Outdoor Movie Idea: Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are is a beloved family film and a wonderful pick for an outdoor movie event—entertaining for adults and children alike. If you’d like to screen it, you can arrange licensing through Swank Motion Pictures.

The film is based on one of the most successful children’s books of all time, by Maurice Sendak, and was directed by Spike Jonze, who also gave us Being John Malkovich. It follows a young boy named Max, who runs away to a world where he becomes king of a band of monsters—some scarier than others, but all personable in their own way. Through his travels Max experiences joy, sadness, jealousy, and friendship, and ultimately finds his truer self on a poignant journey of discovery.

We’ve seen some really great outdoor movie events where audience members are invited to dress up as characters from the feature film, and Where the Wild Things Are would make a fantastic theme—imagine the monster and Max costumes your community would come up with! Many of us love an excuse to dress up year-round (not just at Halloween), and an outdoor movie night is the perfect occasion.

Has your community held a themed screening where the audience dressed to match the film—or found even more creative ways to weave the movie’s theme into the night? We’d love to hear about it: send your story and photos to sales@openaircinema.us.

One note: some parents felt the film was a bit intense for very young children, so keep your audience in mind as you plan.