The movie seemed to think it was doing us a service by making each wild thing represent something in the main character's life. None of it is easy to peg down, which makes the film more irritating than fun. I've even looked up different interpretations written on the internet by people who idolize the film. Every explanation I've seen lists some good, noticeable details and then trails off with "I don't know about these characters, but this is what I think..."
With a film like this, a children's movie, you need to be make everyone realize what is actually happening in the imagination world. Kids should be able to get it. Adults should be able to get it. EVERYONE should be able to get it. The way it comes off, I don't think the filmmakers even got it.
The effects were wonderful. The scope of the film was fan-dabi-dozi. Anyone who tackled this idea would have come at much differently than this outcome. Jonze should be commended for that. He just didn't have a bead on what this film was trying to accomplish.
I do wonder if he was forced to cut a substantial amount from the version we saw though, knowing how troubled the movie was in production...