Where The Wild Things Are – Dir Spike Jonze, starring Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker, Mark Ruffalo, Catherine Keener

This is a magical and convincing adaptation of the 1963 story by Maurice Sendak.

Max is a young lonely boy with a vivid imagination. He’s prone to throwing tantrums, and his mother often yells at him. On one such occasion Max runs away, sails away, finds an island and runs into six very large, very unusual creatures.

With one of the wild things in the middle of a destructive tantrum, Max intervenes – much to the confusion and anger of the creatures. Just as the creatures contemplate eating him, Max convinces them that he is in fact a king with mystical powers who can bring harmony to the group; and he is instantly crowned leader of the wild things.

This admirable adaptation is a surprisingly sharp and accurate portrayal of what it feels like to be misunderstood, frustrated and lonely as a child, especially perceptive about the emotions of a child trying to find their place in the world and fit in. Jonze’s cinematic interpretation captures the book’s characters perfectly and reinvents them for the big screen. Big kids will delight; little kids will devour this all-together charming tale.