Where the Wild Things Are is a 2009 fantasy adventure drama film directed by Spike Jonze, who co-wrote the screenplay with Dave Eggers. Based on Maurice Sendak's 1963 children's book, it combines live-action, performers in costumes, animatronics, and computer-generated imagery (CGI). The film stars Max Records, Catherine Keener, and Mark Ruffalo, and the voices of Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, James Gandolfini, Catherine O'Hara, and Forest Whitaker. The film centres on a young boy named Max who sails away to an island inhabited by creatures known as the "Wild Things", who declare Max to be a king.