Oh, happy day. USA Today have released some brand new pictures from Spike Jonze's upcoming feature, Where the Wild Things Are.

In the accompanying article, they give a bit of insight in the film's star, Max Records (excuse me, but that is the BEST NAME EVER):

Of the coincidence regarding a kid named Max playing a kid named Max, director Jonze says "It's just fortuitous, kismet, circumstance .... I can't imagine anyone else playing Max. Max is the soul of the movie. He's a very special sort of kid. Deep and thoughtful. Sweet and sincere."

The Portland, Ore., sixth-grader spent four months on the film, which was shot outside Melbourne. His parents — Shawn, a photographer, and Jenny, a librarian — along with brother Sam, 7, joined him down under for the shoot.

Max has been in videos for Death Cab for Cutie and Cake but has almost no performing experience other than a bit part in school "that was pretty pathetic." Save for Star Wars, he says, "I wasn't a huge movie person. "I'm not into what won the Oscars this year."

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Apparently the first trailer for Where The Wild Things Are is debuting in the States this Friday, in conjunction with the release of Monsters vs Aliens. That means it will probably hit YouTube soon. EXCITEMENT.

It's due for release in Australian cinemas on December 10, 2009.

Until then, we'll just have to be satisfied with the images in the gallery above.

** THIS JUST IN **

Trailer has been leaked into YouTube.
You'll find it embedded in Marcus' story on an Arcade Fire song being used on the Where the Wild Things Are trailer.