New ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ Pics

Where The Wild Things Are Moon Tree

Of all the movies coming out this fall, perhaps none is more anticipated than Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are. Adapted from Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s story, Where the Wild Things Are has already received significant praise for its unique visual style (a common trait of Jonze’s work) as well as its emotional depth.

What has impressed me the most about the film so far are the “Wild Things” themselves. Created using a mix of live-action and CGI, Jonze’s Wild Things capture Sendak’s illustrations so well that I literally got goosebumps the first time I watched the trailer. Jonze elaborated on his approach to filming the movie in a recent article for the New York Times, saying “I wanted it to be as natural feeling as possible…I wanted to shoot the wild things in camera: on location, out in the wild.”

The New York Times article also features a number of new pictures from Where the Wild Things Are, which I’ve shared below. The images capture the type of naturalism Jonze is talking about. From the first picture in the series, which shows the stark and truly wild locations the movie was filmed on, to the last, you can see the desire to ground the story in realistic environments. For a more detailed explanation of the images, as well as some insight into the filming process, check out this interactive feature that accompanied the New York Times article.

Where The Wild Things Are Boat Pic

Where The Wild Things Are Desert Pic

Where The Wild Things Are Group Pic

Where The Wild Things Are Goat Monster

The only thing I’m wondering about now with Where the Wild Things Are is how successful the script (which was co-written by Jonze and acclaimed author Dave Eggers) will be in expanding Sendak’s original 18-page book into a feature-length narrative. My gut tells me this won’t be a problem, but I’d still be interested to see whether enough mainstream moviegoers check out the film to convince Hollywood that taking these kinds of artistic risks is a necessary and noble pursuit.

What do you think of these new pictures? Are you excited to see the film?

Where the Wild Things Are opens on October 16th, 2009.

Source: New York Times