News: When The Wild Things Aren’t

Maurice Sendak’s classic book Where the Wild Things Are has had a troublesome journey to its inevitable yet difficult transition to the big screen, under the guiding hand of unique director Spike Jonze and screenwriter Dave Eggers.

The trouble became apparent when leaked test footage, which Jonze has said is entirely preliminary and in no way intended for the final cut, made its way onto the internet to concern and consternation. Then there were reports of a test screening that had children in tears wanting to escape the theater. Rumors began to swirl that the suits at Warner Bros. hated the film and wanted to recast and reshoot it entirely. When they recently announced that the film’s release date has been set in October of 2009, credence was lent to that theory.

Now, one of the AICN crew has written an impassioned plea to save the film as is, describing it as an adult film about childhood and the end of true innocence, which might help explain why it made kids cry. The letter says “save this movie from becoming The Cat in the Hat.” That, as we all know, is a fate worse than death.

WB likely expected another Harry Potter kind of juggernaut of fantastical children’s money money money, and crying children aren’t a good sign, and its subsidiary, New Line Cinema, was already burnt by an expensive, lackluster adaptation of a children’s tale with The Golden Compass, and New Line is now facing layoffs and restructuring. So from their perspective, one can see why they might want to take these drastic measures - especially if the central child actor sucks. Little is more grating than an annoying kid in a lead role.

Then again, every story you hear is about how studios want less art and more rote, and maybe it’ll be a crime to change everything at this point. Dave Eggers is a fantastic author (read A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and Spike Jonze is a visionary director and chances are they’ve made something legitimately challenging and, yes, “subversive.” But those are the movies from childhood that really stick with you as you grow up.

So maybe it actually is pretty bad, or maybe it’s just not lighting up dollar signs in executive eyes. Or maybe those kids were really tremendous wussies.