Touching the Wild Things: Emotional and Corporeal Response in Where the Wild Things Are

Abstract

The 2009 film Where the Wild Things Are offers a unique view into childhood through its portrayal of the child protagonist, guiding the viewer to experience the child‘s world from a closely aligned position. The construction of the film world and the film‘s body incorporates elements that are markedly tactile and reflective of the viewer‘s own past and present experiences. As a result of these factors, the film privileges a particularly emotional and sensory response. Throughout this study, my methodology will include analysis of select areas within the film in which these elements are present, illustrating the elicitation of sensory response by utilising phenomenological theories regarding corporeal response. These theories will be applied to the themes within the film that relate to childhood and the construction of the child‘s world.