Where the Wild Things Are

This is one for fans of Calvin and Hobbes or Studio Ghibli, and if you found Where the Wild Things Are's sweet melancholy too much to resist, then there's a good sprinkling of that feeling to be found here too. The Moomins were the creation of Finnish novelist and comic strip author Tove Jansson and, according to legend, she drew the first one to scare her brother. That cute thing? Scary? Maybe it was one of the Moominland monsters she drew, such as The Groke, the Antlion or the Hattifatteners? As a child I devoured the Moomin books and sat rapt, five days a week, watching the Moomin stop-motion TV series. A more recent series produced by hand-drawn animation was less successful artistically, but perhaps better known internationally. This year the Finnish animation studio Filmkmompaniet completed their first Moomin feature film, Moomin and Midsummer Madness. It was made by »
- Brendon Connelly

Read the full article on slashfilm.com

Can we continue this trend towards physical effects, please?  Spike Jonze demonstrated rather well what can still be done with (dominantly) physical effects in his Where The Wild Things Are and now following along behind in a somewhat similar vein is Dutch / Belgian co-production Eep! from director Ellen Smit.  It is the story of a couple who discover a young creature who appears to be a little girl with wings instead of arms.  They decide to raise her as their own child but when the seasons change, the bird side comes out and it is time to fly away south ...
Currently scheduled for a February release, Smit's film has a wonderfully tangible approach to its effects, a certain clumsiness to the wings and flight that make them both so much more believable.  Take a look at the first teaser below.
»

Read the full article on twitchfilm.net

Alexa from Pop Elegantiarum here. While it's been in theaters for over a month, the influence of Spike Jonze’s interpretation of Where the Wild Things Are is still being felt pretty strongly. I've been enjoying following We Love You So, a collection of the art and style influences on the filmmakers. (Maurice Sendak was only the beginning.) From the influences to the influenced, here are some objects from artists and crafters out there, made in the wake of the film, that I think are pretty rad.

Maybe it's just this fabulous photo, but these pajamas from The Lb Gallery look like they leapt off the screen. Oh, and they make them for adults, too.

Elizabeth Caldwell has designed the perfect holiday card for the Wild Things fan, I think.

And Chris over at mamaroots made these journals. You know, for notetaking at that wild rumpus.
Finally, I've been a »
- Alexa

Read the full article on filmexperience.blogspot.com