Production stills from the film. (Images courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures)

The release of the live-action film adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s acclaimed children’s classic, Where the Wild Things Are, is finally here. The movie, which opens today, is directed by Spike Jonze from a screenplay by Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers, based on, of course, Maurice Sendak’s Caldecott-winning picture book of the same name.

The movie is playing at a number of movie theaters in and around Philadelphia, including on IMAX at the Franklin Institute. See the trailer below.

And don’t forget about the coinciding exhibitions and programming, collectively called Wild Things Days at The Rosenbach Museum & Library, where you’ll get a behind the scenes look at the making of the book, original illustrations and artwork, and a lot more:

* Event – Wild Things Family Day – Saturday, October 17 between 12 – 4pm
Spend an afternoon with the family taking part in a variety of “Wild” activities geared towards kids of all ages. Create Wild Things-inspired crafts, take a spin through the Rosenbach’s Sendak galleries with a family gallery guide or just settle down with a snack and a copy of your favorite Sendak book!

* Exhibition – Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew, Through January 17, 2010

* Exhibition – And It’s Still Hot: Where the Wild Things Are, Through October 25, 2009

* Event – Hands-On Tour: Wild Things, Sunday, October 18; Friday, October 23

We checked out the exhibitions first-hand last week and they’re very cool. Make it a Wild Things weekend and do both the movie and The Rosenbach. (Click here to see our previous coverage of the special Maurice Sendak and Where the Wild Things Are programming at The Rosenbach.)

Top Image: Final drawing for Where the Wild Things Are. Pen and ink, watercolor. (© Maurice Sendak, 1963. All rights reserved.) Bottom images: The Rosenbach (Photos by M. Edlow.)

After the jump, we have more on the special programming at The Rosenbach as well as the trailer for the movie, starring Catherine Keener, Max Records and Mark Ruffalo, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara and Forest Whitaker.

Philadelphia’s Rosenbach Museum & Library has a close, longstanding relationship with Maurice Sendak and is the sole repository of Sendak’s original artwork. Sendak, now 81 years old, chose the Rosenbach to be the permanent home of his work in the early 1970s thanks to shared literary and collecting interests.

The Rosenbach’s Sendak collection is the largest collection of “Sendakiana” in the world, with over 10,000 preliminary sketches, final drawings, manuscripts, books, and ephemera.

This October, the Rosenbach celebrates Sendak’s work with Wild Things Days (now thru October 2009), a series of programs for audiences looking to experience Sendak’s art and work up-close and in-person.

Wild Things Days includes two exhibitions of Sendak’s work, And It’s Still Hot: Where the Wild Things Are (now thru October 25), which focuses on the Where the Wild Things Are book, and Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew (now thru January, 17, 2010), which looks at food, eating, and being eaten in Sendak’s work. The museum is also offering the gallery talk Maurice, Max, and the Wild Things (October 8), Wild Things Hands-On Tour (October 14, 18 and 23), and Wild Things Family Day (October 17) for children of all ages.

The trailer for Where the Wild Things Are:

Where the Wild Things Are Movie [Official Site]
The Rosenbach Museum & Library [Gophila.com]

Clockwise from top: Preliminary design for cover of Where the Wild Things Are. Watercolor on paper. (©Maurice Sendak, 1963. All rights reserved.) Bottom: Maurice Sendak and Director Spike Jonze. A production still from the new Where the Wild Things Are Movie. (Bottom images both courtesy of Warner Bros.)

The Washington Post just published a piece yesterday about The Rosenbach Museum and the special exhibitions it is hosting to coincide with the release of the new Where the Wild Things Are movie.

An excerpt from the article:

For an even more exceptional experience, several days a week the Rosenbach offers “hands-on tours,” terrific chances to examine one author’s books and manuscripts up close. On my first hands-on tour, about Shakespeare, I got to hold some of the earliest editions of his plays and learned facts and anecdotes from a museum curator.

During October there are three — only three! — hands-on tours featuring all sorts of “Wild Things” artifacts. Best is an early draft of the text that Sendak wrote in pen on notebook paper, at the bottom of which he scrawled, “Abandon!!!! Dreadful story.”

Here’s more information about the referenced hands-on tours, coming up on October 14, 18 and 23.

Also, The Rosenbach is hosting a benefit screening of the film on Wednesday, October 14 at the Ritz East. The evening will begin with a reception at 6:30 pm followed by the film screening at 7:30 pm. All proceeds from this exclusive fundraising event will support programs and exhibitions at the Rosenbach.

Tickets are a bit steep ($100 for adults, $20 for kids) but it’s a chance to support the Rosenbach while being one of the first to see the film before it opens to the public. Tickets to the benefit screening may be purchased by calling (215) 732-1600 ext. 123.

Philadelphia Brings Out the Beasts: A ‘Wild’ Experience for Little Ones [The Washington Post]
The Rosenbach Museum & Library [Gophila.com]

Special Exhibition - Too Many Thoughts To Chew: A Sendak Stew (Photos by M. Edlow for GPTMC)

The opening of the new Where the Wild Things Are movie approaches — it’s now less than two weeks away.

Coinciding with the release of the film, The Rosenbach Museum and Library currently has on view two new exhibitions related to Maurice Sendak’s beloved Where the Wild Things Are that you would be wise to check out.

The first is Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew, open through January 17, 2010. Located in the main Maurice Sendak Gallery on the museum’s first floor, the exhibition is all about food, eating, and being eaten in the works of Maurice Sendak and how food brings families together, helps children forge new friendships, and nourishes us emotionally and intellectually. The exhibition is relatively small, but it is extremely well put together and is very interesting.

Another scene from Too Many Thoughts To Chew (Photo by M. Edlow)

The second exhibition is And it’s still hot: Where the Wild Things Are (below), open through October 25, 2009. In it, you’ll find out how Sendak created Max, the Wild Things, and their exotic land while viewing the original watercolors, sketches and manuscripts for the book.

The upstairs exhibition, And It's Still Hot: Where the Wild Things Are (Photo by M. Edlow)

You’ll also see posters, drawings, and advertisements that reveal the life of the Wild Things outside the book, and discover why this story is still hot after almost fifty years in print.

After visiting both exhibitions, don’t forget to stop by the museum gift shop.

Don't miss the museum gift shop for Where the Wild Things Are gear (Photo by M. Edlow)

Also, The Rosenbach has new hours — so it’s now easier to stop by after school or work.

Stay tuned for more about the book, the exhibitions, the museum, the gear, and the movie, including word of an upcoming special benefit screening of the brand new Where the Wild Things Are movie next week.

The Rosenbach is located on an incredibly picturesque block of Delancey Street in Rittenhouse Square (Photo by M. Edlow)

The Rosenbach Museum & Library [Gophila.com]

T-Shirts from the Where The Wild Things Are Collection at Urban Outfitters (Photos courtesy of Urban Outfitters)

As part of the push to promote their vast Maurice Sendak collection to coincide with the release of the feature film version of Where the Wild Things Are, The Rosenbach Museum & Library is kicking off their new “Where the Wild Things Are” Hands-On Tour today at the museum.

And by “hands-on,” they really mean it: attendees will get to safely handle original artifacts from the Sendak collection, checking out manuscripts of the story from Sendak’s old notebooks and passing around original drawings of the beastly Wild Things. The tour will also include an exclusive look at photos of Sendak’s family — his aunts and uncles who inspired the Wild Things — and a hand-written draft of Where the Wild Horses Are, Sendak’s earliest version of the story.

The tour is today at 3 pm and is appropriate for ages 8 and up. You can also catch the tour on October 14, 18, 23.

Meanwhile, Philly-based retail giant Urban Outfitters is also getting in on the fun. In anticipation of the movie’s release in October, they’ve partnered with Warner Brothers and Director Spike Jonze to celebrate the movie with a special clothing collection, an interview with director Spike Jonze and some in-store promotions.

You can admit it — you want a t-shirt.

The Rosenbach Museum & Library [Gophila.com]
Urban Outfitters and Where The Wild Things Are [Urban Outfitters]

Final drawing for Where the Wild Things Are. Pen and ink, watercolor. © Maurice Sendak, 1963. All rights reserved.

Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew is a new exhibition examining the importance of food and eating in the works of Maurice Sendak.

40 original illustrations will be on display as part of the exhibition, including the drawing above.

In this illustration, a final drawing for Where the Wild Things Are, Max smells his mother’s food (left for him on the table by the window) and returns home from the land of the Wild Things. In the illustration, the food left by Max’s mother is the ultimate symbol of her love and forgiveness towards her wild child.

Other Sendak illustrations on display will explore how food brings families together, helps children forge new friendships, and nourishes us emotionally and intellectually.

The exhibition opens this Wednesday, September 16, 2009. It runs through January 17, 2010.  It is also important to note that the Rosenbach also has new hours, conveniently remaining open until 8 pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

And remember: the new live-action, feature film adaptation of Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are comes out next month. Before going to see the movie version, check out the original works on display right here in Philadelphia.

The Rosenbach Museum & Library [Gophila.com]

Final drawing for Where the Wild Things Are. Pen and ink, watercolor. © Maurice Sendak, 1963, All rights reserved

On October 16, Warner Bros. Pictures is releasing the live-action film adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s acclaimed children’s classic, Where the Wild Things Are.

To coincide with the movie’s release, The Rosenbach Museum & Library has announced an impressive line-up of special programming that will show off their exhaustive collection of works by the author, Maurice Sendak.

To the point where any fan of the original book or the new movie will pretty much have to make a pilgrimage to the Museum, located on the 2000 block of Delancey Street in Center City.

A little background: The Rosenbach is the sole repository of the original artwork of Maurice Sendak, the famed author and illustrator, and a foremost authority on all things Sendak. Author of Where the Wild Things Are and 108 other books, Maurice Sendak, now 81 years old, chose the Rosenbach to be the permanent home of his work in the early 1970s thanks to shared literary and collecting interests.

The Rosenbach’s Sendak collection is the largest collection of “Sendakiana” in the world, with over 10,000 preliminary sketches, final drawings, manuscripts, books, and ephemera as well as exclusive recent interview footage in which Sendak discusses his life, childhood, work, and inspirations.

The Rosenbach will be taking advantage of its extensive collection to produce an array of special programming to mark the blockbuster film’s release. Highlights of which are below.

• Wild Things Days
September – October, 2009

• Exhibition: A Sendakian Sampler
Through September 13, 2009

• Exhibition: Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew
September 16, 2009 – January 17, 2010

• Exhibition: And it’s still hot: Where the Wild Things Are
September 30 – October 25, 2009

• Hands-On Tour: ‘Flaming maniacs:’ Sendak and His Literary Inspirations
Wednesday, September 9 at 3:00pm

• Hands-On Tour: Wild Things
Wednesday, September 23; Wednesday, October 14; Sunday, October 18; Friday, October 23 (All tours will be held at 3 pm)

• Gallery Talk: Maurice, Max and the Wild Things
Thursday, October 15 at 6pm

• Wild Things Family Day
Saturday, October 17 between 12 – 4pm

Full details of the programming are after the jump.

And stay tuned for more updates about the film as well as spotlights on some of the Rosenbach’s programming in the weeks to come.

• Wild Things Days
September – October, 2009
The Rosenbach celebrates Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are and the release of the film adaptation with talks, tours and activities for audiences of all ages.

• Exhibition: A Sendakian Sampler
June 2, 2009 – September 13, 2009
This mini exhibition offers a highly informal survey of the art of Maurice Sendak, arranged alphabetically: twenty-six irreverent topics from Acrobatics to Zilch that shows the astonishing scope of his work over half a century. Visitors will see artwork from nearly the entire eighty book titles represented in the Sendak collection from Acrobatics to Zilch. Party animals shows Wild Things hanging from trees of course, but also Grandfather Bear dancing a jig, and Pleasant Field mouse composing a party invitation.

• Exhibition: Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew
September 16, 2009 – January 17, 2010
Dig into an exhibition about food, eating, and being eaten in the illustrations of Maurice Sendak. Too Many Thoughts to Chew: A Sendak Stew presents 40 original Sendak illustrations that show how food brings families together, helps children forge new friendships, and nourishes us emotionally and intellectually. The exhibition is appropriate for families and kids of all ages.

• Exhibition: And it’s still hot: Where the Wild Things Are
September 30 – October 25, 2009
This fall, as Hollywood transforms a children’s classic into a live action film, celebrate Maurice Sendak’s Caldecott-winning picture book, Where the Wild Things Are, with the exhibition And it’s still hot: Where the Wild Things Are. Find out how Sendak created Max, the Wild Things, and their exotic land while viewing the original watercolors, sketches, and manuscripts for the book. Visitors can also see posters, drawings, and advertisements that reveal the life of the Wild Things outside the book, and discover why this story is still hot after almost fifty years in print.

• Hands-On Tour: ‘Flaming maniacs:’ Sendak and His Literary Inspirations
Wednesday, September 9 at 3:00pm
Maurice Sendak chose the Rosenbach as the home for his artwork in part because it was also the home of “people I love, artists I love.” Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, William Blake, and Herman Melville are just a few of those artists and writers that visitors will see up close in this Hands-On Tour about the literature that Sendak loves. Visitors can safely handle pieces from the Rosenbach’s Sendak collection alongside his favorite literature and discuss a variety of diverting questions: what do Sendak and his heroes have in common? Why does Sendak call Blake a “flaming maniac?” And just what is a Steam Man of the Prairies? Discover what Sendak is like as a collector, as a reader, and as an artist. This tour is led by Patrick Rodgers, Traveling Exhibitions Coordinator, and consulting curator of There’s a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak.

• Hands-On Tour: Wild Things
Wednesday, September 23; Wednesday, October 14; Sunday, October 18; Friday, October 23
All tours will be held at 3:00pm
Get a new perspective on an old favorite with this rumpus through Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are. On this tour, audiences will re-discover Sendak’s world-famous creations, the Wild Things, and his mischievous hero, Max, by safely handling original artifacts from the Sendak collection. Examine manuscripts of the story from Sendak’s old notebooks, pass around original drawings of the beastly Wild Things, listen to the Wild Things sing in an opera from 1979, and follow the life of the Wild Things outside of the book. The tour will also feature an exclusive look at photos of Sendak’s family – those aunts and uncles who inspired the Wild Things – and a hand-written draft of Where the Wild Horses Are, Sendak’s earliest version of the story. This tour is led by Patrick Rodgers and appropriate for ages 8 and up.

• Gallery Talk: Maurice, Max and the Wild Things
Thursday, October 15 at 6pm
Join Patrick Rodgers, curator of the A Sendak Stew exhibition, and follow in the huge footsteps of Maurice Sendak’s Wild Things during this gallery talk about their origins, their impact, and their ravenous appetite! Explore original artwork and manuscripts from Where the Wild Things Are and listen to interviews with Sendak describing his relationship to these famous beasts.

• Wild Things Family Day
Saturday, October 17 between 12 – 4pm
Spend an afternoon with the family taking part in a variety of “Wild” activities geared towards kids of all ages. Create Wild Things-inspired crafts, take a spin through the Rosenbach’s Sendak galleries with a family gallery guide or just settle down with a snack and a copy of your favorite Sendak book!

A photo from the set of 'Where The Wild Things Are'; Photo by Matt Netteim/Warner Bros. Pictures

You may or may not be aware that there’s a new movie coming out this fall based on Maurice Sendak’s beloved book, Where The Wild Things Are.

Which is cool not only because the movie is supposed to be very good (trailer after the jump) but also because The Rosenbach Museum & Library on Delancey Street here in Center City holds more than 10,000 works on deposit from the book’s author and illustrator, one Maurice Sendak. Including all of the original drawings for ‘Where The Wild Things Are.’

Warner Bros. just released a new promotional featurette for the movie with Maurice Sendak talking about how excited he is for the film and how happy he is with the direction that Spike Jonze took the film.

After watching the clip, find some time to head over to The Rosenbach Museum & Library to see some of the original artwork and inspiration behind the iconic story.

The movie’s trailer is pretty amazing too, complete with a specially recorded version of ‘Wake Up’ by Arcade Fire. Watch the trailer after the jump.

The Rosenbach Museum & Library [gophila.com]

A photo from the set of 'Where The Wild Things Are'; Photo by Matt Netteim/Warner Bros. Pictures

You may or may not be aware that there’s a new movie coming out this fall based on Maurice Sendak’s beloved book, Where The Wild Things Are.

Which is cool not only because the movie is supposed to be very good (trailer after the jump) but also because The Rosenbach Museum & Library on Delancey Street here in Center City holds more than 10,000 works on deposit from the book’s author and illustrator, one Maurice Sendak. Including all of the original drawings for ‘Where The Wild Things Are.’

Warner Bros. just released a new promotional featurette for the movie with Maurice Sendak talking about how excited he is for the film and how happy he is with the direction that Spike Jonze took the film.

After watching the clip, find some time to head over to The Rosenbach Museum & Library to see some of the original artwork and inspiration behind the iconic story.

The movie’s trailer is pretty amazing too, complete with a specially recorded version of ‘Wake Up’ by Arcade Fire. Watch the trailer after the jump.

The Rosenbach Museum & Library [gophila.com]