On the day that the movie trailer for “Where the Wild Things Are” hit YouTube, I watched it six times. Then I sent it to my staff to post on our web site. When I arrived at the store, the books were prominently stacked next to a nice, framed movie poster. That very day (in the off season, no less) we sold out of WTWTA in paperback and hard cover. We ordered some more. We sold out again. We ordered again. And the hype continued.

We all know that making movies out of books is a good thing for book sales, publishers, and arguably, for the books themselves. Film adaptations breathe new life into backlist titles and can resurrect obscure authors. They bring the reading experience to a wider audience without much effort from booksellers. We sell stacks, we reorder, we ride the wave. But in some way, movies can also cheapen the effect of books and fragment the characters which once lived within their pages.

Box office success can mean that characters like Pooh and Piglet are turned into empires of licensing, their delicate identities turned over to the whims of marketing directors, producers and animators. And as we know, sometimes authors don’t like that. Most agree that of all kids’ books made into movies, WTWTA has the chance to do good by the author. Sendak carefully chose screen writers Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers. Thoughtful and methodical, both are known for some of the most honest work in their respective industries. Sendak had oversight and veto power when he wanted it. And the film looks absolutely fantastic.

However, there are signs that our beloved Max is on the prowl, making appearances in coloring books, puzzles and a movie storybook from Harper Festival. Jonze and Eggers are also hoping to profit from the rights to Max. In separate private enterprises, Jonze figured out a way to sell a limited edition skate sneaker via Lakai with WTWTA art, while Eggers penned a young adult novel that imagines Max growing older through his McSweeney’s lens. Will the two-dimensional Max persist? Yes. Will our opinion of him change? Probably. But will Max ever be free from outside interpretation again? Not a chance. Perhaps, then, Salinger is on to something.

-Nicole Magistro, The Bookworm of Edwards in Edwards, Colorado