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Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are

Adventure · Drama · Fantasy · 2009

Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret hideaways.

Movie details

Where the Wild Things Are

“There's one in all of us.”

2009 Adventure · Drama · Fantasy 1h 41m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.5 / 10

Community rating

Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret hideaways.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Where the Wild Things Are?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Strings

Strings

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The Oggly family arrive at the municipal rubbish dump of Smelliville and must look for a new home, but they never feel really welcome anywhere. They stink and are for most humans just a tad too oggly. When Firebottom, the family dragon, crash-lands on the run-down rubbish tip of the small town of Smelliville, the Ogglies at once feel at home. And it's here they want to stay.

The Dark Crystal

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Big Fish

Big Fish

Adventure · 2003

Throughout his life Edward Bloom has always been a man of big appetites, enormous passions and tall tales. In his later years, he remains a huge mystery to his son, William. Now, to get to know the real man, Will begins piecing together a true picture of his father from flashbacks of his amazing adventures.

An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster

An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster

Adventure · 1999

Follow the clues to fun and excitement as the beloved little mouse takes on a big monster in this charming, full-length adventure. When a ferocious, mouse-nabbing creature puts fear into the hearts of New York City's rodents, Fievel and his friends team up with a reporter to chase after the scoop of the century and -- just maybe -- get a close-up look at the bad guy himself!

Peter Pan

Peter Pan

Adventure · 2003

In stifling Edwardian London, Wendy Darling mesmerizes her brothers every night with bedtime tales of swordplay, swashbuckling and the fearsome Captain Hook. But the children become the heroes of an even greater story, when Peter Pan flies into their nursery one night and leads them over moonlit rooftops through a galaxy of stars and to the lush jungles of Neverland.

Strange World

Strange World

Animation · 2022

A journey deep into an uncharted and treacherous land, where fantastical creatures await the legendary Clades—a family of explorers whose differences threaten to topple their latest, and by far most crucial, mission.

The Sea Beast

The Sea Beast

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When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters — and make history to boot.

The Indian in the Cupboard

The Indian in the Cupboard

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Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas

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Action · 2003

The sailor of legend is framed by the goddess Eris for the theft of the Book of Peace, and must travel to her realm at the end of the world to retrieve it and save the life of his childhood friend Prince Proteus.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Spike Jonze

Written by

Dave Eggers · Spike Jonze

Max Records

Max Records

Max

Catherine Keener

Catherine Keener

Mom

James Gandolfini

James Gandolfini

Carol (voice)

Lauren Ambrose

Lauren Ambrose

KW (voice)

Catherine O'Hara

Catherine O'Hara

Judith (voice)

Forest Whitaker

Forest Whitaker

Ira (voice)

Chris Cooper

Chris Cooper

Douglas (voice)

Court is in session

Put Where the Wild Things Are on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.