Why the new 'Wild Things' trailer works

Can a captivating pop song single-handedly reinvent impressions of an upcoming movie?

Warners just put up a new trailer for Spike Jonze's upcoming version of "Where the Wild Things Are," which up until now was a film viewed as an impending disaster, having been repeatedly yanked from the studio's release schedule and tarnished by incessant stories about bad test screenings, reshoots and all sorts of other problems.

Jonze's film may still turn out to be a failed experiment -- perhaps it was a bad idea to put a beloved children's book classic in the hands of an amazingly gifted but oddball auteur. But for now, judging from the world's largest focus group -- the sprawling collection of people who watch video on the Web -- the troubled project has turned a corner, with the new trailer largely earning raves on every website I've visited in the past hour. The primary reason? Instead of trying to tell a story, the trailer simply offers up a healthy dose of magical realism, marrying a host of fairy-tale style images of a young boy and various big, furry creatures to the lovely, evocative purr of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up."

There's no dialogue, no narration, no story to tell, simply a burst of warm 'n' fuzzy emotion, reminding us of the sense of childlike wonder that propelled Maurice Sendak's story in the first place. It's a telling example of the power that music has to shape (and yes, manipulate) the subconscious reaction to what we see on screen. But here -- watch for yourself. Tell me what you think:

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Can Spike Jonze save 'Where the Wild Things Are'?

Comments

[Jason]

Meh. Its alright.

[Mike]

It seems like you have already decided that this movie is terrible, based on rumors and focus group reactions. The trailer "works" because it is a very good trailer that shows how Jonze quite wonderfully translates Sendak's images to the big screen.

Will the movie itself be good? Who knows, really? But to label it an "impending disaster" months and months before you have seen it--and then write off a terrific trailer as emotional manipulation via pop music--isn't really good reporting or criticism.

Maybe the trailer is just good. And maybe it is indicative of an impending success. Isn't that possible?

[winston]

I've been excited about the film for quite some time, but I have to say this trailer sold it for me. It was exactly as you said; a reminder of child-like wonder.

There is risk involved in the story, but risk is necessary for studios to break out of their remakes/sequels/teen genres love affair. And while a trailer can do a lot of wonderful things for a shitty film, there's a lot of talent going into this film that has me hoping this trailer is capturing everything that will make the film excellent.

[Ali Whittaker]

I absolutely adore this trailer... start to finish. Arcade Fire works beautifully in this piece! I believe the exclusion of narrative and heavy dialogue contributes to the effectiveness that the trailer is trying to convey emotionally. The editing is superb. The last act is just stunning!

[Wyatt]

Just like another film trailer cut to Arcade Fire, "Glory At Sea". The third part of the "Glory" trailer has the exact same feel, images of glory cut with images of emotion, compassion, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lPKNU-T1RY

[Dan]

I was always looking forward to this one, and the trailer actually affirmed that Jonze's gamble, using practicals for the suits and CGI for the monster faces, was a good idea. Seriously, some of that effects footage looks amazing, and that'll go a long way towards carrying the sense of wonder this movie has to have to work. CGI doesn't work for fantasies: it's too fake and distracting.

[Timothy]

I have to admit, i have not been following the making of this film. I'm not interested in speculations and rumors. (I truly hate filmaking rumors, imagine if Leonardo DaVinci had to deal with blogger speculation about how he would depict "The Last Supper")

I come to this with fresh eyes, without baggage or prior "impressions". I think it looks really good. Full of wonder but a little odd and maybe "dark" which to me conveys the feel of the book.
It's not bubble-gum Disney its Maurice Sendak.

[Doug]

Um, H.R. Puffenstuff, anyone? No kid is going to want to watch this based on the trailer. Maybe fanboys (and girls) who care about Spike Jonez and think the retro "men in suits" and puppetry is going to be cool will be able to wrangle a heap of buzz in the net, but show this to any kid under 15 and you'll see what I mean.

The last movie of this sort (men in floppy suits) was Country Bear Jamboree. It hasn't been done again for a reason.

[rangadang]

its a great song, one of the best of the year.....but that still does not make this movie more then a bunch of guys running around in bad suits. where/what is the story?

[Erin]

I’m not crazy about trailers that rely on music montages to sell a film. The trailer leads me to believe that the production design is the best part about the film. An earlier teaser trailer (or leaked clip) released last year was far more compelling and intriguing. It captured that sense of magical realism on its own - and at least suggested there was a story being told.