- Title: USA: Tom Hanks hits red carpet for Where the Wild Things Are movie premiere
- Date: 15th October 2009
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 13, 2009) (REUTERS) (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) ACTOR MAX RECORDS TALKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR MAX RECORDS WHO PLAYS "MAX" SAYING: "Like every day there were probably a good four kids on set or something and then there were all the Australian actors who were just like kids and then, and then there's Sp
- Embargoed: 30th October 2009 12:00
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- Location: Usa
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVAAYD90NM8IG7R1QOFWR0JP06W
- Story Text: Story: The red carpet for the New York premiere of "Where the Wild Things Are" was aglitter on Tuesday evening (October 13) with stars like Tom Hanks and Blake Lively coming out to support the film's release. But the biggest star of the night was the man who made the whole thing possible: author Maurice Sendak who created the original award-winning children's book in 1963.
Sendak said he was thrilled with director Spike Jonze's movie rendition of his classic tale but that being in the camera's spotlight was an odd feeling for the reclusive writer.
"Strange. It feels very strange," he said. "This whole procedure is very strange. I don't believe it's happening. This is a dream, right?"
Sendak's dark but beloved book is a tale of a rambunctious boy who dons his wolf suit and goes in search of mischief but falls back on his imagination when he gets sent to his room. The movie is both a departure and an homage designed to appeal to adults as well as children. It consists of live-action, part puppetry and part computer-animation.
Tom Hanks is one of the movie's producers. He said he read the book to all four of his children.
"Maurice is a fascinating guy," said Hanks. "He's bitter. He knows it. He's funny about - sometimes we can him 'Morose Sendak' but he knows that he's like that. He knows that he's this cranky old guy who lives out in the woods and his Max is acting up for a reason and those wild things are wild and they look like that for a reason."
In the biggest departure from the book, lonely but playful Max (played by newcomer Max Records) runs away from home and sails to a wilderness inhabited by fanged and furry Wild Things that are looking for the kind of leader that Max wants to be. The movie is Records' first film. The experience was a lot of fun, he said.
"Like every day there were probably a good four kids on set or something and then there were all the Australian actors who were just like kids and then, and then there's Spike of course and he's kind of in a league of his own," he said.
Actress Catherine Keener, who is a favorite of Jonze, plays Max's mother. Her protective instincts weren't limited to on set.
"I'm his friend and I feel very protective of him but I do with all my friends and children in particular, especially in this business," she said. "He's got a pretty level head on him though. He's a very composed person so he just needs some muscle. That's all. That's what I'm here for."
Oscar-winning actor Forest Whitaker, who voices one of the monsters named "Ira", said Sendak's tale has universal appeal.
"I think it's the kind of book that really relates to everyone because it's about a kid who's having trouble fitting in and finds his own place in the world and wants to find comfort but still wants to be himself and it's about being true to yourself and I think that's a universal principal that I'm still dealing with as an adult."
Rounding out the cast is James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo and Catherine O'Hara. The movie hits North American theatres on October 16th and opens in Europe and Asia in November and December. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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