William Shatner Gives Frightening Reading Of ‘Where The Wild Things Are’

William Shatner made a surprise visit to Denver Comic Con this week, giving the kids in the audience some frightening moments as he read Where the Wild Things Are.

The actor read the Maurice Sendak classic picture book in his signature choppy, over-the-top style. He also delivered a semi-inspirational message about the power of the imagination.

“Remember, here’s the whole idea: The serious questions, the mysteries of the world, nobody knows the answers to a lot of them,” Shatner told the children in attendance. “So it’s all in your imagination. So when I read you have to imagine inside your head, imagine what I’m saying. And it’s the most fun, its better than TV, better than the computer.”

Video of William Shatner’s reading trickled onto the internet this week, leading to some interesting reviews. His performance has been described as frightening, overdone, and brilliant.

“William Shatner has performed and, according to some, butchered many a perfectly good song,” wrote the blog Geek Dad. “His ‘stylings,’ as he calls them, are part over-the-top dramatic readings, part over-acted poppycock. And yet we love him for it.”

The Where the Wild Things Are reading comes as William Shatner announced another project — a live episode of the show Hot In Cleveland. Shatner will appear in the June 19 live episode, which also features The Office star Brian Baumgartner.

“At long, long last, I am working with someone older than me,” Shatner, 82, joked in a statement. The 91-year-old Betty White plays the opinionated Elka Ostrovsky on the show.

Shatner has an ongoing joke about his relationship with White, referring to her as his secret lover.

“Betty and I have been lovers for a while. That’s all out in the open,” Shatner told Vanity Fair in 2010. “We’re going to do a sex tape for the AARP.”

Video of the William Shatner interpretation of Where the Wild Things Are can be found here:

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