History Literature / WhereTheWildThingsAre

* NoNameGiven: All of the monsters. Sendak had names that never appeared in the book for some of them -- Tzippy, Aaron, Moishe, Bruno, Emile, Bernard -- but never gave a name to the goat in the books or art (he's just referred to as "Goat Boy").

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: Ira is obviously trying to neck Judith in one scene.

* FamilyOfChoice: While their relationship to one another isn't really clear, the Wild Things view themselves as a family of some kind. This is lampshaded by Carol when he calls themselves "one big happy family". This is played for drama in some instance, as [=KW=] being frequently

** There's a scene where Max is being shown his "kingdom", which is a pretty obvious reference to ''Disney/TheLionKing''. Some of the dialogue is very similar to that scene, as well.

--->'''Carol:''' [[HolyShitQuotient How can you say that? How dare you say that?]] ''[rips Douglas' arm off]''

* EmpathicEnvironment: In one of the many [[TearJerker/WhereTheWildThingsAre sad moments]] in the film, snow begins to fall slowly. Depending upon where you fall on the MaybeMagicMaybeMundane debate, this can be explained as Max's emotions affecting the place he's imagining.
%%* FakeUltimateHero
* FamilyOfChoice: While their relationship to one another isn't really clear but the Wild Things view themselves as a family of some kind and this is lampshaded by Carol when calls themselves "one big happy family". This is played for drama in some instance, as [=KW=] being frequently

* MoodWhiplash: Goes from [[RuleOfFunny being funny]] to being serious to being sort of creepy to [[TearJerker being sad]]. Sometimes in the same scene.
--->'''Douglas:''' [[TearJerker/WhereTheWildThingsAre He's not a king, Carol.]]

** Max's mom, Connie, also has a phone conversation with a "Mr. Lasseter". Back in the 80s, [[Creator/PixarRegulars John Lasseter]] attempted to make a WTWTA movie with Disney. It would have been one of the earliest examples of CGI in film, featuring traditionally animated characters in 3D CGI environments.

In the Spike Jonze film, Max is an angry little boy in a wolf costume who is very intelligent and resents that his sister feels too old to spend time with him and that his mother's life is too busy to give him the attention he desires. This causes a conflict that ends with him running away to an island populated by semi-feral monsters who crown him king out of a need for someone to take care of them and their emotional needs. Unlike in the book, the monsters all have their individual characteristics and personalities that are usually in some way a reflection of portions of Max's personality. Although Max tries his best, eventually he realizes he loves the monsters but cannot be the leader or parent they need and returns home to his mother with a better appreciation of what she goes through. Most of the following tropes will deal with the film version (see AdaptationExpansion).

%%* OurBugbearsAreScarier: The Wild Things are brought to life by the protagonist's imagination, or exist in his imagination, or live somewhere accessible by his imagination, or something along those lines. They're big and hairy, fierce and fearsome, and none look alike -- some have horns, one has duck legs and another human feet, one has the head of a hog and another has the head of a bird. They threaten Max when he encounters them, but he intimidates them and becomes their king. According to the author, he based the Wild Things on caricatures of his aunts and uncles he drew when they visited his house in his youth.
%%** KW is pretty reasonable too, though she's disassociated with the rest.

* OurBugbearsAreScarier: The Wild Things are brought to life by the protagonist's imagination, or exist in his imagination, or live somewhere accessible by his imagination, or something along those lines. They're big and hairy, fierce and fearsome, and none look alike -- some have horns, one has duck legs and another human feet, one has the head of a hog and another has the head of a bird. They threaten Max when he encounters them, but he intimidates them and becomes their king. According to the author, he based the Wild Things on caricatures of his aunts and uncles he drew when they visited his house in his youth.

* BodyHorror:: Douglas' arm getting ripped off and sand pouring from the wound.

** Max's mom, Connie, also has a phone conversation with a "Mr. Lasseter". Back in the 80s [[Creator/PixarRegulars John Lasseter]] attempted to make a WTWTA movie with Disney. It would have been one of the earliest examples of CGI in film, featuring traditionally animated characters in 3D CGI environments.

* ShoutOut: Not an example within the book/movie itself, but it was given multiple shout outs in Alt-J's song Breezeblocks (to the point where the entire bridge goes "please don't go, I'll eat you whole, I love you so.")

* ABoyAndHisX: A Boy and His Tribe of Monsters.

!!!Specific to the book:

* NoNameGiven: All of the monsters. Sendak had names that never appeared in the book for some of them -- Tzippy, Aaron, Moishe, Bruno, Emile, Bernard -- but never gave a name to the goat in the books or art (he's just referred to as Goat Boy).

!!!Specific to the film:

** Emeal -- Douglas

** Zippy -- KW

** Moishaw -- Carol

* BerserkButton:
** Mention any idea you have to Carol that could ''imply'' breaking up the clan of monsters, and may God have mercy on your soul!
** He also reacts badly on being lied to.
** Really, it's easier to list what ''doesn't'' send Carol into a rage.
* BigBrotherBully: [[spoiler: Carol towards the rest of the Wild Things. It becomes clear towards the end of the film that he's exactly the kind of person Max will become if he doesn't try to fix his problems; a self-centered, bitter MoodSwinger whose bursts of violence and abuse bring harm to his family.]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Max leaves the Wild Things, with the implication that he will never see them again, but he's happily reunited with his mother, with the implication that he understands her a little better and things might become more peaceful between them as a result.]]
* BlatantLies: Max's claims of being a king. [[spoiler: Unsurprisingly it turns out that pretty much all of the monsters had him figured out from the get go.]]

%%* BodyHorror:
%%* ButNowIMustGo

* ButtMonkey: Alexander, the one whom no one cares about.
* {{Calvinball}}: All the games Max comes up with. They don't seem to have any rules whatsoever, just a lot of running, jumping, screaming, laughing, and childish violence.
%%* ChaoticStupid: Max's incident with his mother.

* CoolBigSis: KW, who quickly warms to Max and often sides with him in the Things' conflicts. His actual sister, Claire, was once this, but has become distant as she and Max are in very different places in life.
%%* ComingOfAgeStory

%%* DeadpanSnarker: Judith

* EmpathicEnvironment: In one of the many [[TearJerker sad moments]] in the film, snow begins to fall slowly. Depending upon where you fall on the MaybeMagicMaybeMundane debate, this can be explained as Max's emotions affecting the place he's imagining.

%%* FamilyOfChoice: The Wild Things. Lampshaded by Carol.
%%* GenreSavvy: Douglas shows Carol what's up [[spoiler: and gets his arm ripped off for it]].

%%* GrowingUpSucks: Though really the film is more like "change in general is scary and can suck," than just growing up.
* IntelligibleUnintelligible: Bob and Terry. To Max and Carol, they are simply TheUnintelligible.

%%* LetsMeetTheMeat: "Hello, Richard."

%%* MamaBear: KW

%%* MoodSwinger: Carol, and, to a lesser extent, all of the wild things.

--->'''Douglas:''' [[TearJerker He's not a king, Carol.]]

* ParentsAsPeople: Max's mother isn't perfect, but it's only because she's trying so hard to provide for her family that she has less time for them.

* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler: The ending makes it clear that pretty much all of the Wild Things aside from Carol, Judith, and Ira figured out Max was lying about being a king. And those three were simply in denial. Douglas and Alexander admit that they both knew he was lying from the start and only went along with it because they saw how happy it made Carol.]]

** Max's mom also has a phone conversation with a "Mr. Lasseter". Back in the 80s [[Creator/PixarRegulars John Lasseter]] attempted to make a WTWTA movie with Disney. It would have been one of the earliest examples of CGI in film, featuring traditionally animated characters in 3D CGI environments.

%%* SnowballFight: And dirtclod fight!

%%* TroubledAbuser: [[spoiler: Carol]].
%%* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: Carol towards the end.]]

%%* WhamLine: "Just don't ever let Carol find out". At that moment, you just ''know'' what's going to happen next.

** Bernard - The Bull
** Bruno - Ira
** Emeal - Douglas
** "Goat Boy" - Alexander
** Zippy - KW
** Aaron - Judith
** Moishaw - Carol

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: Actually a bit more cynical than your typical children's book due to a ruckus main character who has a mother who punishes him. However, this doesn't make it a mean spirited and unsympathetic book.

%%* AlphaBitch: Judith.

* BigBrotherBully: [[spoiler: Carol towards the rest of the Wild Things. It becomes clear towards the end of the film that he's exactly the kind of person Max will become if he doesn't try to fix his problems; a self-centered, bitter MoodSwinger who's bursts of violence and abuse bring harm to his family.]]

--->'''Carol:''' [[HolyShitQuotient How can you say that? How ''dare'' you say that?]] [[''rips Douglas' arm off'']]

%%* BittersweetEnding

%%* {{Calvinball}}: All the games Max comes up with.

%%* CoolBigSis: KW. Formerly Max's older sister, Claire.

* EmpathicEnvironment: In one of the many [[TearJerker sad moments]] in the film, snow begins to fall slowly.

%%* KidsAreCruel: Max at the start.

%%* MoodWhiplash: Goes from [[RuleOfFunny being funny]] to being serious to being sort of creepy to [[TearJerker being sad]]. Several times.

* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailer for the 2009 film pretty much shows Max having fun/goofy adventures with the titular Wild Things. The actual film, however, is pretty depressing.

%%* OnlyAFleshWound: "That was my favorite arm."

%%* ParentsAsPeople

** Max's mom also has a phone conversation with a "Mr. Lasseter". Back in the 80s [[{{Pixar}} John Lasseter]] attempted to make a WTWTA movie with Disney. It would have been one of the earliest examples of CGI in film, featuring traditionally animated characters in 3D CGI environments.

''Where the Wild Things Are'' is a children's book by late Maurice Sendak. [[VindicatedByHistory It was originally panned by critics, but has since become a beloved classic]].

There are two film adaptations, the more recent one directed by Creator/SpikeJonze of ''Film/BeingJohnMalkovich'' fame with a soundtrack by [[Music/YeahYeahYeahs Karen O]].

* PopStarComposer: Karen O of the YeahYeahYeahs wrote the score for the film.

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* LiarRevealed: Fuels the whole plot.