The Tragic True Story Behind WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE 

What was your favorite book growing up?

I had a pretty bad mom and no dad, so these topics on childhood touchstones are pretty useless for me. That said, your writing did illustrate to me why these kinds of artistic works are so important for so many, and I’m thankful to you for that.

As an Uncle, there are a handful of books I make sure to get my siblings kids as they grow up. This one is definitely a must.

Oh my god! MY CHILDHOOD! I think This was Maurice Sendak's masterpiece. Plus the movie is one of my favorites of all time. EDIT: I think it also might be a part of my love of monsters come to think of it. EDIT 2: Damn it, now I'm gonna cry.

I have been reading this with my son lately and the way it completely captures his imagination cannot be understated. I truly think it's a timeless work. Thank you Matt for the video this was honestly so well done and interesting!

I grew up with this book and I didn't see the movie, but remember the trailers for it. It nice going back to your childhood

This book is such a classic.

In tears. This was a beautiful tribute. Great work on this, Matt. Thanks for reminding me of favorite book from my childhood and shining some like on Maurice Sendak.

Matt talking about literature is both new and refreshing to me.

I checked out this book so many times from my elementary school library in 1st grade, one of my favorite books ever and with a message that is so relatable it is a must read for both kids and adults.

Tron, Hellboy, Godzilla, Mad Max, Universal Monsters, Fantasia, Pacific Rim, and now Sendak?! It’s scary how well you know me. It’s been a rough year- thanks for great, stimulating stuff to watch while in the hospital and recovering at home.

Really enjoyed this coverage of something outside of the norm. Awesome learning about the author

An excellent review of a well-loved book that I often read to my nieces and nephew in days gone by. Those illustrations, magical, yet solid and familiar. My favorite books growing up were "Elves and Fairies" illustrated by Garth Williams; stories and poems that became impossibly magical with William's illustrations. " Make Way for Duckings!" and "Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass". Oh, but SO many wonderful children's books!

I still love this book.

My all time favourite book from my childhood :)

Disney must learn from this Book!

Thanks for the amazing video Matt ❤️

I have NEVER understood why this book was banned in so many schools.

I love the book and the movie.

Omg I can't believe you made me cry at the end. Terrific vid, Matt. ❤

This is the second video I've seen recently discussing Maurice Sendak! I love that, he should get even more recognition and praise for his work. Thank you for making this video.

Absolutely incredible work with this video! I'll always be jealous of your eye for topics and the incredible voice and care you bring when covering literature like this. I haven't thought about Where The Wild Things Are in years, but learning about Sendak's history and all the layers of meaning he brought into this story, I can't wait to pick it back up and give Spike Jonze's adaptation a watch.

I hear the song from the "Rain" episode of Bluey

My mom and I love this book! I sent the video to her I hope she likes it

I remember being obsessed with the book well into preteen ages. i personally love the movie and felt it expertly expanded on the feeling of the book though i understand it not resonating with everyone. great video, definitely going to delve deeper into Sendak and his work.

Stunningly beautiful video Matt. Got me welling up on the train!

This might be one of your best essays

this was my favourite book!!!! great video!!!!!

Chef’s kiss

You're a great storyteller, Matt. Keep it up!

This video just enforces what I always believed about the role picture books play into our lives. Before comics, even before animation, picture books were what helped me understand the possibilities of imagination. As I get older and understand more about myself, I find how these books really helped shape me into who I am today. It's easy when people are discussing about great work of literature to just dismiss picture books as just "for kids". But kids are much more smarter than we often give credit for. They are just discovering the world around them and the best picture books can help bring up larger themes and not talk down to their audience while providing wonders and incredible art that are easy to understand. It's here where Sendak understood that children are often troublemakers with unchecked emotions and instead of making books with "role models", he would touch into those uncomfortable thoughts and concepts through an imaginative lens. The Spike Jonze film admittedly can have on the surface a conflicting confusion of who its made for (to which I blame more of WB having no idea how to market it) does stay true to what Sendak set out to do just in Jonze's own way. It ain't everyone's cup of tea, but I dig it. Would love to see more deep dives into famous picture books and their authors/illustrators to really see the potential of what early literature can do for both kids and adults. After all as C.S. Lewis once said "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest"

One of your best

Wow, what a fascinating video!

Thanks for the great video. I was hoping someone on the internet could explain this wacky book to me. My dad found this book so scary, so he made sure to read it to me and my siblings to scar us too. thank you for explaining the author and the genera that this book sits in.

Thanks!

Really awesome video! I was expose to Where the Wild Things Are believe it or not, Mcfarlane Toys on a Toyfare magazine back in the 2000s and really love the designs of the characters that looking at the figures is how MT captured that look so well

My childhood book was The Little Prince. My wife’s WTWTA. As afults, there is a line that lead to more adult expressions of love.

Awesome video! ,👍👍👍

I grew up on Wild things. Apparently my grandmother didnt want to read it bwcause she thought it would scare me and my mom had to explain it was my favorite. The movie dropped at the perfect time and in that indie movie style that just aligned with the sensibilities of my life. Who was it for? It felt genuinely for me and an early example of those movies that where mature and adult but using imagery that we grew up with as kids. Its an execution i really cant think of other examples. Almost like Barney showing up in your life again and being a little more dour and world weary but in the end tells you itll be alright. Characters that grew up too but then remind you of where your head was at back then and to remember the same lessons. I have the dvd and will have to watch it again. I wonder how it will hit however more years on now.

I hope you cover more children books

The movie is underrated

All time classic and Maurice sendaks magnum opus

Can you do a video on Calvin and Hobbes

As latin american i have never heard of this man or this book.

Maurice Sendak reminds me of the DC•Vertigo mini-series Scarab who is Louis Sendak, must be coincidence or maybe not, Scarab came out in 1993

Yeaaaah Let's get this video to a lot of views in the first hour so that it gets love from youtube Algorithm bless this video which i liked even before watching it because it's that good Seriously, sometimes i end up pissed off because i can't like it again after watching it, fix that youtube Lots of words lots of engagement, yadda yadda

You forgot to mention the game, i used to play that on ps3.

Eyy

I thought this was going to be about the Metallica song??

I couldn't stand that little brat of a protagonist

Good look at a popular book, although I find Sendak's work ugly and mawkish.