Dear Spike Jonze,
Thank you.
Sincerely, Maegan
Oh, you wanted more? You wanted me to go on about the CG (it was mostly puppetry!), the soundtrack (it was subtle! Karen O!), poignant (tears welled!) and totally appropriate for kids but made for adults (!)? Well I won't!
What I will do is repeat is my response to the criticism my fave blogger Molls (pre-having seen the movie) which is stated around 2:50 in her Olde Thyme Radio Hour.
"Love everything that is molls but your opinion on WTWTA...and I even get your apprehensions...
but the whole time I had a smile on my face, and at the end of a few tears, and it was just...lovely. Lovely is the word. It had the childlike logic and aesthetic the book has with a lot of depth added (it WAS only 10 sentences or some bitch.) Kids are really observant, irreverent, odd, and dark - and they see even if they don't understand. This is for the kid in all of us because it isn't for kids, but it is as seen by a child."
I saw this movie at a one screen theatre filled (in the aisles! probably a fire hazard!) with fans in costume who cried and howled and laughed together. Even if you are not so lucky, see this movie. No matter how much you think it is going to be too precious or that there isn't enough in the book to make a movie, I think you'll really enjoy yourself. I was in no way disappointed.
I felt like this:
PS. Along with the book and my King Max t-shirt (bought WAY pre-movie), I will soon own this soundtrack. Very on point.
PPS. A succinct sum up of what could have gone wrong...and didn't!
