Where the Wild Things Are - Who is the movie for?

Good! For those of us in the world who aren’t parents it means that we get to enjoy a heartwarming film free of sex and violence without kids there to ruin it!

Shannon, you will have to let us know what you think of the film. It’s a great film in so many ways, and unique, which is a rare and treasured quality. I am actually surprised by the mixed reviews from those who review the film on artistic merit as opposed to those like me who are coming from a parenting perspective.

I don’t know if I would call the film heartwarming, but it is thought provoking. It’s good for us to see the world through a child’s eyes every once in a while, especially when that view isn’t exactly rosy. It gives us perspective and for me, a renewed commitment to find ways to support kids who may be struggling through life.

I just wish that the film was all that but still magical for kids, like the book.

Hi Carey, along with your blog, I always go to “kids in mind” for reviews, they are acurate and opinion free. Their review actually leaves the film within the perameters I usually allow for my young son. (Under a score of 4- any catagory.) But your review has me thinking twice. I was really hoping for a fun movie that my son (who loves the book) would like but it isn’t going to be that, is it? *sad sigh* Ah well, I guess I could see if “Ponyo” is still playing somewhere!

Thanks for the comment, Anita. You are right. It’s deceiving because using the common measures of “violence” or “sex and nudity,” the film doesn’t look that bad. It’s the emotional roller coaster that confuses and saddens kids. In a way, it’s a part of what makes the film so good. Things happen in a “wild” way, like it does in real life for kids sometimes. They get a great idea to have a snowball fight, and then it gets out of hand, someone gets hurt, and everyone is crying and fighting. Kids’ emotions are all over the place and they’re learning hard lessons as they go — and that is what the film conveys.

I could see it on my kids’ faces though, the confusion they felt when one minute they are laughing at the characters having fun and being silly, and then all of the sudden an emotional brick gets dropped on them as the play turns ugly and mean. Kids live it, but they don’t expect it in a movie. Young children feel the hurt they see the characters going through, and it’s hard for them to understand what the heck just happened. Then, the movie does nothing to resolve it. Most young children just aren’t likely to enjoy this movie. If you’re thinking twice, definitely see the movie first to make your own decision, and if you do, please come back and tell us what you think.

I’m confused about the idea of a review that includes no opinion… =}

Anyway, thanks for this review. The previews look decent enough, so it’s nice to get a different view. I was already fairly certain that my kids were too young (although we’re eagerly awaiting The Princess and the Frog), but you’ve confirmed it! I’d say that I’d wait for it to come out on video, but I’m just not interested at all…

O whine, whine, whine. My seven-year-old was frightened and confused by the movie too. He was also –his words– “very, very, very glad” he saw the movie. Kids and adults go to movies in part to be frightened and confused. The technical term for this is “drama.” This is not a kids film, it’s a family film.

Ha! You’re calling us whiners!?

I am glad your son liked the movie. It’s true that movies can be good and also frightening and confusing. The movie could even spark some interesting discussions, but that’s only if the child is old enough to talk about and understand the movie.

Leaving a movie frightened and confused is not what parents generally want to happen with young kids, which is why we’re having the discussion. It’s for those parents with preschoolers or even older kids who just plain wouldn’t like this sort of thing and will appreciate having been warned beforehand.

> “You’re calling us whiners!?” No, I called your behavior whining. I try to avoid ad hominem arguments

WTWTA was towards the scary end of what my 7yo was going to walk away from happy. Coraline would probably have been too much, so we waited and saw Coraline on the smaller screen at home. That’s fine, and the small screen is surely the right answer for some kids and WTWTA.

But the reward for taking the risk in the theater with WTWTA is, IMHO, much greater than with, say, Coraline. Coraline is a pretty film. Actually, it’s a stunningly beautiful film. But it’s not an important film. The story is clever, but doesn’t really demand much thought, and your life is not much the poorer for not having seen it. In other words, it’s just another movie.

WTWTA the movie does demand thought, about what we owe the people around us and what we should ask of them. About why people are the way they are. About why we bother to grow up at all. Plus a dirt clod fight.

Maybe this is just Seattle, but WTWTA in the theater was special. There were people in costume. My son saw people from his school. Before the movie started, People talked about the book and what it meant to them.

So for us, it was definitely worth the risk.

I guess the part that would bother me the most is the stereotyping of the single mom and how the children are affected. Being a single mom myself (and one that is NOT focused on a boyfriend!), the message that this movie sends children of single parents is sad. Besides, the message I read in the book is that the boy gets into some unspecified trouble with mom, gets sent to his room without dinner, and ultimately launches on a magical dream. Returning to the smell of a delicious dinner, brought by his mom into his jungle/room. I guess the movie took “artistic liberties.”

I took my 9 year old daughter to see WTWTA and we both loved it. If she had been younger, I might have waited until it was on DVD. I think you have to judge your child’s maturity level and be ready to answer any questions they have. IMHO, it’s not a bad thing if a movie brings up serious subjects for discussion.

I’m a single mother and my daughter did ask me if I would ever ignore her if I had a boyfriend. And I had to explain that I would always make sure I had time for her, but sometimes kids have to let their parents be adults for a little while.

In some ways it is a sad movie, but overall I found it really lovely. I don’t particularly like characters who are inhumanly perfect. And I don’t know if I would have liked a movie with Max escaping to a perfect place. In the book, Max is kind of a jerk and he goes somewhere where he can continue to be a jerk. In the movie, Max is more complicated and therefore his experience is more complicated. He tries to run away from his problems and finds that he can’t. I think he gains an understanding of how people can fail even when they are trying their best and acting out of love.