There's one in all of us.
Max imagines running away from his mom and sailing to a far-off land where large talking beasts—Ira, Carol, Douglas, the Bull, Judith and Alexander—crown him as their king, play rumpus, build forts and discover secret hideaways.
Where the Wild Things Are (2009) is a adventure, drama, family and fantasy film directed by Spike Jonze, released on October 16, 2009 with a runtime of 1h 41m. It stars Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini and Lauren Ambrose. Viewers rate it 6.5 out of 10 across 2,068 ratings.
Watch the official trailer for Where the Wild Things Are before you stream it.
Official trailers, teasers, clips and featurettes for Where the Wild Things Are.
Trailer
Trailer
Teaser
Teaser
Teaser
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Teaser
Teaser
Max Records
as Max
Catherine Keener
as Mom
James Gandolfini
as Carol (voice)
Lauren Ambrose
as KW (voice)
Catherine O'Hara
as Judith (voice)
Forest Whitaker
as Ira (voice)
Chris Cooper
as Douglas (voice)
Paul Dano
as Alexander (voice)
Spike Jonze
as Bob (voice) / Terry (voice)
Pepita Emmerichs
as Claire
Mark Ruffalo
as The Boyfriend
Max Pfeifer
as Claire's Friend
Directed by Spike Jonze, written by Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers and Maurice Sendak, produced by Maurice Sendak, Tom Hanks and Vincent Landay.
Average viewer score of 6.5/10 from 2,068 ratings.
Do you remember what it was like to be nine years old? Not the sanitized, colorful version animated movies usually sell us, but the raw, confusing, and often lonely reality of childhood? If you're hitting play on Where the Wild Things Are expecting a lighthearted Toy Story-style adventure to distract the kids on a Sunday afternoon, stop right there. What we have here isn't just a distraction; it's a mirror. Over 90…
Reviewed on May 23, 2026
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Where the Wild Things Are (2009) is available to stream on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential and Paramount+ Amazon Channel, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home and Spectrum On Demand. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Where the Wild Things Are (2009) includes Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose and Catherine O'Hara. The film was directed by Spike Jonze. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Where the Wild Things Are was released on October 16, 2009 and runs for 1h 41m.
Where the Wild Things Are (2009) holds an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 from 2,068 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy adventure, drama and family films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
Yes. The official Where the Wild Things Are trailer is embedded in the trailer section of this page and plays instantly, no download or sign-up required.
