After reading so many disparaging reviews of Where the Wild Things Are, I began to feel that I’d seen a different movie, for it moved and inspired me powerfully.
I’m grateful to read the comments from folks who read my review, to learn that quite a few others were affected by the film as well. I feel better now.
I loved the film too.
I felt that it was pretty close to perfect. It’s such a different film – it’s a sharp break from the storytelling displayed in most animated films . . . including Pixar films. Part of the film is just about capturing what it’s like to be nine. (Example: the whole, let’s build a fortress and have a secret underground tunnel parts.)
And then you have this, sometimes subtle sometimes less so, similarities to the ‘real world’ and the ‘fantasy world.’ And for me that’s how the film climaxes. When those similarities become clear and Max sees his own behavior reflected in the behavior of Carol.
It’s a powerful film, and words fail to do it justice.
I can’t name another film that has stayed with me as long a WtWTA this year, except Up. Admittedly, each film stayed with me in very different ways & for different reasons. But both films are about how we overcome very difficult situations through love & hope. Since I’m a Tolkiensien subcreationist (yes, I just coined both terms, I’m thinkin’) when it comes to storytelling, I think both films echo the One who came to help us overcome through Love & Hope. At least they do for me. And, in doing so, both films transcend the stories they are telling to move us to a deeper recognition of the True Myth (as Tolkien said to Lewis) & how we can overcome with Love & Hope in our daily lives because of that True Myth. Jeffrey, you wrote a whole book on this sort of thing so I’m sure nothing I’m saying here, far less thoughtfully than you’ve already done, is new to frequent readers of your work. Sadly, I don’t think average filmgoers want to dig that deeply, either into the story or their own lives.
This week, Bono has taken some heat for saying he thinks No Line on the Horizon’s lagging sales figures may have to do with the subject matter of the album, that it’s a bit too deep for those who cut their teeth on current pop. Some are saying this is just sour grapes on Bono’s part, that he’s whining. But I believe he’s right & I think the same can be said for WtWTA &, even though it was very successful, Up. I’ll take my entertainment challenging, thanks. Taken together, the last 3 U2 albums are a startling & moving treatise on love & how it can change us & the world. That’s far more of a challenge than many (most) current pop stars are able to muster from their fans, if they’d even be willing to dig that deeply.
There are cinematic images I’ll have in my heart all my life & it would be fun to write them down at some point, to compare them. The most recent example is the last shot of WtWTA of Max looking at his mom; his recognition of her love for him & how he recognized that love because of his experiences with the Wild Things, a myth, if you will. Wow. Just a tremendous image. There is change on his face; he gets it. One of the most effective last images in cinema. Yeah, that may be saying quite a lot but I think it’s true, the more I ponder it in my heart. I can’t wait to own this film so I can watch it frequently.