Where the Wild Things Are

We read the book to the kids years ago, and last night rented the DVD from Blockbuster®. The two stories are quite different, and each very good. The book is a children's book, but I wouldn't call the film a children's film. I mean, it's not The Book of the Dun Cow, which I consider rather creepy for the pre-teen set, but as Wikipedia® reports, the film has a PG rating in the US. It is a little intense.

But I think the film a great conversation-starter. Why are the creatures so unhappy? What could KW or Claire or Carol or Max do to make the situation better? What are the limits of parental or civic/governmental power, and what must each person do for him/herself? And what do you suppose God would say about the problems shown here?