Maurice Sendak became a culty children’s author after the publication of Where the Wild Things Are (1963). A new Scholastic DVD set, “The Halloween Stories Collection,” includes such clever-sounding titles as “The Teacher from the Black Lagoon” but more interestingly, an entire disc of seldom-seen circa 1970 animated adaptations of Sendak.
Two of them feature the jazz music and hipster narration of Peter Schickele: the familiar images of Where the Wild Things Are set in motion an oddly endearing piece called “In the Night Kitchen.” Harkening back to the early days of animation, it concerns the dreams of a boy called Mickey who falls into a nocturnal kitchen run by white-hated cooks who are look just like Oliver Hardy. Sendak directed four other short subjects with music and vocals by Carol King. None are especially scary but all are imaginatively whimsical and a delightful tour through old school animation.
Although recommended for children ages 3-8, the Sendak shorts will appeal to adults who remember the style of animation from their own childhood.
