USA goes wild over Victorian-filmed monster movie
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26 October 2009
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The continued success of Victorian-made monster movie Where The Wild Things Are at the US box office is highlighting the State’s attractiveness as an international film production destination, according to Minister for Innovation Gavin Jennings.
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Directed by Spike Jonze, the Victorian-filmed adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s book reached $US54 million at the North American box office in its first nine days of release.
Depicting a boy’s fantasy where he rules an island of monsters, the film was shot at eleven metropolitan and regional locations across Victoria and at Melbourne Central City Studios.
"Victoria’s diverse range of locations and world-class studios at Docklands made it the ideal destination for this production”, said Mr Jennings.
“The locations required to create the fantastical world needed to be beautiful, enchanting and spectacular,” he said.
Filming took place in the striking forest setting of Gilwell Park in Gembrook, just an hour from Melbourne, and at the spectacular Mt Arapiles rock formations. Scenes were also filmed at Discovery Bay and Bushrangers Bay.
Mr Jennings said, “Victoria’s ability to host significant international productions like Where The Wild Things Are is a credit to the Victorian screen industry and its ability to provide skills and service that are equal to any around the world.”
He said a film of such magnitude improved the long-term prosperity of Victoria’s screen industry and is a powerful example of how the international film sector can create thousands of jobs in Victoria across a range of professions and attract millions of dollars of investment to the state.
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“Where The Wild Things Are alone injected more than $57 million into the Victorian economy and employed 670 people. Its success will ensure the Victorian screen industry continues to attract productions of its scale and importance,” Mr Jennings said.
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Where The Wild Things Are is one of several international productions that Film Victoria has attracted in recent years. Other recent productions filmed in Victoria include Miramax’s Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark and HBO Films’ The Pacific.
Where The Wild Things Are opens in Australia on 3 December.
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