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Where The Wild Things Are
New Video // Unrated // September 24, 2002
List Price: $14.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
Since the publication of the award-winning "Where the Wild Things Are", Maurice Sendak has been a powerful and popular name in the world of children's literature. Where Sendak's works are popular for several reason, part of the allure lies in the fact that his books can be enjoyed on many levels, by both adults and children. (Just look at all of the adults who still love "Where the Wild Things Are"). The Scholastic Video Collection now presents animated versions of some of Sendak's most beloved stories. This new DVD contains "Where the Wild Things Are", selections from "The Nutshell Kids", and "In the Night Kitchen".
(As this DVD contains several different episodes, each will receive a capsule review which includes an overview of the video and audio aspects as well. It can be assumed that these shorts were captured on film for classroom use. Each contains a stereo soundtrack.)
"Where the Wild Things Are" -- 7 minutes -- This timeless tale is brought to life with a minimalist style of animation. In this story, a young boy named Max is wearing a wolf-suit and acting like a "wild thing". When he is sent to his room without his supper, Max imagines that he sails across the sea to an island of "wild things" and becomes their king. But, Max soon learns that being a "wild thing" isn't always fun. There are many ways to "read" this story, but I like to go for the most obvious take, which is that it's OK to be wild, as long as you know your boundaries. For this version, Sendak's original art from the book has been brought to life with subtle animation, so basically we have still pictures that offer touches of movement. While this static approach may seem a bit boring to some, it does nothing to sully this classic. The image is slightly grainy and there are some defects from the source print. The audio is fine.
"The Nutshell Kids" -- 14 minutes -- This section features four musical number from the film "Really Rosie", with vocals by Carole King. "Alligators All About" is a simple song that uses the alphabet as its basis. In "Pierre", we meet a boy whose catch-phrase is "I don't care", but he then meets a hungry lion who may change that tune. "One was Johnny" is a short and simple song that teaches counting. And finally, there's the catchy number "Chicken Soup with Rice". Each piece here is fully-animated, but the drawings aren't all that great. The video shows a great deal of grain and many defects from the source print, and "Chicken Soup" is blurry at times. The audio is OK, but there is a slight audible hiss.
In the Night Kitchen -- 7 minutes -- Whereas "Where the Wild Things Are" is odd in a fun way, "In the Night Kitchen" is just plain weird. A young boy named Mickey is awakened by a noise coming from the kitchen. He then falls through the floor, losing all of his clothing in the process. (I'm not making this up.) He lands in the kitchen, which is being staffed by three giant chefs who look like Oliver Hardy. (Once again, not making this up.) The chefs encase Mickey in cake, and then he flies an airplane into a giant bottle of milk. The animation is taking directly from Sendak's book, but it looks like something from Ralph Bashki. Parents may want to view this one before showing it to the youngsters, as it may be too strange from some kids to handle. On the technical side, the animation looks great and the video shows only a slight amount of grain. The colors are good. The audio shows no overt defects.
Extras
This DVD contains a handful of extras. First, we have a second presentation of "Where the Wild Things Are", this one offering the narration in Spanish. Next, we have an 6-minute excerpt from the 1985 film "Sendak", in which the author discusses the origins of "Where the Wild Things Are" and "In the Night Kitchen". He is very pointed and frank in his speech and it's hard to not admire his convictions. (And, I learned that he's not French!) The final extra is not really an extra at all. A "read-along" is offered, but this is essentially the addition of English subtitles on each of the main selections. The subs are the same size as standards subs. They would need to be bigger to be effective as a "read-along".
It's best to go into this DVD knowing that there is no big fully-animated version of "Where the Wild Things Are". (Although, you have to wonder why no one has done this.) The selections contained on this DVD are short and sweet, and serve as a nice introduction to the world of Maurice Sendak.
Since the publication of the award-winning "Where the Wild Things Are", Maurice Sendak has been a powerful and popular name in the world of children's literature. Where Sendak's works are popular for several reason, part of the allure lies in the fact that his books can be enjoyed on many levels, by both adults and children. (Just look at all of the adults who still love "Where the Wild Things Are"). The Scholastic Video Collection now presents animated versions of some of Sendak's most beloved stories. This new DVD contains "Where the Wild Things Are", selections from "The Nutshell Kids", and "In the Night Kitchen".
(As this DVD contains several different episodes, each will receive a capsule review which includes an overview of the video and audio aspects as well. It can be assumed that these shorts were captured on film for classroom use. Each contains a stereo soundtrack.)
"Where the Wild Things Are" -- 7 minutes -- This timeless tale is brought to life with a minimalist style of animation. In this story, a young boy named Max is wearing a wolf-suit and acting like a "wild thing". When he is sent to his room without his supper, Max imagines that he sails across the sea to an island of "wild things" and becomes their king. But, Max soon learns that being a "wild thing" isn't always fun. There are many ways to "read" this story, but I like to go for the most obvious take, which is that it's OK to be wild, as long as you know your boundaries. For this version, Sendak's original art from the book has been brought to life with subtle animation, so basically we have still pictures that offer touches of movement. While this static approach may seem a bit boring to some, it does nothing to sully this classic. The image is slightly grainy and there are some defects from the source print. The audio is fine.
"The Nutshell Kids" -- 14 minutes -- This section features four musical number from the film "Really Rosie", with vocals by Carole King. "Alligators All About" is a simple song that uses the alphabet as its basis. In "Pierre", we meet a boy whose catch-phrase is "I don't care", but he then meets a hungry lion who may change that tune. "One was Johnny" is a short and simple song that teaches counting. And finally, there's the catchy number "Chicken Soup with Rice". Each piece here is fully-animated, but the drawings aren't all that great. The video shows a great deal of grain and many defects from the source print, and "Chicken Soup" is blurry at times. The audio is OK, but there is a slight audible hiss.
In the Night Kitchen -- 7 minutes -- Whereas "Where the Wild Things Are" is odd in a fun way, "In the Night Kitchen" is just plain weird. A young boy named Mickey is awakened by a noise coming from the kitchen. He then falls through the floor, losing all of his clothing in the process. (I'm not making this up.) He lands in the kitchen, which is being staffed by three giant chefs who look like Oliver Hardy. (Once again, not making this up.) The chefs encase Mickey in cake, and then he flies an airplane into a giant bottle of milk. The animation is taking directly from Sendak's book, but it looks like something from Ralph Bashki. Parents may want to view this one before showing it to the youngsters, as it may be too strange from some kids to handle. On the technical side, the animation looks great and the video shows only a slight amount of grain. The colors are good. The audio shows no overt defects.
Extras
This DVD contains a handful of extras. First, we have a second presentation of "Where the Wild Things Are", this one offering the narration in Spanish. Next, we have an 6-minute excerpt from the 1985 film "Sendak", in which the author discusses the origins of "Where the Wild Things Are" and "In the Night Kitchen". He is very pointed and frank in his speech and it's hard to not admire his convictions. (And, I learned that he's not French!) The final extra is not really an extra at all. A "read-along" is offered, but this is essentially the addition of English subtitles on each of the main selections. The subs are the same size as standards subs. They would need to be bigger to be effective as a "read-along".
It's best to go into this DVD knowing that there is no big fully-animated version of "Where the Wild Things Are". (Although, you have to wonder why no one has done this.) The selections contained on this DVD are short and sweet, and serve as a nice introduction to the world of Maurice Sendak.
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