think my kids can wait though, at this stage the book is the bees knees and I really don’t want them to lose the magic!

I too am not interested in someone else’s interpretation of such an amazing book. I hold fond memories of the story and how it was larger than life in my mind. I was so surprised when I first read Where the Wild Things Are to my now 4 year old son. In my memory it was a very long and elaborate story with vibrant colors in the illustrations. I now realize that was not the book at all but my imagination taking over and i truly believe that is the purpose of any good children’s and adult fiction for that matter.
We are only children for a short time ad I am not going to rob my son of his imagination by having him watch someone’s else interpret a wonderful book for him.

What a wonderful tribute to you mother! I can certainly understand why you would not want to view someone else’s interpretation, regardless of how well the film has been done. Some memories are just too precious to risk.

Did they ever make a movie about mobbing and gangstalking?

I took my kids to our local science center where they have an IMAX theatre. It was the opening day of the movie “Where the wild things are”. We did not go there to see the movie but I spontaneously decided to allow them to go even though it would cost $27.00 as members to see it. There was no rating of the movie on their movie board so I assumed it was “G”. Well, I was wrong. I took my 5 1/2 year old who is both intellectually and emotionally advanced for her age. I am 47 and worshiped the book as a child. I even had a stuffed Carol doll that I drug around everywhere with me. I had my hopes WAY too high for this movie.
I am very angry at the “entertainment” machine that drives hollywoods thinking. This was a CHILDREN’S BOOK. Can someone explain to me why it was necessary to curse in this movie? Can someone explain to me why even in IMAX theatres, the characters..including “Max” are so big and close up that you can barely tell what is going on? Can someone tell me why the interpreter of this movie felt that the characters that seemed so kind and loving in the book came across as terrifying ferocious disfunctional beasts? My 5 year old cried from too many highs and lows…extreme anger,violence and sentimentality…far too extreme for children…I was furious when I got out. Had I known that this persons interpretation was one that would even frighten and exhaust even adults, I could have saved the $27.00 and donated it to a children’s not for profit psycology group for trumatized children!!!
I felt deceived….both by the fact that the rating was not shown in advance(most parents would assume that it would be rated “G”) and because when I left with my kids, there were two hundred parents and very small children who had already paid to get in waiting in line who were unaware that their precious babies were about to be horrified, traumatized and worn out. Shame on Hollywood…shame on greed…sham on grown ups who have forgotten the fragile emotions of young children.

That’s ridiculous. Nearly every family movie – with the exception of the most benign animated films are rated PG. Also, why would you not read the reviews and do your due dilligence before bringing your five year-old to see it? Every review I have read has said something to the affect that it is not for children under 8. Personally, I liked the film a lot – and I loved the book as a child. Seeing Spike Jonze’s vision of the book has not erased my original iterpretation of the book so much as it has shown me how everyone sees things differently. Yes, the “Wild Things” were a bit brutish at times, but ultimately they proved to be very loving, compassionate and vulnerable underneath their rough and gruff exteriors, and as the story unfolds we are shown that their beastly behavior came from their fear of rejection and abandonment – issues that our main character Max was dealing with in his life. If anything, my only complaint is that we were metaphorically bludgeoned with the parallel between Carol’s aggressive behavior and Max’s to show that we are all prone to “act-out” when we are confused, sad and scared.
Anyway – back to my point. Complaining after the fact that the mom in the story said “damn” when her son through a major tantrum, or that the wild things were a bit too scary is like complaining that Marley died at the end of “Marley and Me.” It is your responsibility as a parent to do the research BEFORE bringing your kids to the movie.

Forgot to mention that every movie poster has a rating on it – it’s the law. If you didn’t see it, you weren’t looking very hard. Additionally, the ticket taker and/or theatre manager could have easily told you the rating.
also – forgive my typo, I meant “threw” a tantrum.

Thanks, Kristen. I appreciate your thoughts and am definitely taking them into consideration.
I agree with the author — the book did seem so much longer as a child! This book was/is also one of my favorites and I read it over and over again as a child, poring over each illustration. I also liked your description of how your mother brought the book to life for you — I like to do the same for my daughter
Speaking of the illustrations, I have a Maurice Sendak quote that I’ve saved from years ago. I will paraphrase, but basically he said that as an instructor, he had students that could draw circles around him — that they were technically more talented than he, yet their drawings had no life — they didn’t “say” anything. Sums his illustration up very well! They speak volumnes even after all these years.

OK, I was ready to go to bed, and saw a blurb about this post. From a teacher to a student forever, I’m crying now too! I Love that book! Thanks for sharing your memories! Peace to you and yours.
If you can, pls visit my blog!
Linda

i think the story with the man telling about the story about his mom and the book was touching it almost made me cry.