The Movie
From the very first frames of filmmaker Spike Jonze's big screen take on Where the Wild Things Are, the tale grows beyond the classic children's book's precious few sentences to organically embrace the depiction of three-dimensional children living in the real world. Here young Max (played with amazing heart by newcomer Max Records) is a real kid with real problems, so much so that he runs away from home one night, hops into a convenient sailboat and is transported to a fantastical land populated by unusual creatures. These "Wild Things" now have not only names but individual personalities, which inevitably lead to almost constant, usually adorable friction.
And so, under the guise of building the ultimate fort, this version of the story goes beyond mere frolicking to explore the dynamics of this makeshift family, as it pertains to all families of course, including Max's. It's a lot meatier than the original tome certainly, but in maintaining the innocent spark of childhood in all its characters, Where the Wild Things Are evolves into something new, yet something still quite magical.
Also be sure to also check out Joe Lozito's review of Where the Wild Things Are.
The Picture
The 2.40:1 film-based image is a little noisier than I was expecting for a big-budget tale of whimsy. These noise levels increase, sometimes severely, during dark scenes, where colors can go a little haywire as well. This is in addition to the grain, which is often visible but is not problematic. The quality of the backgrounds varies in that some can look more unnaturally compressed than others. The creatures are largely computer-generated, covered in precise fur, and they are quite convincing in high definition.
The Sound
Max's fantasy world in particular shows happy 360-degree life in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, with everything from chirping forest sounds to the gentle desert breeze in the rears. Thunder shows a healthy rumble, and rolling waves convey the requisite power. Bass varies in intensity, from modest jumping/crashing to giant dog pawsteps to the biggest of all, a falling tree. Disparate voices in a crowd of wild things can utilize the different channels, and a dirt bomb fight late in the movie offers clear directionality.
The Extras
Eight webisodes shot by Jonze collaborator Lance Bangs have been repurposed for this disc, half of them exclusive to Blu-ray. They introduce us to different contributors and share the on-set nuttiness, some infused with the bizarre humor that tends to permeate Jonze's movies. They run anywhere from one to seven minutes each. Also exclusive are the HBO First Look sneak peek (13 minutes) and the live-action/animated film Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More to Life (23-and-a-half minutes, with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio), based on another Maurice Sendak book. All of these are in HD.
Disc Two is a "Combo DVD" with the movie in standard-definition plus a Digital Copy for iTunes and Windows Media.
Final Thoughts
Fans of the book will likely be surprised, and purists might even be outraged (childhood memories are hallowed ground) but this Where the Wild Things Are has a sweet, sad beauty all its own, respectably commemorated in this generous multi-format edition.
Product Details
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