Do remember a little movie called, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Or how about Matilda? What about James and the Giant Peach? All were based on books authored by Roald Dahl. He also authored the book, “The BFG.” I know you are dying to know what the BFG stands for and it’s the Big, Friendly Giant.
Yesterday, Steven Spielberg unveiled the first teaser for Disney’s THE BFG, which is set to be released July 1, 2016! (The date also serves as the 100th anniversary of Dahl’s birth).
The trailer really taps into the scary, fantasy world and the suspense that awaits us when we watch this film. If I had not told you what BFG meant, you might’ve thought Sophie was in for it at the end. True to his other stories, Dahl takes you into another world, one in which what we know to be true is not necessarily true.
Spielberg, known for movies like E.T., will finally get the chance to direct a Disney film. While he has served as a producer for other Disney projects, this is his first chance at directing one. The late Melissa Mathison, also a co-author of E.T., adapted the screenplay for the upcoming movie. (For those of you into Star Wars like me, you might note that Mathison was formerly married to Harrison Ford who plays Han Solo in the upcoming Star Wars movie).
The following is a synopsis provided by Disney:
The talents of three of the world’s greatest storytellers – Roald Dahl, Walt Disney and Steven Spielberg – finally unite to bring Dahl’s beloved classic “The BFG” to life. Directed by Spielberg, Disney’s THE BFG tells the imaginative story of a young girl and the Giant who introduces her to the wonders and perils of Giant Country.
“I think it was kind of genius of Roald Dahl to be able to empower the children. It was very, very brave of him to introduce that combination of darkness and light which was so much Disney’s original signature in a lot of their earlier works like in ‘Dumbo,’ ‘Fantasia,’ ‘Snow White’ and ‘Cinderella,’ and being able to do scary, but also be redemptive at the same time and teach a lesson, an enduring lesson, to everyone, it was a wonderful thing for Dahl to have done, and it was one of the things that attracted me to want to direct this Dahl book,” says Spielberg.
The BFG (Mark Rylance), while a giant himself, is a Big Friendly Giant and nothing like the other inhabitants of Giant Country. Standing 24-feet tall with enormous ears and a keen sense of smell, he is endearingly dim-witted and keeps to himself for the most part. Giants like Bloodbottler (Bill Hader) and Fleshlumpeater (Jemaine Clement) on the other hand, are twice as big and at least twice as scary and have been known to eat humans, while the BFG prefers Snozzcumber and Frobscottle. Upon her arrival in Giant Country, Sophie, a precocious 10-year-old girl from London, is initially frightened of the mysterious giant who has brought her to his cave, but soon comes to realize that the BFG is actually quite gentle and charming, and, having never met a giant before, has many questions. The BFG brings Sophie to Dream Country where he collects dreams and sends them to children, teaching her all about the magic and mystery of dreams.
Having both been on their own in the world up until now, their affection for one another quickly grows. But Sophie’s presence in Giant Country has attracted the unwanted attention of the other giants, who have become increasingly more bothersome. Says Spielberg, “It’s a story about friendship, it’s a story about loyalty and protecting your friends and it’s a story that shows that even a little girl can help a big giant solve his biggest problems.” Sophie and the BFG soon depart for London to see the Queen (Penelope Wilton) and warn her of the precarious giant situation, but they must first convince the Queen and her maid, Mary (Rebecca Hall), that giants do indeed exist. Together, they come up with a plan to get rid of the giants once and for all.
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Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post, but some of the content was provided to me by Disney. All opinions expressed are my own.
I THINK THIS NEW MOVIE WILL BE A GREAT TEACHING MACHINE. THE SCARY GIANT BEFRIENDS THE LITTLE GIRL AND TEACHES HER ABOUT DREAMS. I THINK IT WILL BE A WINNER.