I’m a little late to the Where The Wild Things Are hype train. I remember reading the book at some point as a young ‘un, and I remember liking the art. I couldn’t tell you much else about it. I was vaguely aware that a movie was coming out, but I didn’t really care. I even remember both of our Nicks raving about the trailer, but I didn’t bother to give it a watch. I sort of dismissed the entire affair as the latest piece of obscure pop culture adopted as a cause by goths and hipsters. That finally changed when I went to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

That two-and-a-half minute trailer, with no dialogue and no obnoxious announcer, was simply stunning. That trailer, that juxtaposition of clips set to Arcade Fire’s brilliant “Wake Up,” was more emotionally enrapturing than the ensuing two-and-a-half hours of hormonal teenage wizards.

Why? Because Spike Jonze understands what a trailer is, a point that flies over the head of ninety-nine percent of movie makers. A trailer is supposed to capture the attention of the viewer. It is supposed to draw them in, reveal just enough to capture their interest, and lead them into the theater come opening day. This sounds simple, right? It sounds pretty self-evident, but the majority of studios simply shit out trailers without any sort of art. They plop out a pile of random clips like it is some kind of chore.

Think about it. Your average trailer contains a couple of random clips and some sort of synopsis, generally imparted by a booming voice (action movies), on-screen text (drama), or plot-related quips from the cast (comedy). Yes, it does follow the literal definition of a trailer. It tells you what the movie is, but it does absolutely nothing to tell the viewer why they should see it.

So, why does the Wild Things turn me on so much? Because it actually sinks an emotional hook into the audience. Because some goddamn thought went into it. Each scene was woven together with perfect timing. Clips slide between Max’s fantasy world and his lonely real life in tune with the lyrics. Without a single piece of dialogue, this trailer tells you exactly what the movie will be about.

Hell, this little taste alone is enough to convince me that Wild Things will be one of the best movies to come out this year. Why? Because Spike Jonze is an artist. It was something that I hadn’t picked up on before, but I suppose that I always suspected it. Jonze is an artist whose medium is the film. Yeah, that sounds like the definition of a director, but I kind of wonder if that’s true. His last big film, Adaptation, was a work of art - not necessarily for its visuals, but for its plot. Admittedly, he didn’t write Adaptation, but he did bring it to life through smart direction and smart casting. Where The Wild Things Are is art of a different kind. People don’t remember Maurice Sendak’s book for its words, but for its pictures. Jonze gets it, that much is clear from the trailer.

Where The Wild Things Are is Spike Jonze’s chance to tell a compelling visual story. It isn’t just in the beautiful landscapes and the alien sets - the emotional hook that I keep harping on comes almost exclusively from the body language. The gestures and facial expressions projected from each character, human or beast, are what sets the tone and allows Jonze to tell this story of imagination, growing up, and loneliness. I really have to give mad props to the crazy technical prowess of the people working on this movie. Experiencing honest feelings from seeing a hug or a worried glance from what is basically a huge puppet is a pretty marvelous feat. I’m convinced that this film isn’t going to be an adaptation of a children’s book, it’s going to be this visual feast to remember.

Wow, and all of that from a two-minute trailer.

So, the point of writing this post was actually to let you guys know that a new trailer just came out. The entire affair kind of spiraled out of control from there. So, new trailer. This time, you even get the hear the cast talk, and despite what I said earlier, it’s still just as powerful. I’ve watched the thing about four or five times since last night. So, watch the thing above or click the HD button and catch that over on YouTube. It’s good stuff.