It was first published in 1963. It was written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. With few words and scary illustrations this book was part of my childhood. My mom read it to me, I read it to my brothers and sisters, and now it sits nestled in the bookshelf in my 3 year old son's room.
It is a book about breaking away from your parents and dreaming of going off to that place where you ultimately rule everything, where you are the boss. In the end you realize you miss those who most love you...you forget your anger, you lose your 'wildness' and you run into the arms of those who yearn for your return.
Maurice Sendak, way back then, touched on the imagination and feelings of young boys everywhere in the world. It was no mistake that this book would become a classic.
WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE IS THIS. As a man with a family of my own, when I watched this trailer in theatres, time rolled backwards for that 2 and half minutes. Sitting in that large blue theatre seat was a 7 year old boy again, full of wonder, awe and hope. Old doors of the imagination long sealed and covered in the cobwebs our adult lives were swept clean and burst open to the possibility of wonderous adventure.
It was like remembering who you were before you starting being in such a hurry to grow up.
The music they chose for the trailer was superb (Wake Up by the Arcade Fire). The emotion of it all poured fourth.
As I watched and listened I was reminded of how much time had lessened me, how much less adventure I had in my own life, but how..... it was not too late. Then as if a projection of what I was thinking on the screen it read in simple black and white: Everyone has Hope!
I welled up with tears at the prospect that my adult life had not shut out completely that child inside of me like we all need to from time to time. It gave me great joy know know somewhere deep inside we all have a "Max that is a Wild Thing."
I applaud Spike Jonze for taking on the incredible task trying to write the screenplay for and direct something that millions of us have already imagined.
This film is produced by none other than Tom Hanks, who has a pretty good record for turning out fine films. The Polar Express was a children's book made into a movie by Mr. Hanks and it was fantastic. Here is hoping he does the same with this one.
This movie is coming out on October 16th. Here is a link to a couple of trailers for it:
http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=--N9klJXbjQ
