I've been waiting for this since I was little boy. My mother was a bit shaken by Sendak's prose, especially when Max says to his young mom: "Shut up, shut up or I'll eat you up." Allegory, folks.
I'm no fan of Spike Jonze (neither is Sofia Coppola--check her movie Lost in Translation). But I must say making James Gandolfini and Forrest Whittaker two of the endearing monsters is inspired casting...