'Where The Wild Things Are' (PG)(out of four)

The Spike Jonze-Dave Egger's adaptation of the 1963 children's book "Where The Wild Things Are" is so gigantic in its scope, you don't know whether to wrap your arms around it, or dismiss it as too large to embrace.

Part of the reason for this juxtaposition is that the filmmakers have opted to not take the easy way out. In fact, with how beloved Maurice Sendak's strange 338-word tale has been for five decades, one wouldn't expect anything less.

The fetchingly dark and moody examination of the dastardly depths of emotion will make even those with armor wrapped around their hearts look inward. And while the scrawled drawings of the book shroud the truly melancholy story, the filmmakers take full advantage of the medium's ability to create dramatic situations and delve into the dealings of the soul.

The soul belongs to 9-year-old Max (Max Records) who struggles with loneliness, alienation, misplaced rage and utter sadness. It's his imagination, however, that lifts him from desolation.

When the movie opens, Max is dressed in a tattered wolf costume, terrorizing the family dog. When the game becomes boring, he leaves his house and makes an igloo out of snow. Happy when he's inhabiting it alone, it's crushing when his teen sister's friends destroy the fort, and symbolic of another crushing blow to Max's fragility.

Angry that his sister allowed the demolition, Max destroys her bedroom, which doubles as a ploy to get the attention of his single-parent mother (a gentle Catherine Keener). After her interest turns instead to her boyfriend (a brief appearance by Mark Ruffalo), Max hits a breaking point, and lashes out. In total frustration, his mother screams, "You are out of control! "

While the picture book finds Max retreating to his room to conjure the land of strange creatures, the film takes a more realistic approach. Max runs wild through the streets of his snowy suburban neighborhood, heading for a body of water, where a small sailboat awaits him.

He arrives on an island inhabited by wild things who are struggling with demons of their own. The leader of the group is Carol (James Gandolfini), full of rage and anger issues, and frequently labeled by the group as "out of control." The goat-like Alexander (Paul Dano), while shy, goes along with everyone's plans for him so as not to be labeled an outcast. KW (Lauren Ambrose) is a wanderer, always searching for something more. She believes that if she leaves the pack, she'll find a better life elsewhere.

Chronic complainer Judith (Catherine O'Hara) and her devoted companion Ira (Forrest Whittaker) represent a mix of stability and insecurity, and the bird-beast Douglas (Chris Cooper) is the embodiment of dedication. He's Carol's right arm and the voice of reason.

The beautiful palette that Jonze creates for the creatures to mine their exploration is a work of art. Especially dreamy is a sandscape where Carol and Max realize the vast scope of the world and its complexities.

For those looking for some thinly veiled kiddie flick with Saturday cartoon laughs, there's not much of that here. Little ones may delight in the giant-sized monsters, but the beasts' bulk might not sustain them for the duration of the film. The action is subdued, limited to monsters knocking down trees and pummeling makeshift huts. A dirt fight, where the characters do fight dirty, leaves no more of a scratch than paintball.

"Where The Wild Things Are" is a sheep wrapped up in wolf's clothing. You expect it to be a children's film, but the existential nature of it makes it much more than that.

This is a place where fear gives way to fantasy, with a take-away message that wild, different and deeply emotional might not be so bad after all.