July
12
Where The Wild Things Aren't
When you think about it, the first inkling that director Spike Jonze wanted to use animatronic puppets for his adaptation of Maurice Sendak's beloved children's book Where the Wild Things Are was a warning sign. First of all, just look at Jonze's movies and sensibility and you know he's a maverick indie spirit, an artist. It's no shock that he ran into trouble making a mainstream studio movie with family appeal--especially at straight-arrow studio Warner Bros., which is better at making tentpoles than anything else. Which may be why they gave the guy $80 million??!!
While I applaud Warner chief Alan Horn for giving the director some time to figure things out, I agree with Patrick Goldstein that this may not have been an ideal match (much like the Wachowskis and Speed Racer) between director and subject. As exciting as it is to have Dave Eggers write the screenplay, again, Eggers + Jonze does not = family movie for all audiences.
That's what Warner Independent was supposed to be for, guys. (For a lot less money.)
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reports that kids ran out of a test screening crying is too much. i wonder if this one will go straight to dvd or if wb will just file it someplace w/o release
Posted by: Alan | July 12, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Really enjoy your blog, Anne!
Posted by: Melinda Augustina | July 12, 2008 at 01:02 PM
"family movie for all audiences" does not = a movie that I generally want to see. If that's what Warners' wanted (of course they did), then yes they were foolish for picking Jonze, but the overlying impression of these reports is that Wild Things is somehow a bad movie. Like Speed Racer before it, I think it sounds terrific and I hope it gets a chance to see the light of day before it's neutered.
Posted by: Craig Kennedy | July 12, 2008 at 02:22 PM
I'd love to see his interpretation, but you're right - he was a strange choice for a family-friendly film. I don't really know what they were thinking.
Posted by: Liz | July 12, 2008 at 08:46 PM
Spike has not made a real movie since Adaptation which was a amazing and did really well, so I have no idea why they would not release the work of one of the most talented and "ORIGINAL" directors of our time
please please finish it !!!! i have been dying for another Jonze movie and when i learned about this one i nearly crapped my pants as did my friends
if not for the children then for the children in all adults who will flock to see this movie !
Posted by: JessieJess | July 24, 2008 at 11:53 PM