Scarecrow suggests: Like 'Where the Wild Things Are'? Try two other versions, kid fantasy films

Scarecrow has two filmed adaptations of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are." One is Scholastic's version, which combines animation with music and narration to bring the classic storybook to life. The other is a British opera from 1984 composed by Oliver Knussen. This live performance by the Glyndebourne Festival Opera features a witty score and elaborate costumes designed by Sendak.

"Coraline," a stop-motion animation hit from earlier this year, is based on the book by Neil Gaiman. Like Max in "Where The Wild Things Are," Coraline evades troubles in her real world by escaping to a land of fantasy. Hers is inhabited by a set of doting doppelgänger parents who lure her in with her favorite foods and toe-tapping songs performed in a magical garden. Director Henry Selick does a wonderful job of balancing the beautiful and scarier elements of the story while keeping the audience focused on the strong female protagonist.

If you were a kid any time in the '80s, chances are you've already visited Fantasia countless times in "The Neverending Story." To bring the rest of you up to speed, the story begins with a young man named Bastian running from a group of bullies. He holes up in a bookstore, then makes off with a magical book. Inside its pages he becomes the key to saving a fantastical realm of Rock Biters, Luck Dragons, a beautiful Empress and the brave warrior Atreyu from an all-consuming storm known as The Nothing.

Two films we like adapted from stories by Frances Hodgson Burnett are "A Little Princess," directed by Alfonso Cuarón ("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"), about an orphan girl who helps relieve the misery of her surroundings with tales of adventure; and Agnieszka Holland's "The Secret Garden," which features another orphaned girl who is sent to live with a reclusive uncle and discovers a garden with incredible power.

You might already be familiar with "Where The Wild Things Are" director Spike Jonze's previous films "Adaptation" and "Being John Malkovich." Scarecrow also has "The World of Spike Jonze" DVD featuring several of his short films and music videos, including such classics as Fatboy Slim's "Praise You" and Beastie Boys' "Sabotage." His videos with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Weezer and works by his colleague Michel Gondry are included on another DVD, "Spike Jonze/Michel Gondry Shorts," in our short-film collection. More of Jonze's work can be found on video compilations by Pavement, Tenacious D and R.E.M. And lest we forget, he also gave a fine acting performance as Private Conrad Vig in David O. Russell's "Three Kings."

We could make a list a mile long of our favorite fantasy films for kids. "The Wizard of Oz," "Spirited Away," "Alice in Wonderland" and Jim Henson's "Labyrinth" instantly come to mind, but we'd rather you share your favorites with us and each other here in the comments.

Contributed by Scarecrow Video, 5030 Roosevelt Way N.E., Seattle; 206-524-8554 or www.scarecrow.com.