Where the Wild Things Are (PG)

DIRECTOR Spike Jonze teams up with author Maurice Sendak to bring a classic children's story to the big screen in WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (PG).

Max is sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to a strange island where he meets mysterious creatures whose emotions are as wild and unpredictable as their actions.

They desperately long for a leader to guide them and Max longs for a kingdom to rule. It seems they were made for each other.

When Max is crowned king, he promises to create a place where everyone will be happy. But he soon finds that being a ruler is not that easy.

Jonze says: "I didn't set out to make a children's movie, I set out to make a movie about childhood.

"It's about what it's like to be eight or nine years old and trying to figure out the world, the people around you, and emotions that are sometimes unpredictable or confusing - which is really the challenge of negotiating relationships all your life. It's no different at that age."

He adds: "In a way, it's an action movie starring a nine-year-old. There's a lot of physical mayhem like dirt clod fights and rampaging in the forest."

As part of his preparation, Jonze sought to get to the bottom of children's genuine concerns from their own point of view. "I interviewed a lot of kids to get inspiration and ideas. I talked to them about things that made them angry, fights they had with their parents, how it makes them feel. It's dramatic, when you're that age.