It's the big screen version of Maurice Sendak's much-read and much-beloved children's picture-book about the mischievous, wolf-suited Max who is sent to bed in disgrace. Max escapes from his bedroom into the weird and wonderful world of the Wild Things, an imaginary wilderness whose furry inhabitants crown him king. Then he gets hungry and heads home again in time for supper.

Written in back in the hippy-dippy days of the early sixties, Sendak's book was considered subversive at the time but won its author the prestigious Caldecott Medal. Since then it has seduced new generations of fans (including Barack Obama) who've been drawn to its quirky, wistful charms and lovingly-crafted illustrations. Warner Bros.' adaptation will use a combination of live action, animatronics (for the Wild Things' suits),and CGI (for their facial expressions) to bring Max's fantastical adventures to life on the big screen. The movie promises to stay true to the spirit of the book, although at only 39 pages, the book is a lot richer in spirit than storyboard ideas; there's plenty of gaps to fill and plenty of scope to expand Max's adventures...

These pitfalls haven't deterred Jonze from his lifelong passion project. "When I was a kid they were sort of seared into my subconscious - or unconscious," he says of the book's monsters. The blend of Sendak's offbeat tale and Jonze's leftfield style seems perfect, but while it's a match made in heaven it's been forged in development hell. Universal got as far as screening a teaser in 2000 before dumping the project, despairing at the dark tones of Jonze's monster mash. Warner Bros. picked it up, filming restarted but, despite public utterances of studio support, similar anxieties surfaced. There were rumours of a reshoot, suggestions that children were crying during test screenings, and more than the usual behind-the-scenes rancour. Warner Bros. and Jonze didn't seem to be reading from the same book, never mind page. "I told the studio, 'I don't think this is gonna be a movie for four year-olds,'" reflects Jonze. "And they said, 'Oh, okay.' But I think when they saw it, that's another… you know, that's something else."

Jonze's frustration was matched by fans who circulated a petition pressing the director to release his final cut virally if the studio pulled the plug. It never came to that though. A fresh edit did the trick, compromise was reached and the Jonze/Sendak vision was preserved. And that vision? "I wanted this movie to take it as seriously as kids take their imagination and not, like, fantasy it up," says Jonze. "So I think it just started from that feeling, that it could feel like you were there with them, like Max was there with them, and not just in some fantasy movie."

Max Records		James Gandolfini		Chris Cooper		Lauren Ambrose		Forest Whitaker
		Paul Dano		Catherine O'Hara		Catherine Keener		Mark Ruffalo

As well as directing, Jonze co-wrote the script with novelist Dave Eggers, turning the book's scant word count into something a bit more, well, verbal. Sendak wrote no dialogue for the Wild Things and the movie will live or die on the characters Jonze and Eggers have created for them.

The seven rumpus-loving beasties are voiced by an powerful-looking -sounding line-up that includes James Gandolfini (the growly Carol), Chris Cooper (chicken-like Douglas), Lauren Ambrose (long-furred KW), Forest Whitaker (big-schnozzed Ira), Paul Dano (frolicking goat Alexander) and Catherine O'Hara (rhino-horned Judith). Max is played by nine year-old Max Records, while Catherine Keener is Max's long-suffering mum Connie. Her boyfriend is played by Mark Ruffalo, not to be confused with The Gruffalo, who is not involved.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs vocalist Karen O lends extra zeitgeisty cool as co-composer of the score, alongside long-time Jonze (and Coen brother) collaborator Carter Burwell. Not that it needs extra cachet. After all, this is the first big studio pic to be promoted through a skateboarding website.

Australia. Thanks to Victoria's generous tax breaks for the film industry, filming took place on specially constructed stages at Melbourne's Central City Studios. For the stark, jagged coastline of the Wild Things' kingdom, the shoot moved to the spectacular clifftops of the state's southern coast. It was a decision that brought more stress, with high winds threatening to sweep the production away. "We had to abandon locations because of the storm," says Jonze. "It was just total insanity." The extreme weather may just work in the film's favour, enhancing the foreboding feel of the Wild Things' world. And after all, Hurricane Iniki didn't hurt Jurassic Park too badly.