Michelle Williams has been stripped of her voice acting role in Where The Wild Things Are to make way for Lauren Ambrose. We were made aware of these winds of change thanks to our friends at cinematical:
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ambrose is playing KW — “one of the giant characters in the land of the Wild Things. When a young boy named Max visits their strange world, KW and company turn him into their king.”
Ambrose is taking over the role from Michelle Williams. Apparently Williams got along well with the filmmakers, but “her voice didn’t match their original vision of how the Wild Things should sound.” Where the Wild Things Are mixes flesh-and-blood actors, computer animation, and live-action puppetry.
This beloved story paired with Spike Jonze’s mastery of the bizarre will be a glorious match. I am interested in seeing a movie with muppet-like creatures, that has a much different vision than the house of Sir. Jim Henson. The creatures are big and imposing but fuzzy and inviting. They have a great design to them and I anxiously await their arrival on the silver screen.
As for the cast swap, I will count it as good news. Jonze knows best, and if the original voice actress was not rocking the roll, the correct decision was made. Lauren Ambrose has the benefit of knowing what not to do, and with this advantage I hope she is able to channel the ghost of Mel Blanc and breathe glorious life into KW. This project has a release date of October 3, 2008, and I have high hopes.
