this shouldn't be a film for kids. look at the recent "alvin and the chipmunks" film.. toning this old school stuff down for today's children obviously doesn't work. this film should be made for those of us who grew up with the source material, i say screw the rest; anything else is a sell-out move on WB's part.

I would LOVE to see an adult version.

How do you get the job of being a test screener?

You just have to be at the movies! I uswd to work for Nielsen (the ratings company). We're in LA. They have people go to local theaters and hand out free screeners.

Three cheers for focus groups!
Protecting the world from monsters that aren't cute!

i trust jonze's adult version all the way. they can change it around however they like, though, as long as we get to see jonze's cut that was too adult, id be for seeing two versions. one kids could enjoy and one for the adults that liked pan's labyrinth. see em both

btw an adult version of alvin and the chipmunks would be awesome.

I think the early audience reports have really short-handed what kids today or children today want to see and can handle in a children's film. That might even be the point of this film.

I doubt the film itself is inappropriate, and the author of WTWTA, Maurice Sendak, has not only given his blessing to the flick, but has reportedly consulted with Jonze and Eggers throughout the production. Eggers is even writing a spin-off book called The Wild Things.

The book itself is a little weird and dark, many forget that. The studio should have hired Chris Columbus instead of Jonze if they wanted "traditional."

I still hope Jonze ends up making Harold and the Purple Crayon later in his career as a companion piece to this.

"some desert place." - LOL.

"some desert place." - got to love adults.

jonze knows what he's doing!!! Dammit I was really hoping this one would be the way he wanted it, why why why do they torture us!!

they should just test screen outside the country... like canada. lol.

Hey Drew: Test Screening isn't a "job" you can get. I was at a test screening for this flick and I got in via an invite from Movie Tickets.com, where I occasionally pick up tix (I don't believe I even get their newsletters).

That being said, this isn't an 'adult' film-- it's a film that deals with the REALITY of being a kid. The Wild Things and their relationships to each other all sort of parallel Max's relationships to his family and (I'm guessing) his friends. There's a mother & son WT duo and a brother and sister and a few oddballs. They are big and scary because they do things without thinking-- including things that can hurt-- like real children do.

I don't think it's fair to judge this one on the strength of the test audiences though. While I overheard a lot of people on the way out just gushing over this film, sadly they weren't part of the 'test audience.' Only a fraction of the people invited to test screenings are actually given the test (at least in this case) and they were selected via very specific criteria. The screeners talked to everyone in line (several hundred) and selected a few dozen. I was passed by the minute that I mentioned that I knew who the director was and his other work, and that I loved Dave Eggers first book-- apparently I'm not the target audience :).

What kills me is that they explained at the beginning that the FX weren't finished and that you wouldn't see the Wild Things emote or move their lips when talking, and I STILL heard a few people complain that the movie was confusing because the "monsters never talked." I'm guessing THESE are the geniuses that made the test groups and are systematically ruining this film for the rest of us.

We are the kids who grew up with this book, we should have a more 'adult' film made to keep us satisfied with what we once knew as scary and amazing. We were certainly more adapted to rougher material in our younger days that kids of today and if they want to tone this down to a target audience of ages 5+, it's really going to be a major let down for pretty much everyone.

In the book, it was drawn, so it threw off the adults, but the innuendo of all text involved was epic in tiny scale. Haven't read it in a few (years) but from what I remember, THEY'RE FUCKING MONSTERS!!! They're scary monsters who want to eat children and be scary!!!
The last things they yell to Max as he sails away is dont leave us! we love you and want to eat you!! With grins on their faces rollings their terrible eyes..... Get it.

Adult.

Ha I was right, I think it would be better if it was a darker version

I think what Jonze and Eggers are doing with the movie looks incredible but it will definitely be a challenge for Warner Bros. to market. The story is pretty dark so you can't blame the filmmakers for wanting to stay true to the book but at the same time the title immediately screams to parents 'a film based off a childrens book.'

i LOVE that it is adult and not trimmed for the little kiddies. Fuck everyone else, I grew up with the book, and always thought it was meant to be dark anyway. I can not wait to see this film. If WB makes SJ cut this film or reshoot shit just to make it jive with a hillbilly family that thinks Josh and Derek or whatever that show is called is funny, then I will not see it. but then again i dont think Jonze is the type of guy to rape his own work. Cant wait.

I am of the firm belief that this film should be all things to all people; a wink nudge wisecracker for dad, a colourful action-fest for junior and a story of redemption/love/being special for mom.

And Regis and Jessica Alba should voice a couple of the monsters.

And there should be at least two sub-par sequels.

And I want plush toy monsters.

And if I can't buy branded pillow slips and sheers well then this movie's just not art.

DO NOT DUMB THIS MOVIE DOWN FOR THE SAKE OF THE STUDIOS!!!!

I hope Warner Brothers does NOT tamper with a possible masterpiece. I hope any changes are made by Spike himself. I see promise in his film. What could ruin this film is what many children's films suffer from. Its a lack of intelligence.

Kids are smart. They understand, danger, violence, action, emotion. If the story is great, that's all that matters. Warner Brothers has NO clue what they have...after all, its the SAME studio that said 300 should be PG-13!!!!

Are you kidding me? Who the hell finds these execs?

i would much rather see a more adult version of the book, but i don't think that's what the studio wants or what kids would want, and aren't they supposed to be the main audience.

kids are such little wimps now adays.. my little 5 year old nephew was flipping out scared watching BBC's planets earth. (scene was a whale eating a bunch of plankton, not scary at all btw).

i watched poltergeists when i was 5, scared the shit out of me but moved on come PB&J time.

@ bob

Indeed.

I grew up with the book, and I have to admit, it's been quite a few years since I've reread it. But what I remember is the creepy feeling of being in Max's place with all those scary monsters on that island. That's what the book represents for me and most people I know.
That said, why dumb it down for contemporary kids? I saw Stephen King's IT when I was about 3 and I think I'm a better person for it. I used to slide down rusty metal slides and impale limbs on old wooden jungle gyms. I don't think there was ever a time in my childhood when I didn't have torn up knees and elbows from being a KID. There was terror, and humor, and I learned a lot more about the world from being exposed to it rather than being shielded from it.
Come on, Hollywood. Let the man do his job. If he made a film he's proud of, it's going to show. If it's ripped away from him, watered down and sugared up, it's going to show.

I trust Spike Jones. I'd also be willing to bet Maurice Sendak does as well.

i trust Spike Jones, but look, let's be honest here: The source material eats a big fat one. I hated that book as a kid, and I hate it now as a parent. Jones shouldn't waste his talents on such drivel. Sendak's occasionally been inspired--his Little Bear stuff is great--but WTWTA is hardly his best work. And Eggers? Don't even get me started on that pseudo-intellectual,self-congratulatory fraud.

I'm interested in seeing what ever Spike wants to do. Screw the kids. Sick of everything having to be for kids. the way kids are coddled to these days I fear for the future. And I like kids, but not to the point of hysterical worship.

so where did you guys get these spike comments from email? why no sourcing?

I hope Spike sticks to his guns on this one. I hope this si something Wednesday and Pugsley Addams would enjoy.

Leave it to the big studios to ALWAYS cater to the lowest common denominator. Spike has ( had ) a vision that I'm sure he had to pitch to WB to even get off the ground, now they're going to turn around and stick it to him. Rather than a piece that may have been celebrated as being bold, we are going to see a picture completely emasculated, a shell of what was intended. Shameful on many levels.

Fred: Warner Bros sent us Spike’s comments directly.

Maurice Sendak created the monsters originally to represent his aunts and uncles who pounced on him wanting hugs and kisses but seemed really scary to him.

Spike Jonze vision sounds about right in terms of tone. I'd love to see it as a darker story for older kids. Seems the WB problem is one of marketing a movie populated by fuzzy creatures to an older audience. And, plenty of folks take their toddlers to see Star Wars and Harry Potter movies, which I'm guessing are no more "appropriate."

I can't say it's anyones fault really.

It's as if you started a waffle house and your chef could only make pancakes. They can be the best pancakes in town but that doesn't mean you're still not going to have a tough time marketing your restaurant to people who think your going to be selling them waffles.

The movie title tells the audience that this is a film based off a children's book therefore it must be for kids but the content of the movie (no matter how true to the book or brilliant it is) contradicts that notion. It's going to be difficult for the studio executives to sell pancakes to an audience expecting waffles and it's also going to be difficult for them to convince the viewing public that pancakes from a restaurant calling itself the waffle house can really be all that good. You have parents who will complain about it not being suitable for children and adults who are hesitant to see a movie based off a children's book.

A lot of people seem to be saying this book could only have been done in this mature style because of the content of the story but I don't think that's true. The book has an imaginative playful side that I think could have worked in the right hands. I just think that if they have a finished film in this mature style, it's going to be extremely hard to mess with the content and not turn it into something that both sides are going to shrug off.

Jonze has a pretty solid rep as a film maker and id be far more interested in seeing a dark, thoughtful Where the Wild Things are than a kiddie sell out flick.

Oh, f*ck a "test screening". Did Peter Jackson have to put up with such malarkey making LOTR?

Also, IIRC, 'Nightmare Before Christmas" was also quite dark and scary for the young ones -- it was released as a PG film, and 15 years later it remains a beloved classic for kids and adults, as well as a cash cow for Disney. Let nothing come in the way of this picture in the hands of two very capable artists!

"How do you get the job of being a test screener?"

Become an asshat that doesn't know shit about movies.

The book was scary to me as a child, but it was also my favorite.
Needless to say, snow white was deemed to scary for kids at times, so they removed a shot (which is now back in). If Maurice Sendeck approved of, and even liked, this adaptation, than I hope warner brothers figures this out real fast.

This script was GENIUS. The test footage looks amazing, as well, I'm sure the film will be brilliant if left in the hands of Spike.There's nothing dumbed down in the original book, why would a movie adaptation be any different? I don't understand how people read the script and give ALL the money to make it happen, and trust a team to make the movie, then get undone when they get when they deliver what they asked for...

I was part of the test audience and I loved the film, it is not 100% for kids but dude it was amazing the suits are fucking up they should leave it alone. if not I will tell everyone minute by minute how the movies goes, or make a small comic about it.

I can't believe anyone would be able to make this a "cute" film with Sendak's approval. I think he would squash that in a second. It's supposed to be frightening. It's not a feel good Pixar story. I would love to read the script if anyone has a copy of it. Of course, I don't think the film has to be so scary as to make children cry, but they should definitely be a scared. I'm sorry to hear they may be pulling Spike off of it, (I love his work) but frankly I never really felt like it was a good fit. The real rub with any of this is how the studios are focus grouping movies so much. I bet there are some amazing stories to be told out there that are killed in front of a couple of soccer moms. Sad, sad, sad.

The kids of this generation have been dumbed down to a point in which 15 year old would rather watch Hannah Montana or My Gym Partner's a Monkey than keep up with current events. That's why when I turned 13 I stopped watching Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, and Nick because all the good shows are getting replaced and left in rerun hell at 3 in the morning and in thier old timeslots are now dumb shows that I can't even watch for three second.
I just rewatched the clip and it says that it dosn't have any, any big sets. It's a kid movie for god's sake!!
Because of the lack of imganation parents are schoked when they see something that challenges a kid's mind
I love the clip, I like to see the entire movie.
As for the "He slapped his mom" Kids slap their mom everyday, I guess this is the 'I'm to busy trying to shelter my kid and I'm lucky my son dosn't wear a wold suit to bed.
Maybe what they should shoot is like showing something bad happening in Max's life or if he's acting out because his perfect sister is alwasy getting the attention. Kids who want to be love try and do stuff because they want their parent to pay attention to them or to say something to them becuase all kids want love. All of them. I thinks it's been provein that babies that aren't love either die or grow up to be mentally disturderd.
I wish that won't change it

I was at the test screening with my 7 year old last year. She had already claimed this to be one of her favorite movies ever (in her long life of 7 years). It wasn't the crap family film that's been shoveled to us for the last two decades. She and I both enjoyed it for that particular reason.

And I found the "screening" questions to be really loaded. When they asked me about the film they wouldn't allow me to explain why I felt the way I did. Why they listen to some people I don't know why. This is a potential masterpiece and it's gonna' be a shame if they ruin this. Bummer.

Spike Jonze is brilliant and the test footage looks fantastic. I really hope Warner Bros. doesn't boot Jonze and the script. This is a movie I'd see based on Jonze's direction and the source material alone.

I saw this film at the Pasadena test screening - It IS a kids movie. It deals with issues that most kids go through. Not to spoil the film but Max is resisting change in his family life, he's scared, sad, acting out. He's dealing with heavy emotional topics, but how does a kid dealing with "dark" issues make it an adult movie? I can see guarding kids from violence and sex, but guarding kids from emotions, editing something out because there is tears?

Yes, Max hits his mom. He's an asshole in the beginning and you can guess that in the end he learns a lesson and changes for the better (sorry to give away the obvious).

I can't imagine the changes that they would make to redo this. It's like how they might be cutting cancer out of Fanboys. If worst comes to worst release the Jonze film without the animated faces. I saw it with expressionless costumes and still absolutely loved it.

I think it's stupid to re-shoot a movie for not being the typical fart-joke humor kids film. Make a kid think a little, WB, I'll give 'em a bit of practice.

As for being scary... I remember that there were always parts in Disney movies that scared me when I was a kid. They aren't scary anymore, of course, which is more or less the point. You get over it, so you aren't such a pansy when you grow up. And hell, I felt pretty damn proud when I could watch the so-called "scary" parts without even flinching.

Out of curiousity, if they had wanted the usual cheesy feel-good kids' film, why the hell did they bring on Spike Jonze?

i'm basically going to repeat what everyone else has said, but since warner bros. is communicating directly with this site, i'm hoping adding one more comment will help add to the impact of the message:

please, leave this movie as it is. spike jonze is a brilliant director. people who appreciate his work will love you if you let it be what it is. they will take their kids to see it, even if the fools you surveyed don't. but they'll resent you if you ruin the film. warner bros. presents itself as a studio that supports film as an art form, touting its relationship with auteur stanley kubrick. don't destroy that image now and rob the world of an artist's vision.

I think WB has a great chance to capitalize here...literally. Release them both. Certainly, the generation that grew up with the book (I'm one of them), has a very strong connection to the book, one that would make the film popular, even to the parents of our generation who had to spend so many hours reading it to us over and over! Moreover, the "kid" version is a sure blockbuster, as the book continues to be popular.

The point is: like many great images that stick in collective memory, there is a wide array of how people want to see this story portrayed on the big screen because they feel as though those images belong to them...to their imagination, and we all want our imagination to be realized on the big screen.

SO - Warner Brothers, take some advice. Keep the footage you already shot and release it for the older kids, then do the re-shoots if you want and release that too. You can't deny the DVD sales would be far higher.....

They don't need to totally kidify this movie for a pre-school audience. Such great fantasy type movies such as The Dark Crystal and The Labyrinth were made in the past and they had their scary scenes (well at least The Dark Crystal did), the creatures were also created by the Jim Henson company (just like as in WTWTA). Another movie to remember is 'The NeverEnding Story'. These are classics!

Spike Jonze and his work is amazing. The story is about monsters who live in the wild so it isn't all fluff and flowers.

Please, please, please Warner Brothers see the amazing piece of work already in front of you and don't change it. This is sure to be a classic movie as long as you keep it as it is!

I hope Warner is listening and if not, someone who knows how to get in touch let them know that they shouldn't wreck a good thing.

i've seen this idea of releasing two versions of the film crop up in a couple of places. i'm no expert, but it seems to me that warner bros. would be cannibalizing their own box office sales. not only that, they'd have a marketing nightmare on their hands, and a hopelessly confused public. i could see it maybe working if they gave them different names and released one on DVD only... and obviously it would have to be spike's version that got this treatment. :/ but, of course, it'd be better than never getting to see it at all.

Some of the best childhood films were the ones that were scary and emotional, Labyrinth, the Dark crystal, The never ending story... has anyone seen these? Adults have a strong tendency to underestimate children's knowledge and intelligence.

This makes me angry!!! The original book scared me when i was young. They're monsters for flip sake! and even in the book they were very dark and menacing, especially the one that looks like a bull and the one with horns. and as for Max (re: slapping his mum) that sounds exactly right for that character, he's meant to be a naughty little kid, he comes across as quite spoilt in the book too, when i read the book again in my early teens, i was convinced he had ADHD lol. When i heard Spike was directing, i had so much faith that one of the best stories i was ever read as a child would be translated perfectly to the big screen. This film will be terrible if Warner Bros have their way. i'd rather see no film at all than see Spike Jonze's genius destroyed by greedy sellout studio bosses. cant maurice sendak and his people step in??? can't someone buy the rights off WB??? This is an example of why children are so messed up nowadays.